Wilcox (Pitcher), Karinchak (Rookie) take home major awards; 7 All-NEC

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball junior Kyle Wilcox (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and freshman James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) were named the Northeast Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Year, respectively, and seven were named All-NEC as the league announced its year-end awards at the pre-tournament banquet Wednesday night at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn.

Wilcox becomes the third pitcher in Bryant history to earn NEC Pitcher of the Year honors, joining Peter Kelich ('12) and Craig Schlitter ('14). Karinchak becomes the fourth-straight Bulldog to win rookie of the year honors following in the footsteps of Kevin McAvoy ('12), AJ Zarozny ('13) and Matt Albanese ('14).

In addition to the two major awards, Wilcox and Karinchak were selected First team All-NEC and were joined by junior first baseman Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.), sophomore second baseman Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.), classmate and third baseman Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) and senior outfielder Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.). Sophomore outfielder Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) was named Second Team All-NEC.

Bryant's Friday starter all year long, Wilcox has gone 7-1 with a 2.77 ERA in a staff-high 74.2 innings. He is tied for the league lead in wins, leads the NEC in opponent batting average (.199) and is second in ERA. In league play, Wilcox went 5-0 with a 3.24 ERA, 24 strikeouts and a .185 opponent batting average in 41.2 innings.

Karinchak has proved himself to be one of the top arms in the league in just his first year. He is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA and a league-leading 73 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. Karinchak turned it on in league play, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 40 innings. He tossed a complete game shutout against Central Connecticut in his first league start and ended up throwing four-straight complete games. A five-time NEC Rookie of the Week, Karinchak has set a Bryant Division I record with six complete games and has three shutouts.

Rinn repeats as a first team selection after hitting .335 with 18 doubles, seven home runs, 41 RBI and 42 runs scored. He is tied for first in the league in doubles and home runs and is second in RBI and fourth in runs scored. Rinn hit .389 with a league-high 11 doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI against league opponents.

Fabio earns his first conference honor after putting together an outstanding sophomore season. He is fourth in the league with a .350 average and ranks second in hits (62) and third in runs scored (43). In addition, Fabio has 11 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 28 RBI and a team-high 28 walks and .450 OBP. In league play, Fabio hit a team-high .402 and posted a .480 OBP.

It also marks the first postseason honor for Bingel, Bryant's starting third baseman. He enjoyed a breakout year that saw him hit .316 with eight doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 28 RBI and 36 runs scored. Bingel tied for the league lead in home runs, slugged .551 and produced 13 extra-base hits against league opponents. Defensively, he made just two errors in 72 chances in NEC games.

Bryant's starting right fielder for the past three years, Mountford garners his first postseason honor. He hit .305 with 17 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 40 RBI, 45 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. Mountford leads the league in runs scored, is tied for the league lead in home runs and is second in total bases (104). He's been hot in NEC games, hitting .347 with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 24 RBI.

The 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year, Albanese has battled through injuries to post another outstanding year to earn second team honors for the second-consecutive year. He hit .328 with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 28 RBI and 33 runs scored in 31 games. Albanese hit four home runs in four games earlier this year and was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week.

Bryant opens play in the NEC tournament on Thursday afternoon as they take on fourth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson at noon.