Ewing, NJ… Fresh off of its strong showing in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships, The College of New Jersey had a host of players honored as they were named to the 2009 ABCA-Rawlings Mid-Atlantic All-Region teams.
Senior Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) earned a pair of honors as he was selected as the 2009 Player of the Year in addition to garnering first-team recognition. Junior Chris Esperon (Union, NJ/Union Catholic) and pitcher Connor Henderson (Monmouth Junction, NJ/South Brunswick) were also named to the first team, while freshman Mike Galeotafiore (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) and senior Adam Tussey (Brooklawn, NJ/Gloucester) earned spots on the Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team.
By being named first team in the region, Toth, Esperon, and Henderson are now eligible to move onto the national ballot ABCA All-American honors.
Galeotafiore along with Vince Mazzaccaro (Gloucester, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) were recipients of the ABCA-Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Glove.
Toth earned first-team honors for the third straight season after leading the Lions in a host off categories. He batted an impressive .483 on the season and led the team in hits (85), runs (55), runs batted in (49), doubles (19), triples (5), home runs (8), total bases (138), walks (40), and stolen bases (16). The shortstop was also an All-New Jersey Athletic Conference First Team selection this spring.
Esperon provided offensive balance for TCNJ batting .383 and was second on the team with 72 hits, 18 doubles, and total bases with 107. The leftfielder was also third in RBI with 33 and was an All-NJAC First Team honoree.
Henderson emerged as one of the team's go-to pitchers as the sophomore boasted a record of 7-1. His seven wins led the team and he picked up that seventh win with a strong seven-inning performance in the NCAA Tournament against Penn State Behrend. Henderson led the team in innings (73.1) and strikeouts (56) in addition to boasting an earned-run-average of 2.95, which was tops among TCNJ's starters. He was previously named All-NJAC First Team.
Galeotafiore hit a solid .333 on the season and was just as valuable behind the plate starting 44 games. The catcher also hit for power as he drilled 15 doubles and tied for second on the team with five homers. He had a tremendous .983 fielding percentage and he was an All-NJAC First Team selection.
Tussey has been a defensive staple in the middle infield at second base all season for the Lions, helping the team lead the NJAC in double plays turned with 52. That number also ranks TCNJ among the national leaders. The talents aren't limited to the field as he is hitting .328 and is near-perfect in stolen bases, swiping 14 in 15 attempts. Earlier this spring, he garnered All-NJAC Honorable Mention.
Mazzaccaro started all 46 games this season at third base picked up 98 assists and 25 putouts. At the plate, he batted .293 and finished with 30 RBI and 36 runs scored.
The Lions (27-18-1) won the 2009 NJAC Championship to earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Once in the tournament, the Lions came one win short of reaching the regional championship game.
