Poughkeepsie, NY (May 25, 2005)- Manhattan freshman first baseman
Matt Rizzotti was named the 2005 MAAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and
Gary Diaz,
John Fitzpatrick,
Chris Cody,
Nick Derba and
Eric Nieto each received First Team All-MAAC honors, it was announced tonight at the MAAC Baseball Awards Banquet.
In his first collegiate season, Rizzotti leads the MAAC in several offensive categories-batting average (.422), RBI (57), doubles (19), on base percentage (.536), slugging percentage (.699), runs scored (53), walks (39), total bases (116), and is tied for first in the conference with nine home runs. The freshman first baseman has also broken the Manhattan single season RBI record and is currently atop the batting average list with his .422 mark heading into the MAAC Championships. Rizzotti is the first Manhattan player to win Player of the Year honors since Pat Callahan earned the honor in 1997. He is the first Jasper to win Rookie of the Year honors since
Chris Gaskin did so in 2002.
Diaz earns his first All-MAAC selection in his final season as a Jasper. A four-year starter, Diaz broke the all-time hits record at Manhattan on May 15 against LeMoyne, and currently has 214 base hits in his career. Also second all-time in doubles (49) and runs scored (153) at Manhattan, the senior infielder is hitting .310 this season with a career-high six home runs to go along with 34 RBI.
A sophomore co-captain, Derba has impressed at the plate and behind the plate this season. Having started all of Manhattan's 46 games this season, Derba threw out 22 runners trying to steal while batting .274 with a career-high eight home runs and 35 runs batted in. The sophomore catcher was also named MAAC Player of the Week for the week ending March 28.
Fitzpatrick, a pre-season All-MAAC selection and a first-teamer in 2004, makes his second straight appearance on the All-MAAC team. This season, the junior outfielder is batting .301, having slugged nine home runs and driven in 49. Fitzpatrick has also climbed the career charts at Manhattan and currently is tied for second in career round-trippers (17) and ranks third in career doubles (43).
Cody makes his first appearance on the All-MAAC team after being named MAAC Pitcher of the Week twice during the regular season. The junior southpaw currently sports a 7-3 record with a 2.77 earned run average. Over the course of five starts in the middle of the season, the lefty held opponents scoreless over 33 consecutive innings. Cody has only given up six extra-base hits this season, and has struck out 81 batters in 87 2/3 innings.
In his first season at Manhattan, Nieto is hitting a scorching .426 during the conference season. Having stolen 12 bases this season, Nieto has hit safely in 15 of Manhattan's last 17 games, increasing his average from .257 on April 27 to .357, where it currently stands. In those 15 games in which the freshman center fielder has hit safely, seven have been multi-hit games.
In addition to the post-season awards, Fitzpatrick, Derba,
Marc Giordano,
Brian Searls and
Jeremy Shaw earned MAAC All-Academic team accolades. Fitzpatrick earned All-Academic Team honors in 2004, while it is the first time that Derba, Giordano, Searls and Shaw have received the award. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution, be a significant starter or reserve and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
The third seed in the 2005 MAAC Championships, Manhattan (27-19, 15-8 MAAC) will open up the post-season tournament against second-seeded Siena, tomorrow, Thursday, May 26 at 3:00 p.m. at Dutchess Stadium. The round-robin double-elimination play will continue on Friday, when Manhattan will take on either top-seeded Marist or fourth-seeded Niagara at a time to be determined.
