CHAPMAN AND PERILLO TOP LEAGUE BEST OF THE YEAR LIST IN CUNYAC BASEBALL
FLUSHING, N.Y. - The City University of New York Athletic Conference announced its year-end baseball award winners recently, and Richard Gomez of CCNY has been selected as Player of the Year after posting one of the best offensive seasons in all of Division III. Meanwhile, Mitchell left-handed pitcher Jeremy Chapman (So., Oakdale, Conn.) garnered Pitcher of the Year praise, while teammate and third baseman Jeff Perillo (Fr., Newington, Conn.) received Rookie of the Year mention. Lehman head coach John Quirk was selected as Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers.
Gomez ranks No. 5 nationally with his .505 batting average, and No. 17 with a .554 on-base percentage. He led the CUNYAC with eight home runs and a .847 slugging percentage (No. 7 in NCAA). He was a preseason All-America selection by D3baseball.com entering the 2008 campaign.
Chapman was a first-team all-star last season, and used a strong season in conference play to pick up Pitcher of the Year accolades. He was 4-1 with a CUNYAC-best 3.27 ERA in conference contests, striking out 41 batters in 33 innings of play. Overall, Chapman fired five complete games with 54 strikeouts in 50 innings thrown.
Perillo was among the top-five in numerous CUNYAC statistical categories. He ranked third in walks (23) and on-base percentage (.521), while ranking fifth in batting average (.404), slugging percentage (.614) and runs scored (42). The two-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week was a stalwart at third base for the Pequots, who finished second in the conference standings with a 10-5 mark.
Quirk led a Lehman resurgence in just his second year with the program, lifting the team to a 10-win turnaround and a 9-6 record in conference play. His squad scored 7.7 runs per game, good for second place in the conference (John Jay), and he saw four of his players named to all-conference teams.
OTHER MITCHELL MENTIONALBES
Mitchell Baseball landed a grand total of six players on this year's All-Star listing. Earning First-Team recognition were the battery of freshman catcher Brandyn Michalak and sophomore pitcher Andy Langlais, both of Ledyard, Conn., and junior shortstop Seth Nowakowski (Preston, Conn.). Michalak finished out the season Senior Alex Hamlin (Conway, N.H.) was named to the Second-Team for his prowess in the outfield this season.
Michalak turned finished conference play with a .961 fielding percentage behind the plate and .352 at bat. Langlais finished second in the conference behind Chapman with his 3.52 ERA against CUNYAC opponents. Nowakowski finished fifth overall in the league in conference action with his .459 average at the plate. Hamlin ended his college career with a .357 batting average and errorless outfield play against CUNYAC teams.
"Earning six slots on this year's All-Star list is a great accomplishment for us. We continue to be extremely grateful for the opportunities and recognition that the CUNYAC has afforded us." Head Coach Len Farquhar commented on his teams continued success in the CUNYAC.
2008 CUNYAC Baseball All-Star Team
Player of the Year: Richard Gomez, CCNY
Pitcher of the Year: Jeremy Chapman, Mitchell
Rookie of the Year: Jeff Perillo, Mitchell
Coach of the Year: John Quirk, Lehman
First-Team
C - Brandyn Michalak, Mitchell
1B - Andrew Baio, Staten Island
2B - Jhonny Reyes, Lehman
SS - Anthony Piccirillo, Staten Island
SS - Seth Nowakowski, Mitchell
3B - Chris Nastasi, John Jay
OF - Greg Polius, Baruch
OF - Thomas DeWaters, Staten Island
OF - Gilbert Garcia, Lehman
UT - John Massoni, John Jay
DH - Xavier Perez, John Jay
P - Pat Gale, Staten Island
P - Andy Langlais, Mitchell
Second-Team
C - Luis Guzman, John Jay
1B - Joe Valentin, Baruch
2B - Mo Hamad, Staten Island
3B - David Chestnut, Baruch
OF - Ray Valerio, Staten Island
OF - Anthony Cestaro, John Jay
OF - Alex Hamlin, Mitchell
UT - Willis Fernandez, CCNY
DH - Amadoernesto Guzman, Lehman
P - Luis Vega, John Jay
P - Emmanuel Vera, Lehman
All-Stars by Team
Mitchell - 6
Staten Island - 6
John Jay - 6
Lehman - 4
Baruch - 3
CCNY - 2