The Empire 8 Conference released its 2010 All-Conference selections, with a strong showing from the St. John Fisher College baseball team.
Dan Jurik was honored as the 2010 Pitcher of the Year, while freshman
Ben Bostick was named the Rookie of the Year. Interim head coach
Brandon Potter, in his first year at the helm of the Cardinals, earned the honor of Coach of the Year.
Nine other players received honors as well. Jurik, along with
Jon Gibbs,
Kevin Wing, and
Marc Montesano, was named to the First Team, while Bostick, along with
Leo Fusilli and
Geoff Martone, was named to the Second Team.
Teagen Barresi,
Steve Karnyski,
Mike Craig, and
Andrew Van Slyke each garnered Honorable Mention accolades.
Potter led Fisher to an overall record of 31-14, setting a new College-record for wins in the a season. Fisher also advanced the deepest it ever has in the NCAA Division III Regionals and won the program’s first Empire 8 Conference title this year.
Jurik, the Pitcher of the Year as well as a First Team selection, recorded a 7-3 record on the season. He threw five complete games and struck out 85 hitters in 77 innings, while limiting opposing batters to a .223 average. In his solo appearance in the NCAA New York Regionals, a 3-2 win over the College at Brockport, the senior recorded a career-best 11 strikeouts and was named to the All-Regional Team. His 202 strikeouts over a four-year career with the Cardinals stands in the top spot on the College’s career top-ten list, as does his 22 wins and 226.1 innings pitched. The Vestal native also ranks among the top-ten in career appearances (47), complete games (9), and earned run average (3.30). Jurik’s name also appears several times atop the single-season top-ten lists, including strikeouts (85), games started (13), and innings pitched (77), while he holds spots among the top-ten for single-season wins (7), appearances (14), earned run average (1.99), and complete games (5). This season marks Jurik’s third consecutive year as an All-Conference selection.
Gibbs, a senior, hit .340 on the season (52-for-153). The first basemen led the team in doubles (12), home runs (7), and RBI (51). Gibbs tallied a .608 slugging percentage with a .443 on-base percentage. The senior’s 51 RBI on the season leads the Empire 8 and sets a new College single-season record, while his name appears among several other single-season top-ten lists, including at bats (153), doubles (12), home runs (7), and runs (42). For his career, the senior hit .309 over three seasons (103-for-333), including 30 doubles, two triples, and 17 home runs, standing among the career top-ten lists for runs (97), doubles (30), home runs (17), and RBI (87). This is Gibbs’ second appearance as an All-Conference selection over his three-year career. The Pittsford native was also named the Empire 8 Player of the Week twice this season - for the week ending April 11 after going 6-for-17 from the plate in a 5-0 week for Fisher, while collecting 12 RBI, scoring four times and having five extra-base hits - and the week ending May 2 after batting .526 (10-for-19) with five runs scored, five doubles, two home runs, and 12 runs batted in during a 5-1 week.
Wing enjoys his third consecutive year as an All-Conference selection. The senior hit .342 (53-for-155) on the season, good for fourth on the team. The shortstop’s 155 at bats sets a new College record in a single season, while his name also appears on the single-season top-ten lists for hits (53), runs (44), and doubles (13). With 13 stolen bases in the 2010 season, Wing set a new College career record with 40 stolen bases over four years. The senior also holds a spot among the top-ten in career records for runs (124), hits (148), doubles (27), RBI (72), and sacrifices (22). Wing’s 44 runs scored led the Empire 8 Conference this year.
Wing was also Fisher’s representative as the 2010 Empire 8 Baseball Sportsman of the Year. The Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Montesano earned his spot on the First Team for the first time, after being named to the Second Team as a freshman in 2007. The senior, who will return for the 2011 season after missing last year due to injury, saw a stellar season from the plate in which he led the team and the Empire 8 Conference in batting with a .385 average (37-for-96), including two doubles and three triples with 13 RBI and 21 runs scored. The right fielder went 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts, and recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage with 34 puts outs on the season.
Bostick, Fusilli, and Martone were each Second Team selections.
Bostick, a freshman, batted .369 (55-for-149), good for second on the team, with 32 RBI, 37 runs scored, and a .537 slugging percentage. His six triples on the season set a new College single-season record and led the Empire 8, while his 12 doubles also puts him on the top-ten list. Bostick was named to the NCAA All-Regional team after a solid showing in the New York Regional, hitting .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles and one RBI.
Fusilli hit .339 on the season (43-for-127) with six doubles, two triples, 26 RBI, and 36 runs scored. As the Cardinals’ starting catcher, Fusilli recorded a .983 fielding percentage with 433 put outs. The sophomore went 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
Martone, the Cardinals’ clutch closer, led the pitching staff with 23 appearances on the season, a new single-season record at the College. The senior earned seven saves, which ties the College record, and tallied a 3-1 record with a 3.47 ERA and 39 strike outs. For his career, Martone ranks in the top-ten with 44 appearances and seven saves.
Barresi, Karnyski, Craig, and Van Slyke each earned Honorable Mention accolades.
Barresi was third on the team, batting .353 on the season (54-for-153) with 12 doubles, two home runs, 37 RBI, and 25 runs scored. The sophomore went 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts. Barresi was named to the NCAA All-Regional team after a phenomenal performance, leading the team in batting in the Cardinals’ five games with a .421 average (8-for-19) and a team-best nine RBI on the weekend. In just two years with the Cardinals, Barresi already holds spots on the College’s career top-ten lists for RBI (76) and home runs (8).
Karnyski, the Cardinals’ starting designated hitter, hit .330 on the season (33-for-100), with six doubles, one triple, home run, and 18 RBI and runs scored. Last year, as a freshman, Karnyski drove in 39 runs in 39 games, while batting .364.
Craig earned a 3-0 record from the mound this season, starting seven games and throwing two complete games. The senior pitcher garnered a 4.27 ERA over 46.1 innings pitched, and was named the Empire 8 Pitcher of the Week for the week ending May 2 after posting two victories, allowing only one run in seven innings in each of two starts. He scattered eight hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out two in a 10-2 St. John Fisher win over Rochester, and tossed a complete-game seven-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 5-1 Cardinals’ victory over Utica. In four years with the Cardinals, Craig pitched 103. 4 innings, collecting a 7-3 overall record and fanning 71 batters.
Van Slyke made 11 appearances with 56.1 innings pitched in the 2010 season. In his four-year career with the Cardinals, the senior recorded a collective 3.75 earned run average, facing 776 batters and allowing 72 earned runs over 173.0 innings. His 16 career wins ranks second all time at Fisher, right behind teammate Jurik, and he ranks on the top-ten for innings pitched and games started (28) as well.