ECC Player of the Year, Giovanni Dingcong of St. Thomas Aquinas, and ECC Pitcher of the Year, James Varela of LIU Post, headline a list of 14 baseball standouts from the conference to earn All-Region accolades. Dingcong and Varela were consensus First Team honorees by earning spots on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings, Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) lists.
Dingcong wrapped up his outstanding career by finishing with a .356 batting average, 15 homeruns, and 55 RBI. His homerun. RBI, total bases (134), and slugging percentage (.702) totals led the ECC and he also ranked in the league's top-five in runs (48), hits (68), doubles (15), stolen bases (21), and on-base percentage (.459). His season totals also moved him into the top-10 in ECC history in homeruns (4th - 47), doubles (10th - 48), and hits (9th - 249).
Varela had a breakout junior season to earn the ECC Pitcher of the Year honor. He finished with an 11-1 record with a 2.40 earned run average and 116 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched. He led the ECC in wins, complete games (7), shutouts (3), innings pitched, and strikeouts. His win and complete game totals also rank fifth in all of Division II, while his strikeout mark comes in at No. 16 in the country. Varela also etched his name into the ECC record book. His strikeout mark is the third highest in league history, his win total is tied for sixth, and his innings number is tied for fifth.
St. Thomas Aquinas starting pitcher, Frankie Moscatiello, is the only other ECC standout to earn consensus All-Region status. Moscatiello, who finished with a 9-3 record with a 2.69 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 80.1 innings pitched, was a Second Team honoree on all three publications' lists.
Joseph Pena and Angelo Baez of St. Thomas Aquinas, Dave Brehm of LIU Post, and Anthony Murphy of Mercy were picked to two of the three All-Region lists. Pena and Brehm were Second Team picks by the ABCA and NCBWA, while Baez and Murphy were included on the D2CCA and NCBWA Second Team.
Tyler Patane and Anthony Shrkelja of St. Thomas Aquinas, Anthony Vaglica and Ramger Iglesias of LIU Post, Daren Grabowski and Tom Rinaldi of Bridgeport, and Angelo Navetta of Molloy were all listed on one All-Region Team. Patane earned a spot on the D2CCA Second Team and the rest were on the NCBWA squad. Navetta and Grabowski were named to the Second Team, while Vaglica, Iglesias, Shkrelja, and Rinaldi were listed as Honorable Mention selections.
To view the full ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Team, click here.
To view the full D2CCA All-Region Team, click here.
To view the full NCBWA All-Region Team, click here.
