The American Baseball Coaches Association(ABCA)/Rawlings All-Northeast Region Team selection committee announced the 2003 first and second team members on Wednesday, June 11. The head coaches that comprise the region first nominated and then voted on their choices. Those named to the first team now become All-America candidates, which will be selected by the Division I All-America Committee in Omaha, Neb. America East had two players named to the first-team and four more named to the second-team.
Senior second baseman Brett Ouellette and senior designated hitter Alain Picard, both of Maine, are the First Team selections.
Ouellette earned America East First Team All-Conference honors after leading America East in hits (64) and total bases (107), while hitting at a .340 clip. Picard, also a first-team pick, led the conference with 50 RBI, while hitting .321.
Junior Barry Chamberland of Vermont is the second-team first baseman. He is joined on the second-team are sophomore third baseman Tim Bush of Northeastern, and starting pitchers Jamie Merchant of Vermont and Mike Collar of Maine.
Chamberland, a first-team all-conference pick, batted .346, with 11 home runs and 41 RBI for the America East regular season champion Catamounts. Bush was second in the conference with a .353 average while manning the hot corner for the America East Tournament Champion Huskies.
Merchant, the America East Pitcher of the Year, led the conference and ranked among the top-10 in NCAA Division I with a 1.59 ERA. He has posted a 7-2 record with one save. Collar, a first-team all-conference pick, posted an 8-3 record with a 3.14 ERA while striking out an America East best 98 batters. Both Merchant and Collar were selected by the Houston Astros in the recent Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. Collar was an eighth round selection, while Merchant was selected in the 16th round.