WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- Monmouth was the recipient of two major awards, as junior Brad Brach (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) was named NEC Pitcher of the Year and freshman hurler Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan Catholic) was selected NEC Rookie of the Year, as the league announced its year-end all-conference award winners in balloting conducted by head coaches. Monmouth placed four players on all-conference squads.
The major award winners were announced, along with the first and second all-NEC teams, at a banquet held at New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Conn. Quinnipiac senior outfielder Tim Binkoski was chosen NEC Player of the Year, while Mount St. Mary's Scott Thomson was unanimously picked by his peers as NEC Coach of the Year. The four-team, double-elimination NEC Tournament, presented by Akadema, will be contested at New Britain Stadium over the next three days, culminating in the championship on Saturday, May 26th. First round tournament pairings on Thursday afternoon pit NEC co-regular season champion and #1 seed Quinnipiac against #4 seed Central Connecticut State at 12:00 pm, followed by #2 seed and co-regular season champion Mount St. Mary's against #3 seed Monmouth at 3:30 pm.
Brach, who was a two-time Akadema/NEC Pitcher of the Week for playoff-bound Monmouth during the regular season, utilized pinpoint control to finish the year tied for the league lead with eight victories (against just two defeats). The righthander also ranked first in the conference with three shutouts and currently sits third in strikeouts (76) and fifth in ERA (3.01). Against NEC competition, Brach posted a 6-1 mark with a 2.50 ERA and walked just eight batters in 54 innings. In three years, the Freehold, N.J.-product has already equaled the school record with 20 career victories and is third with 196 strikeouts. On April 13, he tossed a no-hitter against Long Island and was named NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week for his performance. Brach joins Joe Aragona (1996) and Jim Carone (2002) as Monmouth players who have been selected NEC Pitcher of the Year.
Buch sparkled in his freshman campaign, quickly establishing himself as one of the league's top starters while providing a terrific one-two combination in the Monmouth rotation along with Brach. Sporting an 8-2 record, Buch is tied for the league lead in wins, ranks second in the loop with a 2.23 ERA and occupies fifth place with 66 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .217 against the righthander from Yardley, Pa., currently the second-lowest mark in the NEC. Consistency has been Buch's hallmark, having allowed three earned runs or less in each of his 11 starts. Buch joins a long line of Monmouth players - seven in total - honored as NEC Rookie of the Year, the most recent being teammate Rick Niederhaus in 2006. He is also the lone freshman this season to be rewarded with an all-conference spot, collecting second team accolades.
Monmouth junior Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) claimed first team accolades at first base following a terrific regular season that saw him rank in the NEC top-10 in 10 different categories, including RBI (61, first), average (.389, second), slugging percentage (.606, third) and on-base percentage (.473, third). Meyers, who has blasted nine homers and was the NEC's top run producer in league play with 33 RBI in 27 games, was tabbed Akadema/NEC Player of the Week on May 14. Meyers ranks second on the team with a career-high 77 hits.
Monmouth senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) utilized his speed and patience at the plate to nab first team all-NEC plaudits in the outfield. Messineo, who is hitting .341 on the year with seven homers and 34 RBI, paces the conference and ranks among national leaders with 63 runs scored and a single-season school record 39 stolen bases in 43 attempts. In two years, he has swiped 68 stolen bases at a 90.7 percent success rate. Messineo, who is also first in the league with 34 walks and second with a .480 on-base percentage, earned Akadema/NEC Player of the Week honors on April 2.
2007 NEC Baseball Award Winners:
Player of the Year
Tim Binkoski Quinnipiac OF
Pitcher of the Year
Brad Brach Monmouth RHP
Rookie of the Year
Ryan Buch Monmouth RHP
Coach of the Year
Scott Thomson Mount St. Mary's
2007 NEC Baseball First Team All-Conference
Andy Meyers Monmouth 1B
Randy Gress Quinnipiac 2B
John Delaney Quinnipiac 3B
Joe DiGeronimo Wagner SS
Tim Binkoski Quinnipiac OF
Kyle Messineo Monmouth OF
Ryan Murray Mount St. Mary's OF
Adam Taha CCSU C
Jeff Hanson Sacred Heart DH
Rob Tencza Sacred Heart UT
Brad Brach Monmouth RHP
Jay Monti Sacred Heart RHP
2007 NEC Baseball Second Team All-Conference
Eric Smith Mount St. Mary's 1B
Pete Delleani Wagner 2B
Matt Eiden Mount St. Mary's 3B
Wilson Matos Quinnipiac SS
Chris Grabowski FDU OF
Jak Kidd CCSU OF
Ryan Rizzo Quinnipiac OF
Chris Dreschel Wagner C
Josh Vittek Mount St. Mary's DH
Vincente Medina FDU UT
Ryan Buch Monmouth RHP
Ken Kerski CCSU LHP
