Posted: Jun 10, 2015

Jordan Zima Receives ECAC All-Star Status

DANBURY, Conn. – Elms College sophomore first baseman Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) was named to the 2015 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Baseball All-Star Team, announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. Zima was selected to the Second Team, becoming the first Blazers to receive ECAC All-Star honors since 2007.

Zima had a breakout season as a sophomore en route to his first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) First Team selection. Jordan led the Blazers in batting average (.382), hits (52), runs batted in (24) and slugging percentage (.478) during the 2015 season. Jordan ranked second in the NECC in hits, and third in batting average. Zima set the single season record for putouts, registering 292 putouts at first base this season.

University of Southern Maine junior Sam Dexter (Oakland, Maine) was named ECAC Player of the Year while teammate Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine) earned ECAC Pitcher of the Year honors. MIT freshman Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.) was tabbed the ECAC Rookie of the Year and Massachusetts Maritime Academy Head Coach Bob Corradi and MIT Head Coach Andy Barlow shared ECAC Coach of the Year honors. Representatives from ECAC Division III New England member institutions completed the voting.

Dexter earns ECAC Player of the Year honors after completing one of the most illustrious seasons in Southern Maine baseball history. The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3Baseball.com National Player of the Year registered a marvelous .441 batting average during the 2015 season. The sure-handed shortstop, who was also named the Little East Conference Player of the Year, knocked 82 total hits, including 21 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. He also drove in a team-high 43 runs, slugged .715 and stole 11 bases. Dexter racked up 26 multi-hit games this season, including four consecutive three-hit performances to begin the month of April. Dexter was named the Co-Most Outstanding Player of the Little East Conference Tournament after going 10-for-20 with five RBI over a five-game span and helping the Huskies capture their third conference title in the last four seasons.

Richards, the Little East Conference Pitcher of the Year, racked up an 11-5 record this season with nine saves and a 1.73 earned run average. Also named an ABCA First Team All-American, Richards logged 114.1 innings in 32 appearances, allowing 22 earned runs and striking out a Southern Maine single-season record of 108 batters. He joined Dexter as the Co-Most Outstanding Player of the Little East Conference Tournament after tossing a complete-game four-hitter in the championship game against Eastern Connecticut State University to lift Southern Maine to the crown. Another gem of Richards' came against Eastern Connecticut on April 4 when he allowed just one earned run, struck out eight, over eight innings to help the Huskies to a 5-4 win. Richards was especially impressive early in the season, beginning the year by tossing 10.1 scoreless innings and yielding just four runs over his first 30.1 frames.

Filiere put together a freshman year to remember for the Engineers this season, leading his squad in almost every offensive category. The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player and Rookie of the Year set 10 MIT single-season records this season, including home runs, runs scored and RBI. He also ranked in the top-10 in the nation in 11 statistical categories, including leading all Division III players in runs scored with 68. He wrapped up the 2015 campaign with a .436 batting average, 13 home runs and 54 RBI while being named ECAC Division III New England Rookie of the Week twice and Player of the Week once. Filiere helped MIT capture the 2015 NEWMAC Championship and earn a berth into the NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional. Over six regional games, four of which were MIT triumphs, he went 9-for-23 with four runs scored.

Corradi, who just completed his 43^rd and final season as head coach of the Buccaneers, guided his squad to a 17-13 overall record and a berth into the ECAC Division III New England Championship. En route to claiming the program's first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Regular Season title in 33 years with a 10-4 conference record, Massachusetts Maritime led the league in team ERA (3.16), fewest hits allowed (233) and fewest walks given up (76). To go along with the team success, Corradi and the Buccaneers also enjoyed some individual accolades with freshman Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.) becoming the first-ever Massachusetts Maritime Player to be named MASCAC Player of the Year. Corradi, who also earned some hardware as the MASCAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career, completed his outstanding run in Buzzards Bay with 579 career victories.

Barlow was at the forefront of one of the finest baseball seasons in MIT history this past spring. He led the Engineers to a program record 29 wins in 2015 while also capturing the NEWMAC Championship and appearing in their third consecutive NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional in Harwich, Mass. Following an opening-game loss to Salem State University at the Regional, Barlow and his squad rattled off four consecutive wins to make their way to the championship round against Ramapo College. The Engineers completed the year at 29-14 overall and 13-4 in NEWMAC action, giving Barlow his fourth NEWMAC Coach of the Year award. Barlow has led the Engineers to 11 winning seasons in his 12 years in Cambridge and eight campaigns with at least 20 wins.

2015 ECAC Division III New England Baseball All-Star Team

ECAC Player of the Year: Sam Dexter, Jr., University of Southern Maine

ECAC Pitcher of the Year: Andrew Richards, Sr., University of Southern Maine

ECAC Rookie of the Year: Austin Filiere, Fr., MIT

ECAC Co-Coaches of the Year: Bob Corradi, Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Andy Barlow, MIT

First Team

C – Matt Foley, Jr., Rhode Island College

1B – Alex Venditti, Jr., Worcester Polytechnic Institute

2B – Richard Fecteau, Jr., Salem State University

SS – Sam Dexter, Jr., University of Southern Maine

3B – Austin Filiere, Fr., MIT