FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Princeton Tigers made a return to the top of the Ivy standings for the first time since 2006, and did so largely due to the play of junior catcher/outfielder Sam Mulroy (Bethesda, Md.) and RHP/first baseman Mike Ford (Belle Mead, N.J.), who were voted the 2011 Ivy League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively, in a vote by the League’s eight head coaches. The third major honor of the year went to Penn senior hurler Paul Cusick (Wilmington, Del.), who was named Pitcher of the Year.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Mulroy, also a first team All-Ivy selection at his primary catcher position, becomes the first ever Tiger to earn the League’s Player of the Year award. He was a driving force behind the Tigers completing the regular-season with a 23-22 overall record and a 15-5 Ivy mark. Earning the best League record granted the Gehrig Division Tigers the right to host the Ivy League Baseball Championship Series, where they took two-of-three from Rolfe Division winner Dartmouth.
The junior led Princeton at the plate, boasting a .324 batting average and .547 slugging percentage. He collected 55 hits, including 11 doubles, three triples and seven home runs, while also successfully stealing 13 bases in 15 attempts. Behind the plate, Mulroy caught 14 runners on attempted steals.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Cusick, the Quakers’ ace with a 2.70 ERA and 5-3 record, becomes the first Penn player to earn the League’s top pitching honor since Ed Haughey in 1995. He is also just the fourth all-time Quaker to be named Pitcher of the Year. The senior hurler had a League-best 48 strikeouts in Ivy games, while also leading the League with 80 overall strikeouts. He tossed four complete games and held opponents to a .230 batting average. Cusick earned three of his five wins in Ivy play and fanned a career high dozen batters in two of those wins.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ford has been one of the key players in Princeton’s success this season — showing his versatility on the mound, in the field and at the plate. The rookie two-way player was a member of the Tigers’ regular weekend rotation, going 5-3 in 10 starts and four complete games. He compiled a 4.12 ERA, the second lowest on the Tiger staff, while striking out 37 in 63.1 innings. In games he did not pitch, Ford was in the field as Princeton’s starting first baseman. Between the two positions he collected 243 putouts, 17 assists and just five errors for a .981 fielding percentage.
At the plate, Ford was the Tigers’ third best hitter, batting at a .299 clip. He showed good power as a rookie, collecting nine doubles, one triple and three home runs.
FIRST TEAM ALL-IVY
Eighteen players were voted onto the first-team All-Ivy, led by five from Gehrig Division runner-up Penn and four from Rolfe Division champion Dartmouth.
Joining Cusick from Penn were catcher Will Davis (Atlanta, Ga.), third baseman Dan Williams (Southhampton, N.J.), outfielder Greg Zebrack (Northridge, Calif.) and designated hitter Spencer Branigan (Ross, Calif.). Davis was one of the Quakers’ top offensive threats, batting .304 and ranking second on the team with a .565 slugging percentage. He led all Ivies with 16 doubles, while also adding six home runs and 27 RBIs.
One of just three repeat first team selections from 2010, Williams hit .288 for the season. He ranked second on the team with 153 at-bats, and finished with 44 hits, including nine doubles, one triple and three home runs, while also leading the squad with 28 RBIs. Zebrack was another key factor to the Quakers leading the Ivies in batting average (.318) during League play, while also hitting .297 overall. The sophomore outfielder hit .336 with 46 hits, including 11 doubles and a team-high seven home runs. He slugged a team-high .596 while also showing speed on the base paths, tying for the team-lead with nine stolen bases.
Rounding out Penn’s first team selections was the designated hitter Branigan. The sophomore hit at a .296 clip for the season and had 15 extra-base hits on his way to a .528 slugging percentage.
It was no surprise that Dartmouth, the League-leader in team ERA (3.97), had a trio of pitchers named to the first team, led by starters Kyle Hendricks (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Cole Sulser (Santa Ysabel, Calif.). The pair of junior right-handers provided a one-two punch every weekend for the Big Green, combining for a 9-4 record in 2011. Hendricks ranked third among all Ivies with a 2.47 ERA in nine starts, including four complete games. He fanned a career-high 15 batters in just seven innings for his first win of the season, an 11-2 final against Army on March 18, and finished the year with 70 strikeouts to go along with just 11 walks. Sulser ranked No. 5 in the League with a 2.59 ERA and held opposing batters to a .220 average, the lowest among Dartmouth’s regular starters.
Out of the bullpen, Big Green closer Ryan Smith (Greenlawn, N.Y.) earned first team All-Ivy honors as the League’s top relief pitcher. The right-handed senior was second among all Ivy pitchers with four saves, including two in League play. He fanned 31 batters in just 29.2 innings pitched, while giving up just 28 hits and eight walks.
The fourth Big Green player to earn first team selection was shortstop Joe Sclafani (Palm City, Fla.). A second team All-Ivy selection in 2010 and the League’s Rookie of the Year in 2009, Sclafani proved to be a force to reckon with at the plate this spring. He hit .349 for the season, collecting a League-high 60 hits, including 12 doubles, eight triples and four home runs. His eight three-baggers were a League high and a Dartmouth single-season record.
Columbia Lions Dario Pizzano (Saugus, Mass.), Jason Banos (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Nick Cox (Lake Mary, Fla.) dominated the outfield positions on the All-Ivy first team. The three led the Lions’ offense all season long, batting .359, .323 and .353, respectively. The 2010 Co-Rookie of the Year, Pizzano is the second of three players to earn repeat first team honors this spring. His .359 batting average was fourth best in the League, while his .654 slugging percentage ranked No. 1. Banos banged out nine doubles and six home runs while knocking in 30 runs. Cox added 15 extra-base hits while also ranking second in the League with 18 stolen bases. The trio were near flawless fielding their positions, combining for 204 putouts, seven assists and just one error.
Rolfe Division runner-up Yale earned a pair of first team selections, including the lone unanimous selection — first baseman Trey Rallis (La Canada, Calif.). The senior closed out his final season as a Bulldog as one of just three Ivies to bat over .360 for the season, ranking second at .365. He had 54 hits in 41 games played, including a dozen doubles and four home runs, while knocking in 30 runs. At first base, he was nearly flawless, collecting 341 putouts and 19 assists to go along with just two errors for a .994 fielding percentage.
Joining Rallis on the first team was classmate Vinny Lally (Tampa, Fla.). The senior southpaw ranked among the League’s top starters, going 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He made 13 appearances, including 10 starts, tossing four complete games and a League best two shutouts.
The final team to place multiple players on the first team was Harvard, as senior starting pitcher Max Perlman (Longwood, Fla.) and junior second baseman Jeff Reynolds (St. Petersburg, Fla.) each earned the first All-Ivy honors of their careers. Despite his team’s 9-36 record, and just a 2-5 record of his own, Perlman led the League with a 1.80 ERA, representing the only regular starter to hold an earned run average under two. Perlman’s lone Ivy win was one of his finest outings as he fanned 10, walked one and scattered four hits in a nine-inning, complete-game shutout of Yale on April 22.
Reynolds, meanwhile, was the Crimson’s leader at the plate, batting a team-high .301. He led Harvard with 163 at-bats and 49 hits, and ranked second in doubles with 11 and RBIs with 19.
Rounding out the 2011 first team were Player of the Year Mulroy and Cornell’s Mickey Brodsky (Encino, Calif.). Brodsky represented the third repeat first team selection from 2010, being voted onto the team in the utility position both seasons. The senior split his playing time between the outfield, first base and designated hitter. One of just two Big Red players to start all 40 games, Brodsky batted .311 with team highs of 151 at-bats, 47 hits, eight doubles and 29 RBIs.
Player of the Year
Sam Mulroy, Princeton (C/UT, Jr., Bethesda, Md.)
Pitcher of the Year
Paul Cusick, Penn (RHP, Sr., Wilmington, Del.)
Rookie of the Year
Mike Ford, Princeton (RHP/1B, Fr., Belle Mead, N.J.)
First Team All-Ivy (18^)
SP – Paul Cusick, Penn (Sr., Willmington, Del.)
SP – Vinny Lally, Yale (Sr., Tampa, Fla.)
SP – Kyle Hendricks, Dartmouth (Jr., San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
SP – Cole Sulser, Dartmouth (Jr., Santa Ysabel, Calif.)
SP – Max Perlman, Harvard (Sr., Longwood, Fla.)
RP – Ryan Smith, Dartmouth (Sr., Greenlawn, N.Y.)
C – Will Davis, Penn (Sr., Atlanta, Ga.)
C – Sam Mulroy, Princeton (Jr., Bathesda, Md.)
1B – *Trey Rallis, Yale (Sr., La Canada, Calif.)
2B – Jeff Reynolds, Harvard (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla.)
SS – Joe Sclafani, Dartmouth (Jr., Palm City, Fla.)
3B – Dan Williams, Penn (Sr., Southhampton, N.J.)
OF – Greg Zebrack, Penn (So., Northridge, Calif.)
OF – Dario Pizzano, Columbia (So., Saugus, Mass.)
OF – Jason Banos, Columbia (Sr., Lynnfield, Mass.)
OF – Nick Cox, Columbia (Sr., Lake Mary, Fla.)
UT – Mickey Brodsky, Cornell (Sr., Encino, Calif.)
DH – Spencer Branigan, Penn (So., Ross, Calif.)
Second Team All-Ivy (15)
SP – Heath Mayo, Brown (So., Whitehouse, Texas)
SP – Mike Ford, Princeton (Fr., Belle Mead, N.J.)
SP – Kyle Hunter, Dartmouth (So., Palm City, Fla.)
RP – Tim Giel, Columbia (So., Gibsonia, Pa.)
RP – Kevin Fortunato, Yale (Fr., Wall, N.J.)
C – Matt Colantonio, Brown (Sr., Garden City, N.Y.)
1B – Mike Ford, Princeton (Fr., Bell Mead, N.J.)
2B – Jeff Onstott, Dartmouth (Sr., Houston, Texas)
SS – Matt Bowman, Princeton (So., Chevy Chase, Md.)
3B – Andy Megee, Yale (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.)
OF – John Sheridan, Brown (So., Palo Alto, Calif.)
OF – Sam Bean, Dartmouth (Sr., Needham, Mass.)
OF – Jeremy Maas, Penn (Sr., Alpharetta, Ga.)
UT – Ennis Coble, Dartmouth (So., Atlanta, Ga.)
DH – Mike DiBiase, Brown (Jr., Weston, Mass.)
Honorable Mention (18)
SP – Stefan Olson, Columbia (So., Ladera Ranch, Calif.)
SP – Matthew Kimbell, Brown (Sr., Nashville, Tenn.)
SP – Jadd Scmeltzer, Cornell (Sr., Tappan, N.Y.)
SP – Zak Hermans, Princeton (So., Coppell, Texas)
SP – Brook Hart, Yale (Sr., State College, Pa.)
RP – Matt Grabowski, Princeton (Sr., Philadelphia, Pa.)
RP – A.J. Goetz, Princeton (Fr., Denver, Colo.)
C – Chris O’Dowd, Dartmouth (So., Cherry Hill Villiage, Colo.)
1B – Jason Brooks, Dartmouth (Sr., Westlake Villiage, Calif.)
2B – Alex Flink, Princeton (So., Dallas, Texas)
SS – Marshall Yanzick, Cornell (Jr., Beaverton, Ore.)
SS – Derek Vigo, Penn (Jr., Miami, Fla.)
3B – Ryan Zrenda, Brown (Old Lime, Conn.)
OF – Brian Billigen, Cornell (Jr., Carnigie, Pa.)
OF – Cam Squires, Yale (So., Fort Wayne, Ind.)
UT – Sam Mulroy, Princeton (Jr., Bethesda, Md.)
DH – Alex Aurrichio, Columbia (Jr., Dix Hills, N.Y.)
UT – Marcus Way, Harvard (Jr., Naples, N.Y.)
*unanimous selection
^due to a tie in the voting, two additional starting pitchers, one additional catcher and one additional outfielder were named to the first team All-Ivy
