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Milestones Set by KSC Player and Coach

Left: Greg Ford, right: Mark Theriault
Left: Greg Ford, right: Mark Theriault

KEENE, N.H., 3/31/08 - The head coach of the Keene State men’s lacrosse team and a member of the Keene State baseball squad celebrated milestones this weekend.

On Saturday, KSC men’s lacrosse coach Mark Theriault earned his 100th career victory with the Owls’ 10-8 victory over UMass Dartmouth. Greg Ford, a senior outfielder from Nashua, became Keene State’s all-time home run king on Sunday when he cracked his third round-tripper of the season and the 17th of his career against Eastern Connecticut State.

In his ninth season at Keene State, Theriault has put the Owls on the map. Taking over a two-year-old varsity program in 1999, the Lewiston, Maine, native has seen his hard work pay off. He has not only built the Owls into one of the top programs in New England, but has also moved the team into the national spotlight, garnering a 17th-place ranking in last year’s final USILA poll. Off to a 3-0 start, KSC is 18th in this week’s poll.

Theriault, who coached two seasons at Western New England College prior to joining Keene State, has an overall record of 100-44 and an 87-40 mark with the Owls.

“Milestones are always nice, but my main motivation has always been the overall success of the program and making sure the athletes have a good experience at Keene State,” said Theriault. “This program has just scratched the surface of its potential.”

Under Theriault, the team has claimed a pair of Little East tournament titles, appeared in five conference championship games and produced two All-Americas and 39 All-Little East Conference players. Last season, KSC became the first LEC team to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Ford’s home run, which helped the Owls gain a split against their LEC rivals, came against ECSU All-America Shawn Gilblair. “It’s a nice feeling to hit the home run, especially off a quality pitcher like Gilblair,” Ford said. “But I’m more interested in us winning the LEC and returning to the NCAA tournament.”

Ford broke the previous record set by former Owl Justin Hickman (2000, 2002-04), who hit 16 home runs in his career.

“Greg has a lot of power for his size and he can play to all fields,” said KSC Coach Ken Howe. “His home run on Sunday was a fast ball on the outside of the plate, and he just drove it to right center.

Greg came in as a freshman with a lot of expectation. He has shown what can be accomplished with hard work and perseverance.”

The fact that Ford also pitched two innings to pick up a save in the game demonstrates his value to the team.

Ford is also creeping up on KSC’s all-time RBI list. He currently has knocked in 110 runners and needs just 10 more RBIs to break the mark held by John Grainger.

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