NEW CASTLE, Del. - - The Wilmington University baseball team dominated the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season and it showed as nine student-athletes were honored at the annual CACC Baseball Banquet on Wednesday night, led by David Hatt who was named the CACC Pitcher of the Year.

Hatt continued the streak of Wilmington ball players earning a major award at the CACC Baseball Banquet, marking the fifth straight year at least one Wildcat has been named Player, Pitcher, or Rookie of the Year.

The Wildcats took the regular season title on the final day of the CACC season, a 3-2 win over Philadelphia, to finish 37-12 overall, 17-3 in the CACC. They were honored by producing nine members on the three All-CACC teams with six being named first team, two second team, and one honorable mention.

Joining Hatt on the first team was sophomore catcher Matt Lopes, junior third baseman Josh Hampton, sophomore utility player Frank Samluk, sophomore starting pitcher Ray Gambone, and junior reliever Nick Marics.

Earning a position on the second team were senior outfielders Brandon Payne and Jordan Johnson. Rounding out the Wildcats being honored on Wednesday night was senior shortstop Jonathan Rodriguez who was named Honorable Mention.

Hatt and Gambone are tied for the league lead with seven wins, as Hatt is 7-0 and Gambone 7-1. Hatt leads the conference with 73.1 innings pitched and is second, first among starters, with a 1.71 earned run average. Gambone is third in the CACC with 56 strikeouts, trying Hatt in the league lead with 13 starts and seven wins. Gambone is seventh with a 2.50 ERA.

Marics was the lone reliever on the First Team, saving a league high eight games for the Wildcats. The junior appeared in 27 games and pitched 28.2 innings. He went 3-3 on the mound with 22 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA. Samluk was the fourth pitcher for the Wildcats to be named to the First Team, going 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 50 innings. He started eight games, tossing a no-hitter against Molloy on March 9. The sophomore was named First Team utility by also batting .304 while playing first and second base. Samluk has four doubles and three triples, knocking in 21 runs while scoring 28 more.

Lopes finished third in the CACC in RBI's while hitting .304 as the team's catcher. He is also third in the CACC in sacrifice hits and second in sacrifice flies. He has 10 doubles and a home run, scoring 23 runs in 45 games. The Wildcats are 30-11 when he starts behind the plate.

Hampton has been the offensive force for the Wildcats all season long. For the year, Hampton leads the CACC in hits (70), doubles (24), RBI's (43), and total bases (114), while being second in slugging (.567), third in triples (4) and home runs (4), and fourth in average (.348). His 24 doubles are the most by a Wildcat in a single season in program history. He has been named the CACC Player of the Week twice this season.

Outfielders Johnson and Payne have been a staple on both sides of the ball for the Wildcats all season. Roaming in centerfield, Johnson has eight outfield assists while being the catalyst for the offense from atop the lineup. He is hitting .332 with a CACC high 52 runs scored. He has eight doubles and 19 RBI's while reaching base at a .456 clip. He also leads the team by going 18-for-20 on stolen base attempts. Payne is eighth in the CACC with a .342 batting average, playing either right or left field in 47 contests. He is third in the CACC with 63 hits and 85 total bases. He has 10 doubles, three triples, 32 RBI's and 34 runs scored on the year.

Rodriguez is hitting .302 while being the defensive anchor for the Wildcats at shortstop. He has started 44 games and has 49 hits, six doubles, and a home run on the year. The senior has 28 RBI's while scoring 31 more. He's also seventh in the CACC with 113 assists, being a part of 22 double plays this season.

Concordia took home two major awards from the CACC Baseball Banquet, as first baseman Luis Gonzalez beat out Hampton for CACC Player of the Year and the Clippers' head coach Craig Everett has been named the CACC Coach of the Year.

Chestnut Hill's freshman Brendan Looby has been named the CACC Rookie of the Year while Nyack College took home the Team Sportsmanship Award.

The CACC Baseball Banquet is the opening ceremonies of the main portion of the 2013 CACC Tournament. The double-elimination, four-team portion of the tournament begins on Thursday at Wilson Field in New Castle, Del., with No. 1 Wilmington taking on No. 5 Felician at 12 p.m. No. 2 Dominican takes on No. 6 Chestnut Hill following the conclusion of the day's first game.

AGATE

2013 CACC Baseball All-Conference Teams
First Team:
C- Matt Lopes, Wilmington
1B- Luis Gonzalez, Concordia
2B- Dylan Ebel, Dominican
SS- Aaron Brill, Felician
3B- Josh Hampton, Wilmington
OF- Tony Blake, Dominican
OF- Joe Gallub, Concordia
OF- John Kennedy, Nyack
DH- Cristian Fiorito, Concordia
DH- Brendan Looby, Chestnut Hill
UT- Frank Samluk, Wilmington
SP- Dave Hatt, Wilmington
SP- Peter Martinez, Dominican
SP- Ray Gambone, Wilmington
RP- Nick Marics, Wilmington

Second Team:
C- Tyler Clark, Dominican
1B- Andrew Camardella, Dominican
2B- Mike Shada, Post
2B- Paul Nyitray, Caldwell
2B- Kris Chatman, Nyack
SS- Kyle Davis, USciences
3B- Mike Manganiello, Concordia
OF- Brandon Payne, Wilmington
OF- Andrew Nunez, Caldwell
OF- Jordan Johnson, Wilmington
DH- Carlos Lopez, Dominican
UT- Oliver Christensen, Dominican
SP- Vic Monteagudo, Felician
SP- Dominic Raia III, Chestnut Hill
SP- Albert Martucci, Concordia
RP- Jack Fowler, Felician

Honorable Mention
1B- Jon McMahon, USciences
SS- Jonathan Rodriguez, Wilmington
UT- Cole Tobin, Nyack
DH- Carlos Lopez, Dominican
RP- Micah Winterstein, Chestnut Hill

CACC Player of the Year:  Luis Gonzalez, Concordia
CACC Pitcher of the Year:  Dave Hatt, Wilmington
CACC Rookie of the Year:  Brendan Looby, Chestnut Hill
CACC Coach of the Year:  Craig Everett, Concordia
Team Sportsmanship Award:  Nyack College

2013 CACC Regular Season Champions: Wilmington University