Lehigh University Athletics
Cerminaro named Pitcher of the Year
9/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Bethlehem, PA – Two Lehigh pitchers were honored by Patriot League coaches for their outstanding seasons on the mound. Senior Dave Cerminaro has been named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, and freshman Jack Muscalus has been named the league’s Rookie of the Year. The hurlers were two of five Mountain Hawks to be named to the All-League teams, which are voted on by the Patriot League coaches. Three Lehigh players have earned recognition as All-Patriot League selections. Other Mountain Hawks recognized for their outstanding play in 2002 include senior shortstop Anthony Piccola, junior outfielder Jeremy Mack, and sophomore third baseman Jesse Novalis.
Dave Cerminaro earns Pitcher of the Year and All-Patriot League first team honors for the first time after dominating the opposition on the mound. To this point, he has posted an 8-3 record with a 2.29 earned run average. He currently leads the league in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and complete games. The right-hander has been especially effective against league opponents. In five Patriot League starts, Cerminaro is 4-1 with five complete games and a 1.59 ERA. His eight wins so far this season set a new Lehigh mark for victories in a season. His 19 career wins at Lehigh ranks second all-time. As a junior, Cerminaro was an All-League second team selection.
Freshman Jack Muscalus made an immediate and lasting impact on the hill in his debut campaign, garnering recognition as the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and an All-Patriot League second team selection. Muscalus has posted a 7-3 overall record with five complete games and a 3.54 ERA. The newcomer has also performed exceptionally well in his five Patriot League outings. He has a 4-1 record with a 2.20 ERA. League opponents are hitting only .248 against the righty.
Senior shortstop Anthony Piccola earns second team honors for the first time after continuing to dazzle with the glove up the middle. At the plate, Piccola has been a steady presence, posting a .278 batting average with 34 runs scored and 11 extra-base hits. He leads the team and is in the top five in the league in stolen bases with 17 on the season.
Outfielder Jeremy Mack earns All-Patriot League second team honors for the first time in 2002. Mack ranks among the league leaders in several categories, including batting average (.333), hits (53), runs scored (34), doubles (10), triples (4), home runs (5), and total bases (86). He was the only player in the league to produce a multiple home run game, when he hit two in a win at C.W. Post.
Joining Piccola and Mack on the second team is third baseman Jesse Novalis. The sophomore tied a Lehigh record and led the Patriot League with ten home runs this season. Novalis also matched a league mark by collecting six hits in one game (a 6-for-6 effort at Moravian). He was named the national Co-Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after hitting .667 (16-for-24) with 11 runs scored and 16 runs batted in over a six game stretch. The two-time Patriot League Player of the Week ranks second in runs batted in (42), and third in runs scored (40).
Lafayette third baseman Vince D’Angelis was named the league’s Player of the Year. The senior leads the league in RBIs with 47, and is second with a .382 batting average. Navy head coach Steve Whitmyer earns Coach of the Year honors for the first time.
Surprisingly missing from the 2002 All-Patriot League teams is Mountain Hawks second baseman Eric Hoffman. The sophomore set a league record with a 28 game hitting streak earlier in the season, and he has reached base safely in 46 of Lehigh’s 49 games. He stands two hits away from tying the Lehigh single season record, and his 65 hits leads the league. Hoffman also leads the league in runs scored (46), is second in on-base percentage (.463), and is third with a .376 batting average. He was named the league’s Player of the Week two consecutive weeks in March.
Picked to finish sixth in a pre-season coaches poll, Lehigh doubled its win total from a season ago. The Mountain Hawks are a school record 28-19-1 on the season, and they wrapped up a share of their first-ever Patriot League regular season title. Lehigh makes its second league tournament appearance this weekend, when the Mountain Hawks take on Lafayette on Saturday at Noon in Annapolis, Maryland. The winner will face Navy in a three-game series beginning Saturday afternoon. All Lehigh post-season games will be broadcast live on the Lehigh web site at www.lehigh.edu.
For more information, contact Jeff Tourial, Lehigh Sports Media Relations.
