Empire 8 Announces 2007 Baseball All-Conference Team
May 15, 2007
ROCHESTER, NY – Rochester Institute of Technology freshman outfielder Geoff Dornes was selected Empire 8 Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year as the conference selected its Baseball All-Conference Team. Senior pitcher Dylan Rees of the Tigers was chosen as the conference’s first Pitcher of the Year. Dan Pepicelli earned Coach of the Year honors for leading St. John Fisher College to its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
Dornes finished the season hitting .452 and his 57 hits were one shy of the school single-season record. He totaled 35 hits, 10 extra-base hits, 22 runs batted in, and a .563 slugging percentage. Rees posted a 6-2 record with a 2.84 earned run average, seven complete games, and team-highs of 76 and one-third innings pitched and 54 strikeouts.
Junior catcher Ryan Tryt and sophomore relief pitcher Cory Langtry of the Tigers were also named to the all-conference first-team. Tryt batted .364 with 10 doubles and 27 RBI. Langtry led the team with a 2.73 earned run average and three saves.
Four players from conference champion Ithaca College were named to the first team. Senior outfielder Jeremy Peters and junior starting pitcher Nick Sottung each received the honor for the second time. Peters is hitting .388 entering NCAA play with 38 runs scored and 22 RBI. Sottung has posted a 7-4 record and a 3.16 earned run average.
Junior outfielder Eric Ferguson of the Bombers enters the postseason with a .385 batting average, 38 runs scored, and 37 RBI. Junior Shane Wolf was named to the first team as a starting pitcher and designated hitter. He is 5-1 on the mound with a 3.74 earned run average, while hitting .340 in 31 games.
Six St. John Fisher players earned first-team accolades with senior first baseman Chris Botsford receiving the honor for the fourth consecutive time. He enters the NCAA tournament with a .378 batting average, 20 runs scored, 13 doubles, and 25 RBI.
Junior starting pitcher Ryan Hanson and senior shortstop Mike Palermo of the Cardinals were named to the first team for the second time. Hanson is 5-3 with a 2.00 earned run average, while Palermo is batting .308 with 18 runs scored. Senior third baseman Jeff Fetzner leads the team with a .382 average and joined junior reliever Justin Lutes as first-timers on the all-conference first team. Lutes is 3-1 with a 1.75 earned run average.
Senior third baseman John Tine of Utica College, a two-time second-team selection, was named to the first team after hitting a team-best .368 with a team-high 14 RBI.
2007 Empire 8 Baseball
Awards
Player of the Year:
Geoff Dornes, Rochester Institute of Technology
Pitcher of the Year: Dylan Rees , Rochester Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year:
Geoff Dornes, Rochester Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year:
Dan Pepicelli, St. John Fisher College