Baseball Grabs Top Honors as Seven Land on AD3I All-Independent Teams
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team continues to add to its hardware collection after their historic season sweeping the top honors given out by the Association of Division III Independents as the All-Independent Teams were announced on Wednesday. Senior Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) was named Player of the Year, junior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees HS) was tabbed Pitcher of the Year, freshman Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) was the Rookie of the Year and head coach Scott Losche was chosen as Coach of the Year, headlining seven Bears to make the All-Independent Teams.
Receiving first team honors were Mendez, Cutrone and LoPrinzi along with senior Mike Cundari (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's), junior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and freshman Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside). Notching second team accolades was junior catcher Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell).
Mendez, an outfielder, receives Player of the Year for the first time and finishes his career as a four-time First Team All-Independent selection. This year's ABCA/Rawlings and D3Baseball.com All-New York Region First Team honoree had a monster season for the Bears, setting school records in home runs (11), RBI (50) and slugging percentage (.734). The USCAA Second Team All-American also led the team with 12 doubles and had 39 runs scored in 128 at bats.
Cutrone is named to the first team for the third consecutive season, but first time as a pitcher. The D3Baseball.com All-New York Region Third Team recipient and USCAA Second Team All-American finished with an impressive 8-2 mark with a 3.01 ERA in 71 2/3 innings. The two-time USCAA Pitcher of the Week tossed six complete games and led the squad with 53 strikeouts. Cutrone also hit .327 with 29 runs scored and 24 RBI, splitting time between pitching and second base.
LoPrinzi receives recognition from AD3I after his first season on campus. The third baseman had a solid rookie campaign for the Bears, batting .373 with 29 RBI and 22 runs scored in 118 at bats. The one-time D3Baseball.com Team of the Week and USCAA Player of the Week ended the season with seven doubles and compiled a .431 on base percentage.
Cundari is named to the All-Independent First Team for the second straight year after garnering second team honors his first two years on campus. The ABCA/Rawlings and D3Baseball.com All-New York Region Third Team honoree as a first baseman was a steady force for the Bears starting all 40 games. The senior hit a team-high .375 on the year with 36 runs scored and 34 RBI to his name. Cundari had ten doubles, ten steals and was solid defensively committing no errors in 327 chances.
McKenna receives first team honors for the third straight year, but first as an outfielder. The D3Baseball.com All-New York Region Second Team selection and USCAA All-American honorable mention made a successful transition to the outfield and produced, hitting .367 with a team-high 46 runs scored along with three jacks and 31 RBI in 139 at bats. McKenna also finished with a team-high six triples along with nine doubles and stole a team-high 20 bases.
Rapp is a first team recipient in his first year at St. Joseph's as he hit .342 with 39 runs scored and 23 RBI in 117 at bats. The shortstop stepped up for the Bears in the USCAA Small College World Series, hitting .778 (7-for-9) over the tournament scoring four runs and driving in a run, earning All-Tournament Team honors.
Camerada is recognized by AD3I as a second team selection for the second year in a row and hit .302 on the year with 22 runs scored and 15 RBI. The junior carried a .431 on base percentage and was solid defensively throwing out a school-record-tying 23 potential basestealers from behind the dish.
Losche earns Coach of the Year recognition from AD3I for the second consecutive season after taking home Co-Coach of the Year honors last year. The fifth-year skipper led St. Joseph's to a school record 29 wins and their first ever postseason win at the USCAA Small College World Series.
Mendez becomes the first Bear ever to take home Player of the Year from the Association, while Cutrone joins sophomore Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Paul Piccirillo as Bears to earn Pitcher of the Year honors. LoPrinzi is first St. Joseph's player to bring home top rookie honors since Jon Mendez was Co-Rookie of the Year in 2009.