July 22, 2001
Marist College pitcher/designated hitter, Tim Bittner (Wilmington, DE), was made the 313th overall pick in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox organization.
Bittner, an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and ECAC Honorable Mention All-Star Team selection, finished his third year with the Red Foxes' batting .397, 49th in the country according to most recent NCAA statistics, along with a 3.63 ERA on the mound in 14 appearances. Bittner was second in the league in batting average and third in hits at the close of the regular season and ended the year second on the squad with 77 hits, 91 total bases, and a .454 on base percentage. Additionally, he ranked third on the Marist squad in doubles (14) and RBI's (36).
Bittner concluded the year 8-3 from the hill, including Marist's victory over Long Beach State in the NCAA Tournament at the Palo Alto, CA Regional, which eliminated the 49ers, a team which reached the College World Series in 1998, from tournament play. The lefthander hurled 86.2 innings, surrendering 82 hits and 35 earned runs, while striking out 88 batters and holding opponents to just a .246 batting average at the plate. In addition, Bittner recorded four complete games and tossed a 9-0 shutout over league rival LeMoyne on April 21st.
During the MAAC Baseball Tournament, Bittner guided the Red Foxes into the championship game after hurling a complete game with 11 strikeout in a 13-3 victory over LeMoyne and finished the three-game tournament batting .400 with six hits, four runs scored, and seven runs batted in.
The Marist baseball team, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions, finished the 2001 season with a 33-21-1 mark and returned to its third ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The 33 victories captured this season tied the school record for most wins in year, a feat also accomplished by the 2000 NCAA Tournament squad. Marist picked-up the school's second ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 7-6 win over Long Beach State, before being eliminated by nationally fourth ranked Stanford.
