On the heels of their fourth-straight CUNYAC Championship, and 20th overall, the College of Staten Island baseball team earned four more honors by way of the CUNYAC and their list of year-end awards and all-stars. Junior pitcher Christian Capellan led the way, named CUNYAC Pitcher of the Year while catcher Sean Becker, third baseman Anthony DiMarco, and outfielder Jordan Wilson were named to the conference’s All-Star unit. Sophomore Anthony Lozada was named to the CUNYAC’s Sportsmanship Team.
Capellan put together an amazing junior campaign, leading CSI in a host of categories on the hill. Capellan finished 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA, both team bests, while also leading the way with 64 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts. Opponents batted .271 against him, and he yielded only 11 extra-base hits all season. Capellan got CSI started with a complete-game win in the CUNYAC Tournament, an 11-2 decision over Baruch College. He came back to pitch just two days later, going another nine innings in a game that CSI would ultimately use extra innings to win, 5-4. Capellan has not lost a decision since mid-March.
Enjoying a great year was Becker, who in his second year with the team fully asserted himself as the team’s everyday catcher. Becker finalized the year with a .314 average in 32 games played, spreading out 32 hits with nine doubles and two home runs. His 22 RBI were tied for tops on the team, as were his 21 walks, boosting his on-base percentage to a team-best .444. Becker was also a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bags and boasted a .975 fielding percentage in 244 chances behind the plate.
Anthony DiMarco missed a handful of games early in the season due to injury but regained his form in time to lead the team with a .348 average at the plate, spreading out 31 hits in 82 at-bats. He popped in 11 doubles and a home run and produced 16 walks, good for third on the squad. DiMarco finished second on the team with a .441 on-base percentage, and after batting .383 in the CUNYAC Tournament with five RBI and 11 runs scored through five games, he was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Rounding out the list of All-Stars was junior Jordan Wilson, who produced a .324 average at the dish, good for second on the team. Wilson was second on the unit with 36 total hits, and his 25 runs scored tied him for tops on the team. Wilson finished second on the team with 14 stolen bases and made 65 out-outs this season, all in center field.
Recognizing a single player from each campus, Lozada earned the distinction of being on the Sportsmanship Team thanks to his leadership on the team and selfless play, as he was able to slide over and play one of the toughest positions on the team without any prior experience (second base).
Lehman College’s David Rodriguez took home Player of the Year honors from the CUNYAC, while Baruch’s Liam O’Gara was named top rookie. John Jay College’s Joe Mandile was named the CUNYAC’s Coach of the Year. CCNY’s Rob Mandich was named the conference’s Sportsmanship Player of the Year.
