Athletics Update

Warriors battle hard but fall short at nationals

The Eastern softball team had an outstanding year in 2022, going 44-7 and tying its all-time record for wins. The team won the Little East Conference (LEC) tournament and the NCAA regional and super regional tournaments, traveling to Salem, VA, for its 15th national Division III tournament appearance. The five-time national champions were not able to make it six, losing their first game against Trine University, then beating Millikin University before succumbing to Barry College in the double-elimination tournament.

Highlights of the year included Alexis Michon ’25 being named national Pitcher-of-the-Year; a season team record for shutouts; a 22-game winning streak; and four All-Americans (Michon, Brooke Matyasovsky ’22 and Julia SanGiovanni ’22, all first-team selections; and Cassie Woods ’25, a second-team selection).

The team was ranked as high as #3 in the nation, dominating the Little East Conference as the conference leaders in pitching, fielding and hitting — a trifecta!

In addition to Michon’s national recognition (she was also conference Pitcher-of-the-Year), Julia SanGiovanni was 2022 LEC Player-of-the-Year and Coach Diana Pepin was LEC Coach-of-the-Year for the sixth time.

Eastern won its final 18 regular-season games, swept the LEC tournament with three shutout wins, and then won the Union, NJ, Regional and the Super Regional at Clyde Washburne Field to return to the national tournament.

Michon named national Pitcher-of-the-Year

First-Team All-America softball pitcher Alexis Michon ’25 was named national Pitcher-of-the-Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Michon won her final 21 decisions for the 44-7 Warriors and finished with a 24-1 record and 1.07 earned run average. Her winning percentage of .960 established an Eastern season record, leading the Warriors to the national Division III tournament. She was also named by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance as Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete-of-the-Year for 2021-22.

Champs Again!

In only its third season, the Eastern Connecticut State University men’s golf team defended its 2021 title in the inaugural Little East Conference Championships by repeating in 2022 as the tournament host at Ellington Ridge Country Club Oct. 6-7. As the tournament champion, Eastern qualified automatically for the NCAA Division III national championship tournament May 16-19 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, KY. Junior Ashton Lewis repeated as tournament medalist with a 1-over score of 145 over 36 holes in the two-day event. Lewis had also finished as the medalist in the four invitationals leading up to the Little East Championship.

Eastern Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame

Eastern inducted five athletes into its Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame on Oct. 15 in the Student Center’s Betty R. Tipton Room.

Adam Czerwinski ’03 won 21 career games and was a starting pitcher on the 2002 NCAA national championship baseball team. In his senior season, Czerwinski was named first-team All-Little East and second-team All-New England Region when he compiled a 2.04 ERA in a staff-high 84 innings in helping the program to a second straight national tournament berth.

Forward Sandra (Mosley) Scavello ’07 was named to the All-LEC team in each of her four full seasons on the basketball team. In her career, the versatile Mosley scored 1,535 points, grabbed 706 rebounds and landed 101 three-point field goals. She left the program ranked second all-time in points and sixth in rebounds and three-point field goals.

Shawn Gilblair ’11 is the most accomplished two-way player and only three-time first-team All-America in the baseball program’s history. The lefty-hitting designated hitter/first baseman and pitcher compiled a career .373 batting average with 236 hits, 29 home runs and 194 RBI, and won 28 of 35 pitching decisions with a 2.31 ERA and 281 strikeouts.

Pamela (Neff) Schreibman was a LEC Player-of-the-Year and two-time all-conference soccer selection who played midfield and forward for four seasons. In her career, Neff was also named second-team All-LEC at forward and first-team All-LEC at midfield.

Nick Nedwick ’13 helped the Warriors basketball team to their first LEC regular-season title ever. Nedwick graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,657 points. Ten years after leaving the program, Nedwick still ranks second all-time in points and among the all-time Top 5 in six additional categories.

New Coaches on the Roster

Eastern Hall of Famer and former All-America David Nicholson ’06 is the new head coach for track and field and cross country. Nicholson returns to Eastern after serving the previous four years at Lindenwood University. During his college career, Nicholson helped the Warriors to four straight Little East Conference outdoor titles and one indoor championship. One of the top 400-meter runners in Division III, Nicholson earned All-New England recognition 38 times at 200 and 400 meters and in the relays.

Mike Odenwaelder takes over as head baseball coach after serving as assistant coach at Dartmouth College in spring 2022. The previous four seasons, he was as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Amherst College. The Goshen native takes over one of the winningest programs in Division III baseball history and the most successful program in New England at any level, with the Warriors coming off their highest win total ever (49-3) and fifth NCAA national title in 2022.

Marc Senia is the new head golf coach. He returns to Eastern after serving on the baseball coaching staff between 2014-17. Senia is a 2002 graduate of Wheaton College, where he was a member of four straight conference regular-season and tournament championship baseball teams, and served as a senior captain. He is an avid golfer, and inherits a team that, while only in competition two years after a 38-year hiatus, has won the LEC championship both seasons (2021 and 2022).

Sarah Tompkins joined Eastern earlier this year as the new head women’s soccer coach. A native of Wisconsin, Tompkins is a former assistant coach at Quinnipiac University and Illinois State University and a former graduate assistant at Division II Carson-Newman University. She played college soccer at Carson-Newman, and also at the University of Tennessee-Martin.