WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Monmouth University placed 10 players on New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) All-State teams, as junior right-hander Brett Brach was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year, five Hawks were tabbed to the first-team, a trio of freshmen were named All-Rookie, and head coach Dean Ehehalt was named Coach of the Year.
Brach is the third Hawk to receive the NJCBA Pitcher of the Year honors, as the junior earned six wins, while striking out a career high 65 and only walking 11 during the regular season. The Freehold Township native received the same honor as older brother, Brad, who earned Pitcher of the Year with the Hawks in 2006 and 2007.
Catcher Bobby Dombrowski, third baseman Ryan Terry, second baseman Chris Collazo, outfielder Nick Pulsonetti and starting pitcher Ryan Buch highlight the First Team selections for the Hawks.
Dombrowski, who started 46 games, sported a .324 average, while throwing out 14 would-be base stealers. Dombrowski, in his first full season with the Hawks added 45 hits, which included eight doubles and five home runs, and batted .370 in Northeast Conference contests.
Terry makes his second appearance in the NJCBA All-State selections. The 2008 NJCBA Rookie of the Year, Terry earns first team honors after collecting 59 hits and five home runs while batting .319 for Monmouth during his second season in West Long Branch.
Collazo, who ended the regular season with a career high 14-game hitting streak, becamed the 10th player in Monmouth history to collect over 200 hits earlier this year. The second baseman, who started all 52 games, leads the team in two offensive categories including hits (78) and runs (53) - both career-bests. Collazo has also contributed a career-best 40 RBI and 12 doubles.
Pulsonetti makes his second straight NJCBA First-Team All-State appearance in the outfield. The sophomore ranks second in average (.358), hits (64), home runs (10) and RBIs (47) on the squad, and has tallied 95 RBI in 95 career games in his two-year stay in West Long Branch.
Buch, the last of the Hawks' first team selections, makes his third straight appearance in the NJCBA post season award list. The 2007 Rookie Pitcher of the Year earns First-Team honors for the second straight year. In his 12 appearances during 2009, the Yardley, Pennsylvania native, struck out a career high 80 opponents in 65.0 innings of work.
Paul Bottigliero is the lone Hawk on the Second-Team, as the senior first baseman set a new single-season home run record this year, knocking 17 round-trippers. Collecting a team high 122 total bases, Bottigliero also ranks first in RBIs, driving in 54 runs, and is for first with 14 doubles.
Jamie Rosenkranz, Josh Boyd and David Jacob were all placed on the New Jersey All-Rookie squad for Monmouth.
The infielder, who has played both third and shortstop for the Hawks, Rosenkranz saw action in 37 games, collecting 37 hits and knocking in 26 runs, while batting .343.
Boyd, who started 47 of the 50 games he played, stole a team high 18 bases, while being named NEC Rookie of the Week twice. The speedy outfielder batted .277 for Monmouth, and was key factor in the defensive outfield.
Jacob appeared in 44 games for the Blue and White in his first season, batting .317, while scattering 33 hits and driving in 11 runs.
Ehehalt earned his second consecutive, and seventh overall, NJCBA Coach of the Year Honors in 2009. In his 16th year at the helm of the Monmouth program, Ehehalt has a 425-385-2 overall record, including his 14th straight 20-win season, while guide his squad to its 12th NEC playoffs during his tenure.
Monmouth returns to action on Thursday, when the No. 4 seed Hawks face top-seeded Wagner in opening round of the 2009 Northeast Conference Tournament at New Britain Stadium. First pitch is set for noon.
