2009 All-PSAC Baseball Teams (pdf)
Lock Haven, Pa. - A pair of Matt’s have been honored as the PSAC Players of the Year as East Player of the Year Matt Cotellese of West Chester and West Player of the Year Matt Adams of Slippery Rock headline the 2009 All-PSAC baseball teams. Kutztown’s Darin Gorski and Mercyhurst’s Nick Gillung have been named the East and West Pitchers of the Year, respectively while Kutztown’s Shayne Houck and Mercyhurst’s Ethan Santora have been named the East and West Freshmen of the Year. The coaches of the two respective division winners have been named the PSAC East and West Coaches of the Year as West Chester’s Greg Mamula and Mercyhurst Joe Spano take the coaching honors.
West Chester led the way for all teams in both divisions with eight first team selections on the All-PSAC East team and 10 total selections overall. The PSAC Tournament champions were represented on the first team by Cotellese, first baseman Blair Dameron, shortstop Nick Spisak, outfielder Kevin McGrath, catcher Bob Stumpo, DH Kyle Orensky, starting pitcher Bret Moyer and relief pitcher Eric Carmichael. Starting pitchers Jason Bowman and Dave Slusser each made the second team.
Mercyhurst led the PSAC West and was second overall with nine total selections, including five on the first team. Both Gillung and Santora were on the first team, as Santora was one of just two freshman in either division to make the first team and one of just three freshmen on an all-conference team overall. That duo was joined by Laker teammates Jeff Stoll and Jamie Walczak on the first team. Walczak made the first team twice, both as an outfielder and relief pitcher. Lakers on the second team included second baseman Adam Gray, outfielder Craig Denman, DH Jonathan Dziomba and starting pitcher Steve Grife. Slippery Rock also had five first team selections in the West, led by Player of the Year Adams as well as second baseman Billy Messer, outfielder Rich Michalek, DH Scott Bender and starting pitcher Scott Dunn.
Other highlights of both teams included California (Pa.) third baseman/relief pitcher Mike Schmidt being named to the West second team at both positions. West Chester’s Bowman became a four-time All-PSAC East selection by being named to the second team. He finishes his career as a two-time first team and a two-time second team selection. He was the only player in either division to be named All-Conference for a fourth time in his career on this year’s teams.
Cotellese earns the East Player of the Year award for the second straight season after helping lead the Golden Rams to their first league tournament championship since 1985. Along the way, Cotellese became the PSAC’s all-time career leader in hits, surpassing the previous mark of 288 career hits and also broke four other PSAC career records. Also the PSAC Tournament MVP last week, Cotellese will lead the Rams into the NCAA Regionals beginning this weekend looking to become the first player in PSAC history with 300 career hits, 200 runs and 200 RBI. He needs just four hits to reach the 300 mark in his career.
Adams completed his junior season by season batting average by a player in NCAA Division II history at .495. He also compiled an OPS of 1.419 while setting a new school record for slugging percentage (.853). Adams, who was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year in 2007, becomes Slippery Rock’s first PSAC West Player of the Year since 2000 when Dan DeCola earned the award. He has also now earned first team All-PSAC West honors in three straight seasons while leading The Rock to a 36-15 record this year.
Gorski, who was ranked as one of the top pitching prospects in Division II at the beginning of the year by Baseball America, becomes Kutztown’s first PSAC East Pitcher of the Year since Mike McCardell in 2006. As he leads the Golden Bears into the NCAA Regionals beginning this weekend, Gorski currently has 91 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched this year, including 15 in a PSAC Tournament victory last week. He has an 8-1 record and has given up just 15 earned runs for a 1.91 ERA and has held opponents to a .205 batting average this year.
Gillung, who has a 6-0 record to become the only starting pitcher in the PSAC this year with at least three decisions to be without a loss, has struck out 55 and walked just 19 in 57.2 innings of work this year for the PSAC West champion Lakers. He has limited opponents to a .240 batting average and has a 3.28 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs.
Santora, who along with Gillung becomes Mercyhurst’s first-ever PSAC award winners in the sport of baseball in this, the Lakers’ first year in the conference, leads the PSAC in home runs as a freshman with 16 and is also second on the team with 51 RBI.
Houck, who led Kutztown in hitting as a freshman at .401, is the Golden Bears’ first Freshman of the Year since Chad Lightcap in 2006. While playing both infield, outfield and at DH and hitting in various spots in the Kutztown lineup, Houck led the team with seven home runs and 34 RBI this year for the NCAA bound Bears.
Mamula earns his first career PSAC East Coach of the Year award after leading the Golden Rams to their first PSAC Tournament championship in 24 years. Mamula, who is in his third season as skipper of the Golden Rams, has led West Chester to three NCAA Tournament berths in each of his three seasons as head coach and has compiled a 120-43 career record after leading the Rams to a 42-10 record this year entering the NCAA Tournament.
Spano, who is in his 10th season as Mercyhurst’s head coach, earns his first PSAC West Coach of the Year honor in his team’s first year in the conference. It is his third conference coach of the year award of his career, however, as he was also named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in both 2006 and 2000, the first of which came in his first year as head coach. He led the Lakers to a PSAC West Championship and a runner-up finish at the PSAC Tournament after the Lakers were picked fourth in the preseason poll.
2009 All-PSAC East Baseball Team
First Team
1B Blair Dameron (Sr.)^* West Chester Dublin, Pa./Pennridge
2B Mike Kacelowicz (Jr.) Kutztown Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain
SS Nick Spisak (Jr.)^* West Chester Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor
3B Mark Angelo (Gr.) East Stroudsburg Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown
OF Matt Cotellese (Sr.)*^ West Chester Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown
OF Kevin McGrath (Jr.)^ West Chester Forty Fort, Pa./Bishop Hoban
OF Kevin Thompson (Sr.) East Stroudsburg Bangor, Pa./Bangor
C Bob Stumpo (Jr.)^ West Chester Wilmington, Del./Salesianum
DH Kyle Orensky (Jr.) West Chester Wilmington, Del./McKean
UTL Derek Kline (So.)^ Millersville Cleona, Pa./Cedar Crest
SP Darin Gorski (Jr.)* Kutztown Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal
SP Adam Maini (Jr.) Kutztown Macungie, Pa./Emmaus
SP Bret Moyer (Sr.) West Chester Mattituck, N.Y./Mattituck
RP Eric Carmichael (Jr.)* West Chester West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove
Second Team
1B Kevin Ward (Sr.)^ Bloomsburg Clifton Heights, Pa./Monsignor Bonner
2B Ryan McCormick (So.) Millersville West Chester, Pa./Henderson
SS Tony Donofry (Jr.)^ Bloomsburg Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North
3B James Quigley (So.) Kutztown Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem
OF Mike Bortz (Sr.)* East Stroudsburg Wind Gap, Pa./Pen Argyl
OF Cody Kulp (Fr.) Shippensburg Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown
OF Kevin Miller (So.) Mansfield Kenvil, N.Y./Roxbury
C Miles Gallagher (Jr.) Millersville Lancaster, Pa./McCaskey
DH John Pisker (Jr.) East Stroudsburg Oley, Pa./Oley Valley
UTL Rick Shumway (Jr.)^ Shippensburg Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg
SP Jason Bowman (Sr.)*^* West Chester Dowingtown, Pa./Downingtown West
SP Jeremy Gigliotti (Jr.) East Stroudsburg Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley
SP Dave Slusser (Sr.)^^ West Chester Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle
RP Christian Saveri (Jr.) East Stroudsburg Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic
PSAC East Player of the Year
Matt Cotellese West Chester Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown
PSAC East Pitcher of the Year
Darin Gorski Kutztown Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal
PSAC East Freshman of the Year
Shayne Houck Kutztown Barto, Pa./Boyertown
PSAC East Coach of the Year
Greg Mamula West Chester
2009 All-PSAC West Baseball Team
First Team
1B Jeff Stoll (Sr.) Mercyhurst Barberton, Ohio/Barberton
2B Billy Messer (Jr.)^ Slippery Rock Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock
SS Shayne Busti (Sr.) California (Pa.) Crucible, Pa./Carmichaels
3B Ethan Santora (Fr.) Mercyhurst Gates Mills, Ohio/Mayfield
OF Sam DiMatteo (Jr.)* California (Pa.) Center, Pa./Center
OF Rich Michalek (Sr.)^ Slippery Rock Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic
OF Jamie Walczak (Sr.) Mercyhurst Painesville, Ohio/Riverside
C Matt Adams (Jr.)** Slippery Rock Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola
DH Scott Bender (Sr.)*^ Slippery Rock New Castle, Pa./Neshannock
UTL Scott Berkes (Fr.) Clarion Berwick, Pa./Berwick
SP Colby Betz (Jr.)* IUP Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York
SP Scott Dunn (Jr.) Slippery Rock Hookstown, Pa./Southside Beaver
SP Nick Gillung (So.) Mercyhurst Worthville, Pa./Punxsutawney
RP Jamie Walczak (Sr.) Mercyhurst Painesville, Ohio/Riversid
Second Team
1B Matt Palko (Sr.) Lock Haven (tie) Freeland, Pa./Hazleton Area
Matt Rossi (So.) Clarion (tie) Monroeville, Pa./Gateway
2B Adam Gray (Jr.) Mercyhurst South Euclid, Ohio/Brush
SS Paul Bingham (Jr.)^^ IUP Hanover, Pa./South Western
3B Mike Schmidt (Sr.) California (Pa.) Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
OF Craig Denman (So.) Mercyhurst Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk
OF Jake Oswalt (Jr.) Slippery Rock South Fork, Pa./Forest Hills
OF Jon Selby (Sr.) California (Pa.) New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton
C T.J. Nichols (Jr.)^ IUP Sykesville, Pa./DuBois
DH Jonathan Dziomba (Sr.) Mercyhurst Williamsville, N.Y./St. Joseph’s
UTL Adam Links (So.) California (Pa.) New Hope, Pa./Central Bucks East
SP Vince Lloyd (Jr.) Slippery Rock New Brighton, Pa./Beaver Falls
SP Steve Grife (Jr.) Mercyhurst Sheffield Lake, Ohio/Brookside
SP Jon Squeglia (Sr.)^ California (Pa.) Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler
RP Mike Schmidt (Sr.) California (Pa.) Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park
PSAC West Player of the Year
Matt Adams Slippery Rock Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola
PSAC West Pitcher of the Year
Nick Gillung Mercyhurst Worthville, Pa./Punxsutawney
PSAC West Freshman of the Year
Ethan Santora Mercyhurst Gates Mills, Ohio/Mayfield
PSAC West Coach of the Year
Joe Spano Mercyhurst
* Indicates previous All-PSAC first team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC second team selection