FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2014
ALL-REGION TEAMS: NCBWA | DAKTRONICS
Merrimack's Crinella
earns NCBWA
East Region Player of the Year accolades
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Both the Daktronics
and National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA)
Division II All-Region Baseball Teams were released on Thursday,
with a number of Northeast-10 Conference student-athletes receiving
recognition.
Merrimack College sophomore and 2014 Northeast-10 Player of the
Year Frank Crinella (pictured) garnered
NCBWA Player of the Year honors and was a First Team selection by
the organization.
Crinella's pursuit of the league's triple crown was nearly
accomplished by the sophomore, as he led conference leaders with a
.401 batting and tied for the league lead with 40 RBI, and finished
with six home runs – three shy of the league leader. Crinella
also ranked fourth in the conference with 28 stolen bases.
Southern New Hampshire University head coach Scott
Loiseau, who led the Penmen to the top seed at the
NCAA East Regional and first-ever Northeast-10 Championship, was
named the NCBWA East Region Coach of the Year.
Crinella was one of eight Northeast-10 players named to the NCBWA
First Team, joining Franklin Pierce University junior catcher
Matt Walsh, Adelphi University junior
outfielder Cliff Brantley, Southern New
Hampshire University senior outfielder Brendan
O’Brien, Adelphi senior designated hitter
Richard Mejia, University of New Haven
senior outfielder Brendon Buckley,
Southern Connecticut State University senior starting pitcher
Rocco Cundari and So. New Hampshire
rookie reliever Benjamin Criscuolo.
Seven from the Northeast-10 were named to the Daktronics
All-Region First Team in University of New Haven first baseman
Zach Collett, Crinella, Brantley,
Cundari, Criscuolo and Mejia.
Receiving NCBWA Second Team honors was Collett, So. Connecticut
junior second baseman Nick Baviello,
Stonehill College junior starting pitcher Jim
Duff and So. New Hampshire senior starter
Derrick Sylvester.
Those earning Daktronics Second Team honors included Walsh,
O’Brien, Franklin Pierce starting pitcher Connor
Gleason, Duff, Sylvester, and Buckley.
Four more earned NCBWA Honorable Mention honors: Bentley senior
shortstop Will Brennan, So. Connecticut
sophomore outfielder Matt Burns, Franklin
Piece senior outfielder Calvin Graves and
Gleason.
In addition, Crinella and Brantley were named finalists for the
2014 Tino Martinez Award, which is annually presented to the top
player in Division II.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division
II colleges and universities located in New England and New York
that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic
opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year,
4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships
in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the
country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the
classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10
is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it
provides student-athletes.
– #NE10 –
