UTICA, NY – SUNYIT senior slugger Chris Fratini (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) has been selected as the North Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year and joined four other Wildcats on the All-Conference Team, which was announced by the NEAC this afternoon.
Fratini has had a phenomenal season, starting in all 34 Wildcat contests and leading the team in almost every hitting category, including batting average (.504), slugging percentage (.913), on-base percentage (.566), at-bats (115), hits (58), RBI (36), runs scored (33), doubles (13), triples (11), total bases (115) and stolen bases (13). Fratini also hit four homeruns and drew 16 walks, which were both second best on the team, and currently leads the NEAC in batting average, slugging percentage, triples, doubles and total bases, while being second in hits and on-base percentage and third in RBI. Additionally, he is currently sixth in the nation in batting average, while being second in triples per game and total triples and fourth in slugging percentage.
Fratini, who won one NEAC Student-Athlete of the Week award this season and is making his second straight appearance on the All-Conference First Team, broke the program record for batting average, slugging percentage, hits, RBI, triples and total bases in a season this year. He is currently the program's all-time leader in triples and total bases, while being second in hits and RBI, third in homeruns, slugging percentage and stolen bases, fourth in career batting average and fifth in career at-bats.
Joining him on the First Team is junior outfielder Dan Orza (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington), who also had a fantastic season. Orza smashed a team-best six homeruns on the year and is currently third in program history in that category, while also batting .437 with 45 hits, 35 RBI, 32 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and a team-high 19 walks drawn. He is currently tied for first in the NEAC in homeruns while being fourth in both slugging percentage (.709) and on-base percentage (.531). Orza was also named this week's NEAC Student-Athlete of the Week.
Making the All-Conference Second Team was junior catcher Matt Faboskay (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam). Faboskay hit .305 in 28 games this season, going 25-for-82 at the plate with 18 runs scored, 13 RBI and 10 doubles. He also got it done behind the plate, as he threw out eight runners attempting to steal base, which is the fourth-best mark in the NEAC, while being second on the team in putouts with 96.
Junior pitcher David Golembiowski (Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent) was named to the All-Conference Third Team for the second consecutive year and was joined by sophomore outfielder Anthony Surber (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills). Golembiowski posted a 1.99 ERA with 23 strikeouts in six appearances, going 2-1 in three starts and also recording a save to add to his program-record for career saves. Both of his two victories were complete-game gems, as they were both wins over NEAC opponents and one was the team's only shutout of the season.
Surber hit .417 in 27 contests this season and was second on the team in hits (35), while being third in runs scored (25), doubles (6) and walks drawn (15) and fourth in RBI (13), stolen bases (8) and at-bats (84). He also saw time on the mound for SUNYIT, going 2-0 in three starts while striking out 17 batters in 17 innings of work.
The Wildcats (15-19) clinched the fourth and final spot in the NEAC Tournament after finishing 6-6 overall in the NEAC West division. They will now take on Penn State Berks, who will host the tournament after earning the top seed by finishing with a conference record of 10-2. The two teams will meet this Friday at 9:30 am for game one of the double-elimination tournament, with second seeded Penn State Harrisburg taking on third seeded Penn State Abington at Owls Field in West Lawn, PA, also at 9:30 am. Click here to be redirected to Penn State Berks' athletics page for the entire baseball playoff schedule.
Beginning with the 2010 baseball season, North Atlantic Conference (NAC) members Castleton, Husson, Lyndon State, Maine-Farmington and Thomas will play in the NEAC as associate members in the East Division. Each division will hold a championship and the two divisional champions will meet for a three-game series to determine the conference champion. The conference winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.