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Ken Belbin, Media Relations
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belbin_ken@dwc.edu

The final numbers are in and Daniel Webster College can lay claim to a national champion. All-Conference baseball standout Chris Shanahan has captured the NCAA baseball batting title for Division III with a .524 average.

Shanahan, a native of Nashua, N.H. who graduated from Daniel Webster in May with a degree in Sport Management, was the top hitter among all 360 NCAA Division III baseball sponsoring institutions nationwide and edged his closest competitor, Chris Kenney of Williams College, by a full 24 points.

A three position player (pitcher, catcher, third base), Shanahan collected 43 hits in 82 at bats in just 26 games played. Shanahan earned the batting title in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), and was named co-recipient of the GNAC Player of the Year Award (with two other performers), the first such award for the Eagle baseball program.

A two-time team captain, Shanahan was a bright spot to an Eagles program that is slowly improving under the guidance of fourth year Head Coach Jim Cardello. The Eagles posted a 5-21 overall record in 2006 including a 4-11 mark in GNAC play, and qualified for the GNAC championship tournament, bowing in the opening round to Suffolk University.

“I've coached many players over the years on numerous levels and none have shown the commitment to be a great hitter as much as Chris has,” said Cardello. “When I came on board [in 2003] Chris was already a good hitter. As he matured he began to understand the key to all great hitters – patience. As a junior he always knew when he was too over anxious. Inevitably, that learning experience paid significant dividends for him as a senior.”

Cardello added that Shanahan will return to the program in 2006-2007 as an assistant coach.

DWC Director of Athletics John Griffith noted that Shanahan’s accomplishments can easily be regarded as one of the top individual performances in DWC athletic history. “Chris’s maturity and talent allowed him to perform at an exceptional level and his season was easily one of the best in our history,” Griffith said. “He worked incredibly hard to achieve his goals and the entire college community is extremely proud of him.”

Across NCAA classification lines, Shanahan posted a better average than all NCAA Division I players as Mike Goetz of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee finished as the top slugger at .493. NCAA Division II performer Carlos Gutierez of Elizabeth City State College (N.C.) led all hitters across all divisions with a .548 average.

Shanahan slugged .732 with a team best six doubles, four triples and one home run. His slugging percentage listed him 21st nationally in Division III. Shanahan also led the Eagles in games played (26), total bases (60), RBI (20), walks (15), at-bats (82), and total hits (43). On the mound, the right hander appeared in two outings, allowing six earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

The NCAA will honor Shanahan with a plaque commemorating his achievement. Daniel Webster College will also receive an additional plaque for permanent display on the College campus.