St. John Fisher's Allen Murphy Earns E8 Baseball Player of the Year as League Announces Awards and All-Conference Teams

5/7/2019 3:47:18 PM

Empire 8 Conference regular season champion Ithaca led the way with six student-athletes being named first team selections as the conference announced it's major award winners and all-conference teams today. Among Ithaca's honoreed was Emmett Dunn, who earned E8 Pitcher of the Year honors.  St. John Fisher's Allen Murphy was recognized as the conference Player of the Year, while his teammate, Kenneth Westbrook, was selected as the E8 Rookie of the Year. The Ithaca coaching staff was recognized as the E8 Staff of the Year, following their tremendous regular season.

To see all those that were honored, please see below. Ithaca led all E8 programs with 13 all-conference honorees, while Fisher had 11. All the awards are selected by the league's head coaches.

CLOSER LOOK
Fisher's Murphy is in the midst of a tremendous season in leading the Cardinals' offense as he is among the league leaders in virtually every statistical category. The junior currently leads the E8 in hits (64), home runs (9), slugging percentage (.673), and is tied for the league-lead in runs driven in with 43. He is also in the top ten in average, doubles, triples, and on base percentage. Murphy helped Fisher earn the No. 3 seed in this weekend's conference tournament and was also honored as a First Team All-Conference selection. 

Ithaca's Dunn earned top pitcher honors following another outstanding campaign in which he helped the Bombers claim the E8 regular season title. The right-hander enters postseason play with a record of 6-2, and a league-leading 1.98 earned run average. So far this season, he's worked 59 innings, and has 54 strikeouts, both among the league's best. Additionally, opposing batters are hitting just .229 against him this spring. He was also recognized as a First Team All-Conference selection.

Kenneth Westbrook has had an outstanding first year for Fisher. The freshman pitcher has yet to lose a decision this season as he is currently 6-0 with a 3.47 ERA. Heading into this weekend's E8 tourney, Westbrook has worked 49.1 innings, while allowing just 44 hits. He's also struck out 39 batters and walked just 15. He was also named a Second Team All-Conference selection by the league's head coaches.

The Ithaca coaching staff, led by head coach George Valesente, was named the Coaching Staff of the Year. The regular season champion Bombers will carry a nine-game winning streak into this weekend's E8 tournament which they will host. Overall, Ithaca finished the regular season with a record of 28-7, including 16-2 in conference play. It's the 11th time that Valesente has been recognized throughout his storied career.

Player of the Year – Allen Murphy, St. John Fisher
Pitcher of the Year - Emmett Dunn, Ithaca
Rookie of the Year – Kenneth Westbrook, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year – Ithaca, led by George Valesente
 
1^st Team All-Conference
C – Adam Gallagher, Ithaca
1B – Allen Murphy, St. John Fisher
2B – Webb Little, Ithaca
3B – Thomas Pasquale, St. John Fisher
SS – Justin Graham, St. John Fisher
OF – David Wessells, Houghton
OF – Sam Little, Ithaca
OF – Antony Mantova, St. John Fisher
Utility – Caleb Philips, Houghton
DH – Garrett Snyder, Ithaca
Starting Pitcher – Jake Binder, Ithaca
Starting Pitcher – Emmett Dunn, Ithaca
Relief Pitcher – Tim Geissel, St. John Fisher
Relief Pitcher – Alex Smith, Stevens
 
2^nd Team All-Conference
C – Michael Beimel, St. John Fisher
C - Matt Branco, Stevens
1B – Buzz Shirley, Ithaca
2B – Ryan Simmons, St. John Fisher  
3B – Cam Fuoti, Ithaca
SS – Christian Tiffin, Utica
OF – Garrett Callaghan, Ithaca
OF – Ryan Brown, St. John Fisher
OF – A.J. Falconite, Stevens
Utility – Ben Miller, SUNY Canton
DH – Wayne Rode, Houghton
Starting Pitcher – Nick Cottone, Elmira
Starting Pitcher – Kenneth Westbrook, St. John Fisher
Relief Pitcher – Matt Eiel, Ithaca
Relief Pitcher – Brandon Roberts, St. John Fisher
Relief Pitcher – Joe Palmieri, Utica
 
Honorable Mention
Jansen Crossley, Elmira
Matt Carey, Ithaca
Tom Cosentino, Ithaca
Tyler Hill, Ithaca
Brandon Joslin, Houghton
Stephen Edgett, St. John Fisher
Tommy Baronner, Stevens
Donny Gherardi, Stevens
Matt Pasko, Stevens
Tim Quinlan, Utica

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR TEAM
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2019 Baseball Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
 
Sportsman of the Year
Fernando Santana, SUNY Canton
Jack Donnelly, Elmira
Ronald Lott, Houghton
Jackson Smith, Ithaca
Timothy Geisel, St. John Fisher
Danny Poidomani, Stevens
Matt Fitzgerald, Utica

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ