Top 10 Moments: #1 – Baseball Completes Finest Season in Program History

The SJC Bears baseball team had a memorable 2013 campaign filled with winning streaks, broken records, and accolades equating to its most successful season in the team’s six-year history.

The season got off to a blistering start with eight-straight road victories when the team began play at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, NY against the Albertus Magnus Falcons. The opener was a sign of good things to come for the 2013 squad as the Bears rallied from three runs down in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Falcons in walk-off fashion 7-6.

The following day the Bears defeated the Falcons two more times before knocking off Maritime (N.Y.) twice, Lehman once, and Mount Saint Vincent twice over the next two weeks. In the team’s eighth straight win to open the season, freshman standout Rosario DiLorenzo went the distance allowing only three hits while striking out eight Mount Saint Vincent hitters.

After dropping a tight contest to Baruch, the Bears continued their winning ways by rattling off three straight wins and six of seven equating to a 13-2 record.  Over the course of their outstanding first 15 games, the Bears received four straight weeks of votes in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 poll, the first occurrence for any SJC team.

The Bears first 20-win season culminated in the school’s first bid to this year’s United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series in Butler, PA, where the team put forth a valiant effort in the weekend tournament.

Accolades were a plenty for this bunch, recognizing the growth of the program and a successful statistical season. Headlining the awards was power-hitting right fielder Joe Mendez, who was named to the D3Baseball.com’s All-New York Region First Team, the team’s first player to do so, after leading the team with 41 RBI.

Also claiming major awards was the aforementioned DiLorenzo, who took home Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Pitcher of the Year and Bears Manager Scott Losche who was named Coach of the Year by the AD3I. Ten Bears received recognition in total including eight First Team nods. 

The Bears who finished the season 20-15 overall and 7-2 at home, have now posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history. The team will look for continued success as they enter the 2014 season. 

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Our summer feature on www.SJCBears.com, we look back at the highlights from the 2012-2013 season in St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn Athletics. We will reveal a new moment on the list every Wednesday throughout the summer ending in August right before the start of the new season. 

#10 – Mangan Captures First Cross Country Win in Lady Bears History
#9 – Diamonds Sparkle on the Dance Floor and in the Classroom
#8 – Softball Rallies From Eight Down, Caps Season With HVWAC Crown
#7 – Former Bears and Lady Bears Shine in Professional Spotlight
#6 – Bears and Lady Bears Athletes Recognized for Outstanding Seasons
#5 – A Gym Still Grows in Brooklyn... Project Crosses 1-Year Mark
#4 – Women's Basketball Stuns USCAA Champs En Route to HVWAC Title
#3 – Men's Basketball Shocks Patchogue in Double OT; Caps Campaign With USCAA Berth
#2 – Women's Soccer Claims HVWAC Championship in Inaugural Season
#1 – Baseball Completes Finest Season in Program History