Oct. 3, 2009

By Matt Swiss - GoRhody.com Staff Writer

For Dan Rhault, Nick Greenwood and Eric Smith, a 37-win season in 2009 was just the beginning of what would prove to be a very memorable year, to say the least. Rhault, last season's Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, joined with the front end of Rhody's starting rotation to embark on the journey that every little leaguer dreams of.

After getting the call this past June, Rhault, Greenwood and Smith joined former Rhody standout Zach Zaneski as the only four Rams to reach the minor leagues since 2006. Zaneski, a catcher for Rhode Island for four years through the 2008 season, signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers following his senior campaign and is currently a member of their AAA team, the Oklahoma City RedHawks.

"It was great. It was kind of a whirlwind of a leap," Zaneski said, referring to the recent jump he made from Single A Hickory to AAA Oklahoma City. "It was a very exciting day and I'm very grateful for the opportunity."

A two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and recipient of the Rick Ligi Team Most Valuable Player Award in 2008, Zaneski has moved through the minor leagues over the past two seasons, solidifying himself as a singles hitter, accumulating a .254 batting average and a .343 on-base percentage. Zaneski, like the three Rams taken in this past year's draft, could not say enough about his former head coach, Jim Foster.

"Coach Foster played pro ball for ten years and he was a catcher," Zaneski explained. "He helped me out tremendously as far as calling the game and working with the pitching staff."

Smith, a junior last season, was Rhody's highest all-time draftee, as he was selected 60th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The dominant right-hander earned some much-deserved recognition after his shut-down performance against the eight-ranked Miami Hurricanes where he tossed eight shutout innings while allowing just three hits and fanning five batters.

"It's the greatest honor to me," Smith said when asked of the significance of being the highest Ram ever selected. "I always looked up to those guys before me and for me to be the highest is just an amazing honor."

While his win-loss column doesn't tell the whole story, Smith has enjoyed success recently, compiling very respectable numbers for both the Missoula Osprey and the South Bend Silver Hawks. Thus far, he has assembled a 3.64 earned run average, while giving up less than a hit per inning and maintaining a 3:2 strikeout to walk ratio at the minor league level.

"I owe a lot to the coaching staff and Coach Foster for never giving up on me or anyone else," Smith said. "I really learned the game at URI, as opposed to just going out there to throw."

Greenwood, like Smith, anchored the Rhody pitching staff last season, leading all starters with a 3.61 earned run average. The left-hander had arguably his best game when he led Rhody to an 8-6 win over No. 25 Ohio State, pitching six innings of relief, giving up just one hit while striking out nine Buckeyes.

"It was an exciting moment in my life," Greenwood said when referring to draft day this past spring. "Being with my family, waiting and anticipating hearing my name and finally hearing it was just a great sense of relief and very exciting. It was probably one of the best moments of my life."

The former Rhody ace was dominate throughout his first year in the minors, playing for both the Eugene Emeralds and Fort Wayne TinCaps of the San Diego Padres farm system. He has compiled a 1.63 ERA, while maintaining a very respectable 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. After being named to the Northwest League All-Star team as a member of the Emeralds, Greenwood was promoted to the TinCaps, helping his squad win the Midwest League Championship.

"I want to keep having success in what I'm doing," Greenwood said. "I'm just going to keep trying to get better and - as I get better - hopefully the organization sees that. Hopefully someday the baseball Gods reward me."

Rhault caps off the list of former Rhody greats, not as a pitcher or catcher, but as a shortstop, and a very promising one at that. The only Rhode Island native amongst the aforementioned players, Rhault set the standard high in his four seasons at URI, particularly this past spring during his senior year.

"I learned baseball," Rhault said. "A lot of kids come into college as, I guess you could say, raw baseball players. I really learned from Coach Foster. He's an unbelievable coach and I really learned the mental side of baseball and the way to play the game the way it should be played."

Rhault, currently playing in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system, led the Rams offensively last year in eight different categories, including runs batted (57), home runs (11) and multi-hit games (23). He has continued to grow and develop while playing as a member of the Princeton Rays this season, reaching base a total of 53 times in just 50 games.

"It's exciting, but it's not over," Rhault said. "There's still a lot of work to do. I was excited when I got drafted but the next day I knew I had a lot of hard work ahead of me and a lot of tough years to come. It's not an easy road."

• 2010 Schedule

• 2010 Quick Facts 

• 2009 Roster

• 2009 Statistics

• 2009 Media Guide

• URI Baseball Blog

• Bill Beck Field Renovation Ceremony

• Bill Beck Field Renovation Photos

• Baseball Camps & Clinics

• 2009 Meet & Greet Photos

• URI Baseball Newsletter

• Photo Galleries

• Prospective Student-Athletes

• Calling All Alumni

• Give to URI Baseball

HEAD COACH: JIM FOSTER

• 401-874-4550

• jimfoster@mail.uri.edu

ASST. COACH: STEVE BREITBACH

• 401-874-4888

• sbreitbach@mail.uri.edu

ASST. COACH: ERIC CIRELLA

• 401-874-4888

• eric.cirella@gmail.com

ASST. COACH: IDRIS LIASU

• 401-874-4888

• iliasu@etal.uri.edu

DIR. OF BASEBALL OPS.: MATT FINLAYSON

• 401-874-4888

• URIbaseball@gmail.com

BASEBALL LINKS

• Atlantic 10 Baseball

• NCAA Baseball

• Baseball America

• The College Baseball Blog

• CollegeBaseballInsider.com

• D1Baseball.com