Empire 8 Announces Baseball All-Conference Team
Senior first baseman Steve Karnyski of St. John Fisher College repeated as Player of the Year as the Empire 8 announced its 2012 All-Conference Team. Sophomore pitcher Justin D’Amato repeated as Pitcher of the Year, sharing the honor this season with junior Pat Lemmo of conference champion Ithaca College.
Karnyski enters NCAA tournament play hitting .412 with 49 runs scored, 15 doubles, six triples, four home runs, and 34 runs batted in. He has recorded a .648 slugging percentage.
D’Amato has posted a 10-0 record with two shutouts and a 1.83 earned run average in 12 starts. In 68.2 innings, he has allowed just 56 hits, while striking out 89.
Lemmo enters the NCAA tournament with a 9-1 record with five complete games and a 1.91 earned run average. In 84 innings of work, he has allowed 76 hits and struck out 67.
Five other Ithaca players were named to the all-conference first team. Senior outfielder Mike Rosenbaum is hitting .348 with 38 runs scored, while senior relief pitcher Tucker Healy has recorded five saves and struck out 54 batters in 33.1 innings. Junior catcher Corey Caswell is batting .407 with 10 doubles and 20 runs scored.
Sophomore infielders Colby Gee and Tim Locastro of the Bombers garnered all-conference first team honors. Shortstop Locastro leads the team with a .465 batting average, 38 runs scored, three triples, and three home runs. Second baseman Gee is hitting .355 with 19 runs scored and 19 RBI.
Pitcher John Prendergast of Ithaca was chosen as Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. He enters the postseason with an 8-0 mark and a 2.89 earned run average.
Outfielders Ben Ward and Sean Osterman, and junior second baseman Ben Bostick of St. John Fisher received first-team all-conference recognition. Bostick, a repeat selections and three-time all-conference choice, is hitting .396 with 41 runs scored, seven triples, four home runs, 41 RBI, and a .556 slugging percentage. Osterman is batting .391 with 46 runs scored, eight triples, three home runs, and 41 RBI, while Ward is batting .376 with 30 runs scored and 20 stolen bases.
Senior designated hitter TJ Alcorn and sophomore utility player Dan Allen of Stevens Institute of Technology. Alcorn hit .315 with 20 runs scored and a team-high 36 RBI. Allen batted .364 with 40 runs scored, five home runs, and 29 RBI.
George Valesente of Ithaca and Kristaps Aldins of Stevens shared Coach of the Year honors. Valesente received the award for the eighth time, while Aldins finished his first season at the helm of Stevens.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2012 Baseball Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2012 Empire 8 Baseball Awards
Player of the Year: Steve Karnyski, St. John Fisher College
Co-Pitcher of the Year: Justin D’Amato, St. John Fisher College
Co-Pitcher of the Year: Pat Lemmo, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: John Prendergast, Ithaca College
Co-Coach of the Year: George Valesente, Ithaca College
Co-Coach of the Year: Kristaps Aldins, Stevens Institute of Technology
Empire 8 Baseball All-Conference Release