NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - Heading into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament this weekend at Wilson Field, eight Wilmington University baseball players were honored by the conference, earning All-CACC honors as announced by commissioner Dan Mara Tuesday morning.
Five Wildcats (32-7-1 overall, 17-3 CACC) were named First Team All-CACC while the remaining three student-athletes were named Second Team All-CACC.
Juniors Matt Lopes, Frank Samluk, Jamie Treml, and Tyler Fries accompany Senior Josh Hampton on the First Team while junior Josh Swirchak, Sam Goines and Rob Gore were named Second Team All-CACC.
It's the second year in a row that Lopes (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach) has earned First Team honors. After a strong second half of the season, Lopes is second in the CACC with a .388 batting average. With 38 hits, 12 walks, and four hit by pitches, Lopes is first in the CACC with a .474 on-base percentage. He also has six doubles, 12 RBI, and 20 runs scored on the year, while throwing out seven would-be base stealers.
Samluk (Middletown, Del./St. Elizabeth's) earned First Team All-CACC utility man for the second year in a row as an infielder and a pitcher. The do-it-all player for the Wildcats, Samluk is 10th in the CACC with a .339 batting average, and eighth with 14 stolen bases. He also carries a fifth best 1.84 earned run average while only allowing hitters to bat .195 off of him. Samluk is 4-0 in 10 appearances, making nine starts while striking out a team high 51 batters in 49.0 innings.
Treml (Newark, Del./Hodgson Vo-Tech) is back on the All-CACC teams after missing out last year. He was the CACC Rookie of the Year in 2011 and earned Second Team honors in his first two seasons. In nine appearances (five starts) on the mound this year, Treml is 8-0 with a CACC leading 0.79 earned run average. He has struck out a season best 11 batters in each of his past two starts and leads the CACC in averaging 12.44 strikeouts per nine innings.
It is the first time in his career that Fries (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) has earned All-CACC recognition after leading the CACC with six saves and 21 appearances. He is 2-0 on the year with a 1.25 earned run average in 21.2 innings of work. He has 30 strikeouts on the season while only allowing five walks. He is averaging 12.46 strikeouts per nine innings of work, but doesn't have enough innings to register in CACC rankings.
Hampton (West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove) makes his second appearance on the All-CACC First Team, hitting as the team's cleanup hitter all season. The senior leads the CACC with 16 doubles; fifth with a .358 batting average; sixth with 53 hits; seventh with 30 RBI, a .419 on-base percentage, and a .520 slugging percentage. He is also ninth in making 93 assists at third base on the season.
Swirchak (Manassa, Va./Osbourn Park) led the CACC with a .389 batting average during the regular season, landing him on the Second Team in his first season with the Wildcats. He is also second with a .461 on-base percentage and 42 runs scored as the team's leadoff hitter. His 11 doubles ranks fifth in the CACC while his 10 sacrifice bunts put him atop the CACC rankings. Swirchak's .535 slugging percentage is fifth in the CACC as he has also amassed two triples and two home runs as part of his 56 hits.
Goines (Wilmington, Del./A.I. DuPont) earned Second Team All-CACC for the first time in his career for his play in outfield this season. His team leading 40 RBI ranks second in the CACC while he is also in the Top 1o with a .424 on-base percentage (fourth), .481 slugging percentage (ninth), 17 stolen bases (sixth), and three home runs (seventh).
Gore (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown) earned his first all-conference honors after finishing 5-0 on the season with a 1.79 earned run average. In 45.1 innings pitched, he's struck out 34 batters while only allowing 10 walks. His ERA ranks fourth in the CACC among eligible pitchers , and third on the team overall. He has been a part of three of the team's nine shutouts while batters are only hitting .189 off him on the season.
Felician took care of the major awards during the 2014 regular season with senior shortstop Aaron Brill being named CACC Player of the Year and junior Jerry Vasto being named CACC Pitcher of the Year.
Dominican's Jayson Gray was named the CACC Rookie of the Year while Nyack's skipper Matt Cornacchione was voted as the CACC Coach of the Year by the conference's sports information directors. Nyack also earned the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Wildcats begin the CACC Tournament on Thursday as the No. 1 seed after winning the 2014 CACC Regular Season with a 17-3 record. The Wildcats will face fifth seeded Dominican in the first game of the double-elimination format at Wilson Field. The first pitch is slated for 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8.
AGATE
2014 CACC Baseball All-Conference Teams
First Team:
C – Matt Lopes, Wilmington
1B – Scott De Jong, Felician
2B – John Sczepanski, Philadelphia
3B – Josh Hampton, Wilmington
SS – Aaron Brill, Felician
OF – John Kennedy, Nyack
OF – Joe Petosa, Felician
OF – Brendan Looby, Chestnut Hill
DH – Ken McCormick, Philadelphia
UT – Frank Samluk, Wilmington
SP – Jamie Treml, Wilmington
SP – Jerry Vasto, Felician
SP – Don Crook, Post
RP – Tyler Fries, Wilmington
Second Team:
C – Tyler Clark, Dominican
1B – Julien Casaubon, Post
2B – Mike Shada, Post
3B – Joe O'Donnell, Caldwell
SS – Josh Swirchak, Wilmington
OF – Sam Goines, Wilmington
OF – Gabriel Fellin, Felician
OF – Jayson Gray, Dominican
DH – Brennan Price, Felician
UT – Cole Tobin, Nyack
SP – Dominic Raia III, Chestnut Hill
SP – Jack Fowler, Felician
SP – Rob Gore, Wilmington
RP – Matthew Facendo, Felician
Honorable Mention:
SP – John Holland, Felician
SP – Ryan Calby, Dominican
SP – Cory Dean, Philadelphia
2B – Paul Nyitray, Caldwell
CACC Player of the Year: Aaron Brill, Felician
CACC Pitcher of the Year: Jerry Vasto, Felician
CACC Rookie of the Year: Jayson Gray, Dominican
CACC Coach of the Year: Matt Cornacchione, Nyack
Team Sportsmanship Award: Nyack College