Conway exits on top

UMass-Boston pitcher was best in conference

Brendan Eygabroat sat down with a number of recruits in the past year, trumpeting the history of his University of Massachusetts at Boston baseball program, spelling out the demands of being a college athlete and listing his expectations as a coach.

A great deal of discussion focused on Nick Conway, the ace of his pitching staff this past season.

The former Methuen High standout ended his college career in style, honored as the Little East Conference's Pitcher of the Year. Conway was the conference's best pitcher in 2006 as well, and is only the second hurler in conference history to win the award twice.

His 3.05 earned run average ranked fourth among conference leaders. Even though his record was only 3-4, he limited batters to a .222 batting average, third-best in the Little East. His 65 strikeouts were second. His 56 innings were eighth.

Eygabroat doesn't talk about the statistics.

Instead, he paints the portrait of a young player who, through an immense amount of hard work, developed into perhaps the program's greatest pitcher.

"He's a great recruiting factor," said Eygabroat. "I tell them we're losing our top pitcher and that he started off the same as some of them: kids who had a good high school career and have the talent to play in college. If they work the way Nick did, they might see the same results. Nick is an outstanding talent, but it came forth through his work ethic."

His tenacity and competitiveness on the diamond are noteworthy, added Eygabroat. It's not the only place Conway pushes himself; he will return to the Dorchester campus this fall, with four classes left to complete a double-major in criminal justice and sociology.

"We had less than 10 returners, so it was basically a new team," said the 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound Conway. "Because of that, I felt like more of a leader this season. Each game meant more because it was my last year here. You go out and try to leave everything you have out on the field and hope its enough to help your team. And you hope the younger guys can learn from us upperclassman to keep things going once we're gone."

Conway also leaves the Beacons with career records in innings pitched (245), strikeouts (234), and ERA (3.49). He ranks second in career appearances (45) and in wins (14). He holds single-season records with 82 strikeouts and 86 innings pitched. As a sophomore, when he was the first UMass Boston pitcher to be named Little East Pitcher of the Year, he led the Beacons to their first-ever ECAC New England playoff berth.

The right-hander is also the only pitcher in school history to beat Eastern Connecticut twice and the lone hurler to lead the team to the postseason in all four of his years. Last year, he spent the summer playing for the Lowell All-Americans, in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, and was a member of the Cape Cod League's Brewster Whitecaps in 2006.

So many accolades. So much humility.

"It's nice to show what you can do if you work hard," said Conway, who will spend the summer playing for the Gately Athletics in the Intercity League. "It's a bit weird though, because during your career, you don't do the work to break records, you do it so you can be the best player possible."

Littleton High product Courtney Haroules was a first team all-conference selection in the Little East after a sparkling junior season for the UMass-Boston softball team. Haroules served primarily as a starting pitcher for the Beacons, but it was her offensive numbers that earned her the nod as a designated player on the team. Haroules racked up a team-leading .391 batting average, ranking her 11th in the conference, and was among the team leaders in every category.

The 6-foot-1-inch transfer from Division 1 Farleigh Dickinson University started in all 35 games this spring, and owned a team-best .455 on-base percentage. Haroules was second on the team with 34 hits and 11 walks, placed third with 9 doubles, 45 total bases and a .517 slugging percentage.

The North Chelmsford Legion team stayed hot after a tight matchup with Reading. Post 313 squeezed out a 3-2 win, remaining atop the Zone 5 standings at 8-1. Tyngsborough High standout Mark Lane helped his squad with both his bat and his glove. Lane preserved a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh, throwing a strike from left field to catcher Kyle Busby, who tagged out Reading's Justin Lindahl out at home. Lane then belted a homer over the left-field fence in the next frame.

"Summer baseball is lighter, more fun," said Lane. "We still take things seriously, but it's fun getting to play with guys you're used to seeing as opponents during the school year. It definitely keeps you on your toes because there's no school to worry about and you can totally focus on baseball."

Methuen Post 122 starter Jolmi Minaya-Suriel had to work extra hard to put up a 6-4 win over Lynn Post 6. In a game that was stretched to 11 innings, Minaya-Suriel was stellar, striking out 20 batters, using a nasty slider and zipping fastball.

Two streak-breaking wins in two days rounded out North Andover Post 219's weekend. After beating Peabody for the first time in seven years, Post 219 downed Haverhill, 8-3, for only its second win over Post 4 in the same time frame. The win moved North Andover to 3-4 in Zone 8 play.

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.