May 13, 2010 2010 Freedom All-Conference Teams

Annville, Pa. – The 2010 Freedom conference baseball post season honors have been announced by the conference office, as voted on by the leagues head coaches. Manhattanville’s outfielder Paul Blejec took home Player of the Year honors. DeSales’s David Drinks took home a pair of individual honors as he was named the Freedom of the Year and Rookie of the Year. The league’s top coaching honor went to Eastern’s Matt Midkiff.

Blejec, a senior from Bronx, NY, had one of the best offensive seasons in Manhattanville history in 2010, posting a .448 overall batting average and setting a new school single-season record with 73 hits in leading the Valiants to their second NCAA Tournament appearance next week. Blejec is at the top of several offensive categories in the conference including first in hits and total plate appearances (201), second in batting average and runs scored (59), and third in on base percentage (.523). He also flashed the leather in left field, going errorless in 78 chances including three outfield assists.

Drinks, a freshman from Mechanicsburg, Pa., led the Bulldogs, pitching staff this season with an 8-1 record and a 2.93 ERA. He tossed a team-high 73.2 pitched and struck out 50 while walking just 18 batters. Opponents batted just .235 off him and Drinks was named the Freedom Pitcher of the Week once. He had two complete-games and one shutout on the season.

Midkidff, in his second season at Eastern, took a squad that did not win a game in the league in 2009 and transformed them into a Freedom Conference contender. Though the Eagles were eliminated from the playoff picture in the final weekend, Midkiff and his staff used a combination or new players and returning players in new roles to win 10 league games. One year after finishing 3-29, Eastern set a new school record for wins in a year with 21. The Eagles won at least one game in every conference series.

First Team All-Conference Player Team Pos. Yr. Hometown (High School) Marc Hubbert FDU-Florham Catcher Sr. Freehold, NJ (Freehold Boro) Chris Nardozzi Manhattanville First Baseman So. Poughkeepsie, NY (Roy C. Ketcham) Chris Nastasi Manhattanville Second Baseman Sr. Bayville, NY (The Pendleton School) Derek Moyer DeSales Third Baseman Sr. Harleysville, PA (Souderton) Nate Newman Misericordia Shortstop Jr. Ulster, PA (Athena Area) Paul Blejec Manhattanville Outfield Sr. Bronx, NY (Fordham Prep) Mike Newland DeSales Outfield Jr. Frenchtown, NJ (Delaware Valley) Carson Slonaker DeSales Outfield Jr. East Greenville, PA (The Perkiomen School) Dan Fiorito Manhattanville Designated Hitter So. Yonkers, NY (Fordham Prep) Mike Isgro Delaware Valley Utility Player Sr. Galloway, NJ (Absegami) Glenn Cox FDU-Florham Pitcher So. Nutley, NJ (Nutley) David Drinks DeSales Pitcher Fr. Mechanicsburg, PA (Cumberland Valley) Joe Walsh DeSales Sr. Green Brook, NJ (Watchung Hills)

Second Team All-Conference Player Team Pos. Yr. Hometown (High School) Matt Unger King’s Catcher Sr. Orangeburg, NY (Tappan Zee) Jason Hardinger DeSales First Baseman So. Northampton, PA (Allentown Central Catholic) Dan Garcia Eastern Second Baseman Sr. Glenside, PA (Cheltenham) A.J. Triano Manhattanville Third Baseman Sr. Rye, NY (Rye) Scott Renauro Eastern Shortstop So. West Deptford, NJ (West Deptford) Kevin Murray Manhattanville Outfield Sr. Valhalla, NY (Archbishop Stepinac) Dan Pregno FDU-Florham Outfield Jr. Andover, NJ (Lenape Valley) Chris Sweeney King’s Outfield Fr. Mountain Top, PA (Crestwood) Greg Geran FDU-Florham Designated Hitter Sr. Brick, NJ (Red Bank Catholic) Jack Kavetski DeSales Utility Player So. Plymouth Meeting, PA (Plymouth Whitemarsh) Eric Matula King’s Pitcher Sr. Cresco, PA (Pocono Mountain East) Tom Rozelle King’s Pitcher Jr. Vestal, NY (Vestal) Chris Laudati FDU-Florham Relief Pitcher So. Kenilworth, NJ (David Brearly)

Player of the Year: Paul Blejec, Manhattanville Pitcher of the Year: David Drinks, DeSales Rookie of the Year: David Drinks, DeSales Coach of the Year: Matt Midkiff, Eastern