2009 Big East Awards

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Louisville third baseman Chris Dominguez became just the second player in BIG EAST history to repeat as BIG EAST Player of the Year as he took home the conference’s top individual honor Monday in advance of the 2009 BIG EAST Baseball Championship at Bright House Field.

Louisville pitcher Justin Marks was chosen as BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, while Connecticut outfielder George Springer was tabbed as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. USF head coach Lelo Prado was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year.

Dominguez is the first player to win the BIG EAST Player of the Year honor in consecutive seasons since Notre Dame’s Steve Stanley won in 2001 and 2002. Dominguez shared the honor with Cincinnati’s Josh Harrison in 2008.

Dominguez led Louisville to its best regular season in school history as the Cardinals went 40-14 and captured the BIG EAST regular-season title for the first time. He finished the regular season as Louisville’s leader in home runs (21), RBIs (75) and stolen bases (17). He led the BIG EAST in total bases (158) and was second in the conference in home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage (.721). He capped the regular season by hitting home runs in each game of the Cardinals’ doubleheader sweep of USF, which gave Louisville the outright regular-season championship.

Marks becomes the second Louisville player to be named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year in the last three seasons, joining 2007 winner Zack Pitts. Marks finished the regular season as the BIG EAST’s only nine-game winner, going 9-2 with a 3.47 earned-run average that ranks third in the conference. He struck out a BIG EAST-leading 106 batters and walked just 27 in 85.2 innings and went 7-1 in nine starts against BIG EAST competition.

Springer becomes the first Connecticut player to be named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year after he led the Huskies in nearly every offensive category. Springer hit .360 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs to help Connecticut to a 33-23 regular season and a 14-13 mark in BIG EAST play. He ranked third in the BIG EAST in slugging (.701), fourth in home runs and runs scored (71), and seventh in total bases (138).

Prado becomes a first-time winner of the BIG EAST Coach of the Year award after he helped USF to a second-place finish in the regular-season standings. The Bulls finished the regular season with a 32-23 overall record and an 18-9 mark in the BIG EAST, improving by four places from last year’s sixth-place finish. It is the fifth conference coach of the year honor for Prado, who was the 2002 Conference USA Coach of the Year while serving as head coach at Louisville and was the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year three times while head coach at Division II Tampa.

In addition to announcing the winners of the major awards, the conference also presented the All-BIG EAST First, Second and Third Teams at the opening ceremonies.

2009 BIG EAST CONFERENCE BASEBALL AWARDS

BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chris Dominguez, 3B, Louisville (Jr., Miami, Fla.)

BIG EAST PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Justin Marks, LHP, Louisville (Jr., Owensboro, Ky.)

BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

George Springer, OF, Connecticut (Fr., New Britain, Conn.)

BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR

Lelo Prado, USF

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM

Pos. Player School Cl Hometown
P Justin Marks * Louisville Jr. Owensboro, Ky.
P Keith Cantwell Seton Hall Sr. Tinton Falls, N.J.
P Randy Fontanez USF So. Oviedo, Fla.
P Jarryd Summers West Virginia So. Sharpsville, Pa.
C Tobias Streich West Virginia So. Johnsonburg, Pa.
1B Tim Morris St. John’s Jr. Villanova, Pa.
2B Chris Sedon Pittsburgh Jr. Plains, Pa.
3B Chris Dominguez Louisville Jr. Miami, Fla.
SS Jedd Gyorko West Virginia So. Morgantown, W.Va.
OF George Springer Connecticut Fr. New Britain, Conn.
OF A.J. Pollock Notre Dame Jr. Hebron, Conn.
OF Justin Parks West Virginia Sr. Columbus, Ohio
DH Chris Affinito Seton Hall Sr. East Brunswick, N.J.

* unanimous selection

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM

Pos. Player School Cl Hometown
P John Folino Connecticut Sr. Quincy, Mass.
P Thomas Royse Louisville So. Lexington, Ky.
P Cole Johnson Notre Dame So. Hudson, Ohio
P Sean Black Seton Hall Jr. Mount Laurel, N.J.
C Trey Manz USF Sr. Columbus, Ga.
1B Andrew Clark Louisville Jr. Carmel, Ind.
2B Vince Belnome West Virginia Jr. Coatesville, Pa.
3B Mike Spina Cincinnati Sr. Newberry, Fla.
SS Jeremy Barnes Notre Dame Sr. Garland, Texas
OF Lance Durham Cincinnati Jr. Forest Park, Ohio
OF Phil Wunderlich Louisville So. Chicago, Ill.
OF Matt Smedberg Seton Hall Sr. Rockaway, N.J.
DH Erick Fernandez Georgetown So. Hialeah, Fla.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM

Pos. Player School Cl Hometown
P Matt Singer Seton Hall Jr. Bayonne, N.J.
P Derrick Stultz USF So. Tampa, Fla.
P Chris Enourato West Virginia Jr. Bridgeport, W.Va.
P Billy Gross West Virginia Jr. Frederick, Md.
C Danny Benedetti St. John’s Sr. Long Beach, Calif.
1B Todd Brazeal USF Fr. Tampa, Fla.
1B Jaren Mathews Rutgers So. Teaneck, N.J.
2B Adam Duvall Louisville Jr. Louisville, Ky.
3B Dan DiBartolomeo West Virginia So. Margate, N.J.
OF Junior Carlin USF So. Riverview, Fla.
OF Brian Kemp St. John’s Jr. East Rockaway, N.Y.
OF Jimmy Parque St. John’s Jr. Pacifica, Calif.
OF Austin Markel West Virginia Sr. Elizabethville, Pa.
DH Paul Karmas St. John’s So. Douglaston, N.Y.