McKenna & Brigando Earn USCAA All-American Honors; Four Named to All-Academic Team

HAMPTON, Va. – For their play that helped the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team (22-16) to their fourth straight winning season and their third straight trip to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series, outfielder Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) was named a Second Team All-American and pitcher Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) received All-American honorable mention.

Four Bears were also tabbed by the Association for their achievements in the classroom. Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell), Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy), Anthony DeFillippo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xavierian) and Brandon Salem (Franklin Square, N.Y./Valley Stream North) were awarded National All-Academic Team honors.

McKenna had a team-best .406 batting average along with six home runs, 29 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 36 games played in the outfield.  During the season, the one-time AD3I Player of the Week became the all-time team leader in batting average, hits and runs scored. He ended the regular season on a tear, setting the team's all-time record with a 21-game hit streak.

Brigando had a great 2015 campaign on the mound, posting a team-best 7-1 record with a 2.82 earned run average over a team-high 44.2 innings. Of his seven games started and eight appearances, he notched three complete games and one shutout victory.

Camerada put together a solid senior season at the plate and behind the plate as the catcher. The senior was second on the Bears with 24 runs batted in along with 14 runs scored and a team-best 23 walks in 35 games played. In 105 at-bats, the catcher posted a .432 on-base percentage, which was good for fourth on the team.

In eight appearances on the mound, DiLorenzo tossed three complete games and earned a victory with 23 strikeouts over 39.2 innings pitched.

The sophomore DeFillippo connected on 15 hits with 15 runs, six RBI and six stolen bases in 26 games at shortstop.

In 15 games played primarily as catcher, the sophomore Salem compiled a .231 average with four runs and two runs batted in.

This is the second straight season McKenna has earned USCAA honorable mention, and the third consecutive season he's earned yearly honors with a Second Team nomination in 2012-13. Brigando secures his first USCAA yearly honors in his sophomore season.

For Salem and DeFillippo, it's their first time nabbing USCAA All-Academic, while Camerada and DiLorenzo both take home All-Academic for the second straight season.

The No. 9-seeded Bears kick off their USCAA National Championships with an opening round match with No. 8 Penn State Beaver Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at War Memorial Stadium, with the winner taking on top-ranked Illinois Tech later that day at 4:00 p.m.