BASEBALL LANDS SEVEN PLAYERS ON ALL-ECC TEAM; GREIG, PELLECHIA, FUCARINO TAKE HOME TOP HONORS

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (May. 7, 2009) - The East Coast Conference announced its year-end award winners for baseball, and Molloy College was predominantly displayed on the list. Head Coach Joe Fucarino (Wantagh, N.Y.) won the coach of the year award, while junior outfielder T.J. Greig (Staten Island, N.Y.) received player of the year accolades, and freshman outfielder Carmine Pellechia (Staten Island, N.Y.) garnered rookie of the year kudos. In the process, five other Lions were named to the all-conference team.

Greig heads into post-season play having put up a .347 batting average and a .500 slugging percentage. The junior ended the regular season having led the league in hits (66), and total bases (90). Of his 66 hits, he roped seven doubles and went deep five times. He ended up second on the team with 32 RBI, and was fourth on the squad with 25 runs scored.

The outfielder swiped nine bases in ten attempts and was one of four Molloy players to start every game in the regular season. In addition to being tabbed as the ECC Player of the Year, Greig was dubbed first team all-conference, joining senior infielder Peter Loeb (College Point, N.Y.), senior infielder Patrick Walsh (Bellmore, N.Y.) and junior pitcher Steven Stewart (Levittown, N.Y.) on the first team.

Loeb earned first-team honors largely on the heels of his .304 batting average and.990 fielding percentage. The senior second baseman, swiped 10 bases and drove in 18 runs. Walsh, also a senior, led the East Coast Conference by crossing the plate 39 times this past season. He also finished second on the team with 18 stolen bases. Stewart, a junior pitcher, finished third in the nation in earned run average at 1.20.

He was also among the nation's leaders in hits allowed per nine innings, putting up a mark of 5.85, good for sixth-best across the country. Pellechia was the lone Lion to earn second-team honors in addition to the rookie of the year title.

Pellechia, a freshman outfielder for the Lions, connected on 48 hits this season which led to 20 RBI, and he crossed the plate 30 times. His impact was also seen on the base paths, leading the team with 23 stolen bases on 26 attempts, good for second best in the conference. His superior play earned him rookie of the week three times, on March 2, March 9 and March 30.

Senior first baseman Keith Kenny (Hicksville, N.Y.) and sophomore catcher/outfielder Robert LaRusso (Bayside, N.Y.) were both named to the third team. Kenny slugged twenty hits on the season and finished with 18 RBI. He was hit by a pitch 15 times this season, ranking him at 10th nationally. He also showed good plate discipline finishing with 28 walks, second-best in the ECC.

LaRusso started every game for Lions and put up a .312 batting average. The slugger was third in the league with 53 hits, and led the conference with seven round trippers, 13 doubles, 34 RBI and 89 total bases. His .524 slugging percentage was also good for second-best in the league.

Head Coach Joe Fucarino guided the team to a 26-17 regular season record, including a record of 16-8 in the conference. The record earned the team a number two seed in the conference tournament, earning a first round bye. In his fourth season at the helm, Fucarino's team led the conference in batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage with marks of .281, .368 and .382 respectively.

The Lions will open up East Coast Conference Tournament play tomorrow when they host the third-seeded Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockville Centre, N.Y. at noon.