Apostolo Named Honorable Mention on D3baseball.com's All-America Team
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mitchell College junior John Apostolo added national recognition to a growing list of accolades on Wednesday as he earned honorable mention status on D3baseball.com's All-America Team.
Apostolo was one of 65 players honored by the web site on its annual list of the nation's top talent. A pitcher and outfielder for the Mariners, he was one of five players to earn All-America recognition as a utility player. He also had the highest batting average of the 65 players honored.
As the lone representative of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) on the list, Apostolo is only the second player in the conference's short history to earn distinction from D3baseball.com. Last season Mitchell pitcher Jeremy Chapman was an honorable mention All-America selection as well.
Apostolo has earned numerous accolades throughout the 2011 season. Last week he was named to the NEIBA All-New England Second Team, and prior to that he became the first player in NECC history to be named both Player and Pitcher of the Year. The All-NECC First Team selection was also tabbed MVP of the 2011 NECC Baseball Championship after leading the Mariners to the tournament title.
Apostolo had a dramatic impact in his first season with the Mariners. If conference play he led the NECC in batting (.581), slugging (1.032), hits (36), RBI (30), home runs (6), total bases (64) and on-base percentage (.620) while splitting time between the outfield and the mound. In six NECC starts he posted a 6-0 record with a 2.27 ERA and a league-high 47 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. He was also the only starting pitcher in the conference to record a victory against every other school.
Apostolo, who ranks among the national leaders in several offensive categories, batted .463 for the season with 12 homers and 56 RBI. He leads the country in RBI per game (1.75) and slugging (.909) and ranks third in home runs per game (0.38) and sixth in batting average. On the mound he was 9-2 overall with a 3.13 ERA in 16 appearances. He struck out 91 batters in 77.2 innings and held opposing line-ups to a .232 batting average.
Mitchell finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 23-11-1. The Mariners won NECC regular season and tournament titles and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Mitchell made its NCAA debut in the Auburn (NY) Regional last week but was eliminated following losses to Cortland and Brockport.