DiLorenzo Nabs Pitcher of the Year, Losche Coach of the Year as Nine Land on All-Independent Baseball Teams

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – After leading the Bears with a 5-2 record, Rosario DiLorenzo has been named Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) 2013 Co-Pitcher of the Year. Ten Bears received recognition in total, with eight selected to the First Team – DiLorenzo, Thomas McKenna, Mike Cundari, Kevin Diaz, Chris Cutrone, Vinny Rossi, Joe Mendez and Brian Luebcke – along with Domenick Camerada who was named to the Second Team. Head Coach Scott Losche was named Co-Coach of the Year, concluding a 20-15 season.

The nine All-Independent team selections are the most for the Bears in their six-year history. St. Joseph's 20-win season is also the most for the program and their second straight season finishing over the .500 mark.

DiLorenzo, who received AD3I Player of the Week honors earlier this season, brings the Pitcher of the Year title back to St. Joseph's for the second season in a row following teammate Paul Piccirillo. The freshman right hander, started 11 games this season for the Bears, tossing 63.1 innings to go along with a 3.41 ERA and 56 punch-outs. DiLorenzo limited opponents to a .228 batting average and fanned 7.96 batters per nine innings.

Bears manager Scott Losche also took home AD3I honors as he was named Co-Coach of the Year by the Association. Losche led the Bears to their best season-to-date notching a 20-15 record and guided the team to its first USCAA Small College World Series appearance. The Brooklyn-born skipper with over 100 career wins adds to a CUNYAC Coach of the Year honor he received while at Baruch.

McKenna led the Bears offense with a .397 batting average (No. 80 in D3), .447 on base percentage, 42 runs scored (No. 65 in D3), 54 hits in 136 at bats and also swiped had 16 stolen bases. The sophomore shortstop had an impressive streak this season in which he reached base safely in 19 consecutive games. McKenna also had a team-high 11 game hitting streak during the middle of the season during which he hit .435 with a team-high 18 runs scored and had 14 multi-hit games on the year. This is the second First Team All-Independent honor in as many seasons for the Bellerose, NY native and he adds to his United States Collegiate Athletic Associaion Second Team All-American selection received at the Small College World Series.

Cundari, a junior first baseman, receives First Team honors this year after being named AD3I Second Team All-Independent in 2012. The junior hit .349 with a team-high four home runs and 37 RBI in 129 ABs. The first baseman also finished with a .597 slugging percentage (No. 66 in D3) and scored 37 runs this season. The Staten Island, NY native had a school-record 27-game reached base safely streak which included the first 11 games of this season.

Diaz earns first team accolades for the second time in his career with the previous nomination coming in his 2010 freshman season. The center fielder led the team with 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts to go along with a .281 batting average. Diaz finishes his career as the St. Joseph's all-time leader in hits, becoming the first to reach the 150 hit mark, and runs scored totaling 116 over his four-years.

Cutrone, excelled at both the plate and on the mound for the Bears in 2013. The sophomore hit .361 on the year with 35 runs scored while ranking third on the team with 29 RBI. The AD3I Player of the Week on March 19th made 12 appearances on the mound for St. Joseph's making 10 starts finishing with a 4-7 record compiling a 5.62 ERA in a team-high 64.0 innings. Cutrone threw a team-high seven complete games (No. 10 in D3) and recorded the Bears' lone save of the season. This is the second First Team nod in as many seasons for the Levittown, NY native.

Rossi has been named a First Team All-Independent after being tabbed to the Second Team last season. The sophomore hit .325 on the year with 12 runs scored and 19 RBI. The left fielder finished fifth on the team with his 39 hits and had seven doubles on the year.

Mendez anchored the middle of the lineup for the Bears ranking second on the team with his .365 batting average four home runs, led the team with 41 RBI (No. 32 in D3 per game) and a .611 slugging percentage (No. 81 in D3) in 126 ABs. The outfielder, who recorded his 100th career hit in 2013, also led St. Joseph's with 19 doubles this season (No. 7 in D3 per game) and 13 games with multiple RBI. The junior from Staten Island, NY has been named to the First Team All-Independent in each of his three seasons at St. Joseph's and was recently the first Bear to receive First-Team All-New York Region honors.

Luebcke is honored with the First Team All-Independent nod in his first season as the Bears third baseman. The freshman had a successful rookie campaign as he hit .274 with 22 runs scored, 29 hits, three doubles and a triple. The third baseman, who started all 35 games for the Bears, had 18 RBI and was incredibly disciplined at the plate as he had only eight strikeouts in 106 at bats.

In his first season at St. Joseph's, Camerada receives AD3I Second Team All-Independent honors after an outstanding season behind the plate. The sophomore catcher batted .301 on the season in 103 at bats, finishing with 31 hits, 12 RBI and 18 runs. In just one season, the team's backstop set the all-time Bears career record for most runners thrown out as he gunned down 23 runners from behind the plate. Camerada also set the single-game record for runners caught stealing with four against Purchase College on April 10th.

The All-Independent baseball teams were selected by the baseball coaches from AD3I member schools.