UTICA, NY – SUNYIT sophomore Michael Rose (Chatham, NY/Hudson Valley CC) has won the 2010-11 North Eastern Athletic Conference Inspirational Award, which is awarded to a student-athlete, coach or administrator who has endured personal hardship(s) that has led to bravery and/or dedication within athletics.
Rose had an incredible season for the SUNYIT baseball team this year, not just because of the numbers he put up, but also for overcoming the personal hardship he has to endure before every contest. Rose was born without a bone in his right thumb, which caused him to require multiple surgeries on his right hand as a baby. Doctors had to remove the skin from his thumb since there was no bone developed, and also had to perform an additional operation in order to straighten the other four fingers. Due to this obstacle, Michael has to perform hand stretching exercises before taking the mound so his hand wont lock up, while also having to strongly tighten his glove to keep it from falling off of his hand, since gripping it is so difficult with the use of just four fingers. Additionally, he needs to use an outfielder's glove in order to have a bigger pocket to help with fielding and catching the ball.
Despite this hardship, Michael was not only one of the best pitchers on the team but one of the best in the nation as well. At one point this season, he led all of Division III in earned run average and ended up finishing the year ranked 11th in the country after registering a 1.31 ERA on the season. That ERA total also landed him in the SUNYIT baseball program's record book, as it was the lowest ERA ever recorded among Wildcats with at least 40 innings pitched. He also finished the year with three complete games and two shutouts, which were both team bests, while striking out 28 batters through 41.1 innings pitched.
Rose's dominant pitching was a major reason why the team finished fourth in the nation in earned run average and seventh in hits allowed per nine innings, as well as a major factor in the team claiming a share of the NEAC West Division regular season championship. All of the abovementioned accomplishments were also good enough to land him on the NEAC All-Conference Third Team and capped off what was truly a remarkable season for Rose.
"Michael had a phenomenal first year as one of our top pitchers during a record breaking season," said Head Coach Kevin Edick. "He is a pleasure to coach and is one of the hardest working student-athletes we have. He is truly an inspiration to the team and the entire athletics department."