Morrill and Burgio play in NEIBA All-Star game

BROCKTON, MASS. 6/12/12 – Seniors Kyle Morrill (Auburn, N.H.) and Peter Burgio (Bolton, Conn.) represented Keene State College in the 38th annual New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game played last night at Campaneli Field in Brockton, Mass.   Senior Erik Bergstrom (Enfield, Conn.) was also selected to play in the game, but was unable to attend due to a work commitment.

The game pits Division I honorees against a team comprised of Division II and III selections.

"It's the first time we've had three players named to the team, so it was nice to watch the guys play and have an opportunity to put on a Keene State uniform again," said Owl Coach Ken Howe.

Morrill and Burgio each had two at-bats. Morrill had the lone Owl hit, a single up the middle in the fourth inning. "It was a great experience to go up against Division I pitching and meet other players who were standouts in Division II and III," said Morrill, a Little East first-team all-star who led the Owls in hitting with a .421 batting average. 

"In all honesty, I didn't see that much of a difference between Division I and Division III pitchers," said Morrill.  "I think the biggest difference is pitching depth.  Division III teams have one or two shutdown pitchers while in Division I everyone they put on the mound has the ability to keep you off the scoreboard."

The Division I team took a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth on a three-run homerun by Holy Cross senior Steve Tkowski and held off a late rally by the Division II-III squad to secure the victory.

Last night's game marked the second time Morrill and Burgio played at Campaneli Field, the home of the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.  The pair played in a non-conference game against Curry College at Campaneli Field during their sophomore seasons.

Morrill is spending the summer helping Owl teammate Jeff Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.) coach the Keene Blue Jays, who play in the Central New England Baseball Association.