Baseball

Philadelphia, PA - The East Coast Conference placed five student-athletes on Daktronics Baseball All-East Region Teams, including East Region Pitcher of the Year Gabriel Duran (Dowling).

Duran, the 2009 East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection, led the Golden Lions pitching staff this year compiling an impressive 8-1 record and a save during the regular season.  The Brooklyn, New York native currently leads the nation in earned runs average (0.66) and hits allowed per nine innings (3.71). Duran has tallied 66 strikeouts and held his opponents to a .126 batting average in 68 innings pitched.  The righthander also threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season against Felician College, striking out 14 batters in the process.

Assumption College senior second baseman Mike Baillargeon has been tabbed the East Region Player of the Year.  Baillargeon, the 2009 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection, helped lead the Greyhounds to the Northeast-10 Tournament Championship game and an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament after finishing the season second with a 20-9-1 conference record. The Worcester, Massachusetts native ranks among the conference leaders in several offensive categories. Baillargeon ranks first in runs (55), hits (77); home runs (11) and is hitting .379, which is fifth best in the NE-10.   The senior second baseman has driven in 44 runs to go along with a .635 slugging percentage and a .453 on-base percentage.

Rounding out the 2008 Daktronics East Region First Team are Phil Messerian of  Nyack (utility), Michael Munoz  of Dominican (designated hitter),  Kyle Vazquez  and Tom Cote of Franklin Pierce (starting pitchers),  Tom Kahl of  Dominican (starting pitcher), Justin Moore of Dominican (relief pitcher),  Mike Dowd of Franklin Pierce (catcher),  Ryan Geffert of Southern Connecticut State (1B),  Willie Mann of Dominican (3B),  P.J. Rodriguez of Nyack (SS),  Cody Holliday of Wilmington (OF), Jeff Bercume of Merrimack (OF) and T.J. Greig of Molloy (OF).

The second team consists of: Adelphi's Keith Couch (SP) and Ryan Boelson (C); Assumption's Mike Foley (UT) and Tim Dupuis (RP); Caldwell's Ray Keelan (OF) and Buddy Riggs (SP);  Dowling's Colin Barnathan (3B);  Dominican's Brian Craig (SP); Felician's Mickey Zudonyi (2B) and Marco Torres (C); Franklin Pierce's Derek Ingui (DH); Nyack's Cody Levins (1B); Philadelphia's Tyler Mentzer (SS);   St. Michael's  Matt Beaulieu (OF); Southern Connecticut State's Karl Derbacher (OF) and Stonehill's Matt Giusti (SP).

The 2009 Daktronics All-East Region first team includes several that earned major honors from their respective leagues. In addition to Baillargeon (Northeast-10 Player of the Year) and Duran (East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year), Franklin Pierce pitcher Kyle Vazquez was named the Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year and Southern Connecticut State's Ryan Geffert and Franklin Pierce's Mike Dowd were named Northeast-10 Co-Freshmen of the Year.  Wilmington outfielder Cody Holliday was named CACC Player of the Year while Dominican's Tom Kahl and Justin Moore were named CACC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year respectively.  Molloy College outfielder T.J. Greig was named East Coast Conference Player of the Year respectively. 

-Released by the Daktronics East Region Committee.