CAA release
 
RICHMOND, Va. – Two days after delivering seven shutout innings against NYIT during his career-long start, Northeastern right-hand pitcher David Stiehl has been named CAA Rookie of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday.
 
Stiehl was the driving force behind the Huskies' 11-0 blanking of the Bears during the second game of the two teams' April 22 doubleheader at Friedman Diamond. The six-foot freshman from Manchester, Connecticut, operated like clockwork, needing only 73 pitches to keep NYIT scoreless through seven innings. With a double-digit lead in hand, he exited the game at the start of the eighth inning having thrown six strikeouts against no walks while limiting the Bears to only three hits.
 
With catcher Michael Geaslen calling the shots from behind the plate, Stiehl was dialed in from the very beginning, collecting five of his first six outs via strikeout. Despite surrendering a pair of two-out singles to the Bears, one during each of the first two innings, he shut the door on both occasions, capping off each frame with a swinging punch-out.
 
By the start of the third inning, Stiehl had settled into his groove completely, retiring each of the next seven batters as Northeastern offensively built a 5-0 advantage. With the help of two double plays turned by the Huskies' defense, the NU rookie walked off the mound for the final time having faced the minimum number of batters from the start of the third inning to the end of the seventh.
 
Although four NYIT base runners would manage to reach safely against Stiehl, none were able to occupy second base throughout the duration of his outing.
 
Upon Will Jahn and Rick Burroni tacking on scoreless frames during the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, Stiehl managed to celebrate his first career combined shutout, becoming the first Northeastern freshman starting pitcher to revel in one since Dustin Hunt on April 27, 2014.
 
Stiehl is the third NU freshman to receive CAA Rookie of the Week honors this season, joining fellow pitcher Sean Mellen (March 13) and second baseman Scott Holzwasser (April 17).
 
Northeastern (20-17, 9-3 CAA) is off until Friday, April 28, when the first-place Huskies will begin a three-game home series against Hofstra (10-27, 3-9 CAA) at 2:30 p.m. NU is riding an active nine-game winning streak at Friedman Diamond, the longest the Huskies have attained at home since the 1991 season (10 games).