Senior centerfielder Josh Stewart (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg), junior third baseman Ricky Caputo (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place), sophomore pitcher Jeff Denlea (Oyster Bay, NY/St. Dominic's) and freshman designated hitter Matt Kougasian (Rochelle Park, NJ/St. Joseph Regional) have been named second team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and Kougasian was also named to the CAA All-Rookie team, it was announced this evening at the CAA Awards Banquet. The four players selected represents the highest total since Hofstra had three players named to the 1999 All-America East team.
Stewart, who is a co-captain of the 2005 Pride, batted a team-high .352 with a school-record (and CAA-leading) 23 doubles to go along with four triples and seven home runs. He also leads the team and is fourth in the CAA with 25 stolen bases. Stewart broke the Hofstra single-season record for hits with 76 thus far, eclipsing the previous high of 73 set last season by Caputo.
Caputo, a 2004 second team All-CAA selection as a sophomore, repeats the honor as a junior after batting .336 with a team-best 12 home runs, 52 RBIs and five triples. The five triples are a single-season record, while the 52 RBIs rank third on the single-season list. Caputo batted a team-best .376 in conference games and has hit safely in his last 17 games against conference opponents.
Denlea, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Pro-Line Cap National Pitcher of the Week (May 17, 2005) and the CAA Pitcher of the Week (May 16, 2005), leads the Pride and CAA with seven saves to go along with a 4-2 record and a team-best 3.26 ERA. Denlea closed out the regular season on a hot streak, going 9.1 innings without allowing a run to notch three wins and a save in four conference games the last week of the season.
Kougasian, who became Hofstra's full-time designated hitter midway through the season, finished the year with a .308 average, five doubles, two home runs and 26 RBIs and earned dual CAA honors as for the first year the CAA has recognized an all-rookie team.
#6 Hofstra (24-30, 10-14 CAA) gets underway at the CAA Championship on Wednesday, May 25, when it faces the host institution and top-seeded UNC Wilmington Seahawks (39-17, 21-3) at 7 p.m. at Brooks Field. Hofstra is making its first postseason appearance since the 1998 America East Tournament.
2005 ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM(as selected by CAA Head Baseball Coaches)
FIRST TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/High School 2005 Stats
Mike DeCarlo, W & M C Sr. Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Val. .356, 17 HR, 61 RBI
Jason Maxey, Towson 1B Sr. Columbia, Md./Hammond .348, 21 HR, 64 RBI
Scott Sizemore, VCU 2B So. Chesapeake, Va./Hickory .380, 11 HR, 52 RBI
Sergio Miranda, VCU SS Fr. Bayamon, Puerto Rico/PRB .360, 3 HR, 34 RBI
Matt Poulk, UNCW 3B Jr. Morehead City, N.C./West Carteret.355, 10 HR, 69 RBI
Tim Preston, UNCW OF Sr. Seattle, Wash./West Seattle .403, 10 HR, 50 RBI
Matt Cooksey, GMU OF Sr. Bowie, Md./St. John's.396, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 34 SB
John Raynor, UNCW OF Jr. Benson, N.C./South Johnston.390, 4 HR, 53 RBI
Tim St. Clair, VCU DH Jr. Woodbridge, Va./Garfield .348, 7 HR, 39 RBI
Casper Wells, Towson* UT Jr. Schenectady, N.Y./Schenectady.376, 18 HR, 65 RBI
Stacen Gant, GMU* SP Sr. Herndon, Va./Oakton 9-2, 2.85 ERA, 85 K's
Ronald Hill, UNCW SP Sr. Wilmington, N.C./E.A. Laney 10-4, 3.13 ERA, 66 K's
Adam Paul, UNCW RP Jr. Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive 4-1, 4 svs., 2.12 ERA
SECOND TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown/High School 2005 Stats
Chris Hatcher, UNCW C So. Kinston, N.C./Kinston .313, 7 HR, 39 RBI
Chris Looze, GMU* 1B Sr. Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional.313, 13 HR, 62 RBI
Will Rhymes, W&M* 2B Sr. Houston, Texas/Lamar .413, 6 HR, 47 RBI
Shane Justis, TowsonSS Sr. Bel Air, Md./Bel Air .339, 8 HR, 30 RBI, 27 SB
Ricky Caputo, Hofstra#3B Jr. Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place.336, 12 HR, 52 RBI
Mark Chiccini, Towson OF Sr. St. Clair, Pa./Pottsville Area .368, 13 HR, 49 RBI
Adam Heffron, Towson# OF Jr. Laurel, Md./Hammond .314, 10 HR, 48 RBI
Josh Stewart, Hofstra OF Sr. Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloom..352, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 25 SB
Matt Kougasian, HofstraDHFr. Rochelle Park, N.J./St. Jo.Reg .308, 2 HR, 26 RBI
Adam Tsakonas, Del. UT Fr. Pottstown, Pa./Boyertown Area .307, 7 HR, 34 RBI
Harold Mozingo, VCU SP So. Tappahannock, Va./Essex 7-3, 4.90 ERA, 85 K's
Chris Rhoades, Towson SP Jr. Middletown, Md./Middletown 4-2, 4.52 ERA, 56 K's
Jason Mills, GMU RP Jr. Hatfield, Pa./North Penn 4-0, 5 svs., 3.46 ERA
Jeff Denlea, Hofstra RP So. Oyster Bay, N.Y./St. Dominic's 4-2, 7 svs., 3.26 ERA
2005 CAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Casper Wells, Jr., OF/P, Towson
2005 CAA CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: Pete Farina, Sr., C, Va. Commonwealth and Brian Valichka, Jr., C, Delaware
2005 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Sergio Miranda, Fr., SS, Virginia Commonwealth
2005 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR: Mark Scalf, UNC Wilmington
*1st team All-CAA in 2004
#2nd team All-CAA in 2004
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Player, School Cl. Pos. Hometown/High School 2005 Stats
Sergio Miranda, VCU. Fr. SS Bayamon, Puerto Rico/PRBA .360, 3 HR, 34 RBI
Kellen Kulbacki, JMU Fr. OF Palmyra, Pa/Hershey .343, 8 HR, 34 RBI
Jason Appel, UNCW Fr. OF Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK .336, 2 HR, 25 RBI
Kwan Evans, VCU Fr. OF Hampton, Va./Bethel .321, 4 HR, 25 RBI
Brandon Menchaca, Del.Fr. OF Wilmington, Del./Concord .298, 8 HR, 35 RBI
Matt Kougasian, Hofstra Fr. DH Rochelle Park, N.J./St. Joseph R.308, 2 HR, 26 RBI
Allen Flood, UNCW Fr. P Hamlet, N.C./Richmond Sen. 5-2, 4 svs., 3.29 ERA
Mike McGuire, Del. Fr. P Swarthmore, Pa./Ridley 5-4, 4.73 ERA, 61 K's
Jake Rule, W&M Fr. P Waynesboro, Va./Stuarts Draft 4-1, 4.47 ERA, 34 K's
Dan Richardson, Del. Fr. OF Bear, Del./Caravel 304, 6 HR, 27 RBI
Ryan Reid, JMU Fr. P/OF Portland, Maine/Deering 3-5, 5.75 ERA, 76 K's
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