May 26, 2010
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 26, 2010) - George Mason senior shortstop Ryan Soares (Harwich, Mass.) was selected as the 2010 CAA baseball Player of the Year and James Madison junior closer Kevin Munson (Roanoke, Va.) was chosen as the conference's Pitcher of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches.
Old Dominion lefthander Kyle Hald (Springfield, VA.) was named to the first team. Hald led the CAA with an 8-4 record with a 2.79 earned run average. He completed four games and tossed one shutout along with leading the CAA with 95 strikeouts in 100 innings of work. Hald shutout LaSalle and combined to shutout George Mason. He held Rutgers, JMU and Towson to just one run and Georgia State and Fordhamto two runs. Hald fanned 11 against Bucknell, LaSalle and Rutgers.
Other top honors went to UNC Wilmington senior shortstop Mike Rooney (Cary, N.C.) as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and George Mason freshman outfielder/pitcher Anthony Montefusco (Meford, N.J.) as the CAA Rookie of the Year. VCU's Paul Keyes and JMU's Spanky McFarland were named the CAA Co-Coaches of the Year.
Soares turned in one of the most impressive offensive seasons in CAA history. His league-leading .438 batting average was the fifth-highest ever by a CAA player and he set a new conference record for doubles in a season with 29. The Patriots' shortstop also topped the CAA in slugging percentage (.809) and ranked second in RBI (71), sixth in home runs (13), ninth in runs scored (57) and ninth in on-base percentage (.474). He leads the nation in sacrifice flies (13) and doubles per game and ranks among the top 10 in Division I in RBI's per game (5th), batting average (8th) and slugging percentage (6th). A member of the Watch List for the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's top shortstop, Soares also excelled defensively, committing only seven errors in 234 chances for a .970 fielding percentage.
Munson was dominant as JMU's closer this season, posting a 7-1 record with a league-high 10 saves and a conference-best 1.23 ERA. The right-hander struck out 67 batters in 51.1 innings and opponents batted only .169 against him. A member of the NCBWA Midseason Watch List for the Stopper of the Year Award, Munson leads the nation in fewest hits allowed per nine innings and ranks among the top 10 in the nation in ERA (4th) and strikeouts per nine innings (8th).
Rooney had an outstanding year defensively for UNCW, committing only nine errors in 295 chances at shortstop for an impressive .969 fielding percentage. He played a vital role in a Seahawks' defense that turned 65 double plays, which is tied for the fifth-highest total in the nation. Rooney also had a solid season at the plate, batting .283 with 24 RBI.
Montefusco contributed in several phases of the game for the Patriots during his freshman campaign. The right-hander served as Mason's closer and posted a 3-1 record with four saves and an impressive 1.23 ERA. He also started 14 games in the field and batted .317 with 13 RBI.
Keyes received CAA Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time after guiding VCU to a 31-23-1 record. Picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, the Rams placed third with a 16-7-1 league mark and were just 1.5 games out of the top spot.
McFarland garnered CAA Coach of the Year accolades for the second time after leading JMU to a 29-21 overall record. The Dukes captured the CAA regular-season title for the first time since 2006 by winning all eight of their conference series and finishing 18-6 in the league.
James Madison placed a league-high three players on the All-CAA first team. Joining Munson were junior first baseman Trevor Knight, who batted .371 with 12 homers and 44 RBI, and senior outfielder Matt Browning, who hit .382 and drove in 41 runs.
Delaware and Hofstra each had two first-team selections. Representing the Blue Hens were junior outfielder Pat Dameron (.353, 14 HR, 59 RBI) and junior designated hitter Steve Ulaky (.374, 7 HR, 37 RBI). Making the squad from the Pride were second baseman Matt Prokopowicz (.431, 6 HR, 41 RBI) and senior utility player Ethan Paquette (.371, 14 HR, 70 RBI).
Seven other schools had one player make the first team. UNC Wilmington junior Cody Stanley (.327, 11 HR, 37 RBI) was picked at catcher, while VCU junior Joe Van Meter (.430, 9 HR, 66 RBI) was the top choice at third base. Rounding out the outfield was Georgia State junior Mark Micowski, who batted .395 and drove in 39 runs. Three starting pitchers were named to the first team - William & Mary sophomore Matt Davenport (8-2, 1.96 ERA), Old Dominion junior Kyle Hald (8-4, 2.79 ERA) and Northeastern sophomore Andrew Leenhouts (3-4, 3.14 ERA).
The awards were presented on Wednesday evening in Wilmington, N.C. on the eve of the 2010 CAA Baseball Championship, which gets underway Thursday at Brooks Field.
2010 ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM(as selected by CAA Head Baseball Coaches)
FIRST TEAMCody Stanley, UNC Wilmington C JR.Trevor Knight, James Madison* 1B Jr.Matt Prokopowicz, Hofstra 2B Sr.Ryan Soares, George Mason SS Sr.Joe Van Meter, VCU 3b Jr.Matt Browning, JMU OF Sr.Pat Dameron, Delaware OF Jr.Mark Micowski, GSU OF Jr.Ethan Paquette, Hofstra UT Sr.steve Ulaky, Delaware DH Jr.Matt Davenport, W&M SP SoKyle Hald, ODU SP, JrAndrew leenhouts, NU SP, SoKevin Munson, JMU RP, Jr.
CAA Player of the Year: Ryan Soares, SS, George MasonCAA Pitcher of the Year: Kevin Munson, JMUCAA Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Rooney,SS, UNCWCAA Rookie of the Year: Anthony Montefusco, Of/P-MasonCAA Co-Coaches of the Year: Paul Keyes, VCU &Spanky McFarland, JMU.