Baseball: Lasers' 2022 season recap

NEWTON, Mass. - Freshman Vaun Larisa and senior Matthew Bischof of the Lasell University baseball team were named to the 2022 D3baseball.com All-Region first and second team, respectively, as the Lasers earned the fourth seed in the GNAC Tournament and hosted a first-round playoff game.

The Lasers went 11-7 in the GNAC under third-year Head Coach Billy Uberti. The 11 conference victories are the most in program history. 

Bischof was named to the All-Conference first team, Bryan Baumann and Larisa represented the program on the second team and Ross Audet earned a spot on the third team. Matthew Fletcher, Jordan Martinez and Larisa took home All-Rookie team recognition, while Jack Snyder was the Lasers' representative on the All-Sportsmanship team.

Bischof broke the program's career and single-season, home-run record this season, as he finished his career with 12 homers, including eight during his final year. In his senior year alone, he tied the previous record in career home runs. The Sleepy Hollow, New York, native was recognized as the GNAC Player of the Week on April 4.

He led the team in slugging percentage (.553), batting average (.307), home runs and RBIs (31). Bischof led the conference in home runs, was tied for seventh in RBIs and ranked ninth in slugging percentage. During the season, he went on two separate streaks in which he hit a home run in three consecutive games.

Lasell embarked on an epic comeback during the first round of the conference playoffs, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, but fifth-seeded Elms earned a 13-8 triumph in 15 innings at Brandeis University's Stein Diamond. 

The Lasers opened their conference schedule with back-to-back, two-game sweeps of of Albertus Magnus and Elms on March 27 and 29. Lasell excelled in the clutch, winning eight games by two or less runs.

During a 7-6 win over Defiance on March 14, Griffin Ferreira connected on the game-winning sacrifice fly in the sixth. Ferreira rose to the occasion again on April 12, tallying the game-winning RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 10th during a 9-8 triumph over Framingham State.

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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