Mendez and Cutrone Recognized as USCAA 2nd Team All-Americans, McKenna Honorable Mention; Three Land on All-Academic Team

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – After helping lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team to a 28-9 regular season and the school's consecutive appearance in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series, senior Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and junior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) were named Second Team All-Americans, while junior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) was tabbed an Honorable Mention All-American in ceremonies kicking off the postseason tournament.

Also recognized by the Association for achievements in the classroom were senior Mike Cundari (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's), junior Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and sophomore Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) who were awarded National All-Academic Team honors.

Mendez had a record-breaking season for the Bears in 2014 as he produced a school-record ten home runs and 49 RBI on the year and hit a strong .370 with 38 runs. The one-time NCBWA Division III Hitter of the Week, d3baseball.com Team of the Week selection and USCAA Player of the Week became St. Joseph's all-time hit leader versus Vaughn on April 18th and became first Bear in program history to record 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI in a career with his 100th run versus John Jay on April 13th.

The two-time AD3I Player of the Week became school's all-time home run leader with four home runs against Maritime in a doubleheader on March 29th, finishing with 11 RBI on the day.

Cutrone was a dual threat for the Bears all season at the plate and on the mound. Cutrone was the ace of the staff all season as he posted a career-best 7-2 mark with a career-low 3.06 ERA in 64 2/3 innings. The junior finished with a team-high 46 strikeouts and ended the season with five complete games in nine starts. The two-time USCAA and three-time AD3I Player of the Week had his best game of the season on the hill versus SUNY-Canton on April 5th, tossing a 10-inning complete game allowing only one run to help St. Joseph's earn a walk-off win.

The second baseman also contributed at the plate, batting .350 with 24 RBI, 29 runs scored and a team-high five triples in 103 at bats. Cutrone became seventh Bear to record 100 career hits versus John Jay and also set a school record by reaching base safely in 29 straight games midway through the season.

McKenna added a threat at the top of the order for St. Joseph's, hitting .369 with a team-high 44 runs scored, while driving in 25 RBI and stealing a team-high 20 bases in 22 attempts. The outfielder also had a team-high-tying 48 hits and paced the squad with six triples.

The one-time D3baseball.com Team of the Week selection and USCAA Player of the Week had a school-record five runs scored in game two at Yeshiva on April 25th and knocked in the game-winning run against USCAA foe SUNY-Canton.

Cundari ended the season leading the team in hitting with a .378 average and 48 hits in 127 at bats. The senior also drove in 33 RBI and scored 35 runs on the year for the Bears. The first baseman was stellar on defense all season, committing no errors on the year in 309 chances. The one-time AD3I Player of the Week surpassed 100 runs scored in his career early in the season and became second Bear to record 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBI, joining Mendez with an RBI at Drew on May 3rd.

Camerada put together a solid season at the plate and defensively from behind the plate. The junior hit .314 with 15 RBI and 21 runs scored. The catcher also was impressive at throwing out potential basestealers on the year, gunning down 22 on the year.

DiLorenzo appeared in only five games due to injury, but was effective going 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 29 2/3 innings. The sophomore had two complete games and struck out 21 batters over five starts.

The postseason accolades garnered by Mendez and Cutrone are the first in their careers, while McKenna comes off a season in which he was a Second Team All-American.

Cundari earns All-Academic honors from the USCAA for the third time in his career, while Camerada and DiLorenzo take home the award for the first time in their careers.