The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team is well represented on the East Coast Conference post-season awards, released today, with Giovanni Dingcong named Player of the Year. Eight STAC teammates joined the senior on the All-Conference teams, a tribute to the squad's 33-13 overall record and 18-6 conference tally, good enough to take the #1 seed into Thursday's ECC Tournament opener against #4 Bridgeport.
Dingcong's power-hitting prowess has only grown since he was named the ECC's Rookie of the Year in 2015. He enters the post-season with 13 home runs and 50 RBI overall, both leading the conference, while his .371 batting average currently ranks 4th. His 45 career round-trippers rank him in the top five in conference history, and his Spartans have amassed an impressive 144-66-1 record (.685 pct) during his four seasons.
One of six First Team honorees for STAC, he is joined by standout shortstop Joseph Pena, who is the program's all-time hits leader and is currently tied for the ECC lead with a .396 batting average to go with 32 stolen bases. Third baseman Anthony Shkrelja (8 HR, 28 RBI, .309 avg), starters Frankie Moscatiello (7-2, 2.43 ERA) and Chris Cepeda (6-3, 3.22 ERA), and reliever Angelo Baez (10 saves, 4-2 record, 1.75 ERA) round out the First Team group.
Three additional Spartans earned Second Team kudos, paced by catcher Cris Ruiz (37 gp, 16 RBI, .315 avg), outfielder Mark Shkreja (six extra-base hits, 18 RBI, .283 average), and utility player Tyler Patane (.343 avg, .627 slp; 2-0 with .386 ERA) also cracking the list.
LIU Post's James Varela parlayed a 10-1 record (with the only loss coming against the Spartans in the final weekend) into conference Pitcher of the Year honors, while Molloy's Matt Overton drove in 29 runs with a .331 average to capture Rookie of the Year distinction.
The Spartans begin their quest for the ECC Tournament Championship on Thursday, taking the #1 seed into the tourney opener against #4 University of Bridgeport at 12:00 noon at Mitchel Field in Uniondale, NY. The tourney champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament.