CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- America East baseball student-athletes continue to pick up a slew of end-of-year awards from numerous organizations, including both regional and national awards.
After he was drafted in the fifth round by the Houston Astros last Tuesday, Stony Brook right-handed pitcher Nick Tropeano was one of 56 Division I baseball student-athletes honored as All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Tropeano earned second-team status, finishing his junior season with a 12-1 record, a 1.84 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 93.0 innings pitched.
In late May, Tropeano became the first player in America East history to
earn the conference's Pitcher of the Year award twice. In addition, he
earned on spot on the midseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award,
which is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Collegiate Baseball Magazine also honored five America East rookies on the "Louisville Slugger's" Freshmen All-American Team. Stony Brook's Brandon McNitt and University of Maine's Shaun Coughlin both earned the nod as pitchers, Black Bears Troy Black and Alex Calbick made the team as second and third basemen, respectively, and Binghamton's Bill Bereszniewicz was one of 29 freshmen outfielders recognized. McNitt, the America East Rookie of the Year, Coughlin, Black and Calbick were all America East second-team all-conference selections.
Rounding out the most recent honors is Maine's Keith Bilodeau, a starting pitcher on the America East First Team who was named a 2011 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Division I All-Star. Though not able to participate in the 37th Annual NEIBA All-Star Game because the Black Bears were traveling to the NCAA Tournament, Bilodeau received first-team distinction.
Bilodeau was selected in the 24th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft last week by the San Francisco Giants after tying the Maine school record for wins in a season (10). The junior earned the start in Maine's America East Championship and NCAA Regional openers, and was a member of the America East Championship All-Tournament Team.