Lubbock, Tex.-- The College Baseball Foundation's annual Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Preseason Watch List included four America East baseball student-athletes when the organization announced the list on Thursday, December 4. Binghamton University's Greg Lane, Stony Brook's Michael Stephan and University of Vermont's Joe Serafin and Justin Milo were recognized with the preseason honor.
The Catamounts were one of only three teams in the Northeast to have multiple players placed on the watch list.
The Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech
player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding
shortstop at Texas Tech from 1977 to 1980. After playing two years in the
Texas Rangers organization, he returned to Texas Tech and served as a
graduate assistant and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of
1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease courageously
until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27.
Past award winners since it's inception in 2004 include Kurt Suzuki, Alex Gordon, Brad Lincoln, David Price, and last year's honoree Buster Posey from Florida State University.
Lane, a transfer from Hofstra University and native of Binghamton, N.Y., is entering his senior season. The right-handed reliever led America East last year in saves with 11 and was named to the America East All-Conference First Team. Lane posted a team-best 1.97 ERA and did not let up a home run or hit a batter in his 24 appearances.
Stephan was the designated hitter for the 2008 America East Champion Stony Brook Seawolves and hit .305 with 11 home runs during his sophomore campaign. A native of Patchogue, N.Y., this junior was a second-team All-Conference pick for the second straight year in 2008. Stephan led the league in on-base percentage with a .518 mark and was also recognized on the ABCA All-Region Team.
Serafin is a two-time America East First Team selection and the 2008 America East Pitcher of the Year. A New England All-Star who earned Pitcher of the Game at Fenway Park this past summer in the NEIBA All-Star Game, posted a league-best 2.51 ERA last year with opponents hitting only .221 off of him. Serafin finished with a 6-5 record and led the conference with seven complete games.
A transfer from Cornell, Milo was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team as an outfielder in his first year with the Catamounts. The junior hit .328 with six home runs, eight triples, 40 RBI, and 50 runs. The Edina, Minnesota native is a two-sport athlete, also suiting up for the Vermont men's ice hockey team.