Rinn named New England Player of the Year, Owens New England Coach of the Year
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) has been named the New England Player of the Year, head coach Steve Owens the New England Coach of the Year and 10 Bulldogs were named All-New England by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) on Wednesday afternoon.
Rinn becomes the first player in program history to earn New England Player of the Year honors, while Owens picks up his second coach of the year honor (2014). The 10 All-New England selections are the second-most in program history. The Bulldogs had 11 players honored in the 2014 season.
In addition to player of the year honors, Rinn was voted to the first team for the second-straight year and is joined by senior catcher Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.), junior outfielder Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.), junior utility Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore pitcher James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.).
Senior AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and sophomore closer Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) were named to the second team, while senior Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.), freshman outfielder Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) and freshman pitcher Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) were named to the third team.
Rinn is having one of the best offensive seasons in program history this year, hitting .380 with 81 hits, 24 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 57 RBI and 52 runs scored. He won the NEC batting title and also leads the NEC in hits, doubles, RBI and runs scored, becoming just the second player in DI program history to record 50+ RBI and 50+ runs scored in the same season. Rinn leads the Bulldogs with 25 multi-hit games and is currently working on a 50-game on-base streak which is one of the longest in the country. His 24 doubles are tied for the most in a single season in program history and he has doubled twice in a game on seven occasions this year.
McCarthy has used a huge second-half surge to earn All-New England honors for the second time in his career. He is currently hitting .272 but has recorded career-highs in doubles (16), home runs (7), RBI (49) and runs scored (44). McCarthy has driven in 38 runs over his last 32 games and has posted a .426 OBP during that span. Defensively, he has committed just three errors in 340 chances for a .991 fielding percentage.
A former New England Rookie of the Year, Albanese earns All-New England honors for the third-straight year, making his first appearance on the first team. One of the best offensive players in the region this year, Albanese is hitting .366 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs, 52 RBI, 56 runs scored, 28 walks and just 15 strikeouts in 183 at-bats. He leads the NEC in runs scored and OBP (.471) and has also stolen 15 bases and played a flawless center field. Albanese homered twice in a pair of games this year and drove in a career-high six runs at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Bingel repeats as the first team utility player this spring. He has enjoyed a career-year at the plate and on the mound, hitting .298 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 40 RBI, while going 8-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 61 2/3 innings. Bingel has set career highs in doubles, home runs and RBI and has also scored 38 runs on the year. His eight wins are also a career-high and he has victory over Maryland to his resume. Bingel blanked the Terrapins on three hits over six innings back in March.
Karinchak has put together one of the most impressive seasons for a pitcher in program history this spring. He is 11-2 with a 2.21 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings. Karinchak's 11 wins are tied for the most in a single season in program history, while his 97 strikeouts are a program record. He is second nationally in victories and has posted three games in which he has struck out 10+ batters. Karinchak tied the DI program record with 13 strikeouts in just six innings at George Mason. He is only the second pitcher in Bryant's DI history to win 10 games in a season, joining Craig Schlitter (2013 and 2014).
Battling through injuries, Zarozny earns his first All-New England honors this season. He is hitting .363 with 15 doubles, two home runs, 29 RBI and 22 runs scored. The 15 doubles are a career-high for Zarozny. He started the season with a bang, collecting a program-record four doubles against San Diego State, but missing 19 games with an injury. Zarozny has returned with a vengeance, going 20-for-39 with nine doubles, a home run, 18 RBI and 11 runs scored in 12 games since his return.
Snyder has settled in at the backend of Bryant's bullpen, making a team-high 23 appearances and posting an NEC-best nine saves. He is 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in 40 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .201 and Snyder is 9-for-10 in save situations. He started his year with 14 strikeouts in his first 8 1/3 innings of relief and has allowed just one earned run over his last 8 2/3 innings.
Bryant's starting shortstop in all 54 games, Cellucci has enjoyed an offensive awakening. He is hitting .328 with 61 hits, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 30 RBI and 39 runs scored. Cellucci has a .401 OBP and has a .951 fielding percentage. He started the year slow, going 4-for-36 in his first 10 games, but is hitting .380 with a .444 OBP over his last 44 games.
Angelini's third team honors come in the midst of a very successful rookie season. He is hitting .354 with eight doubles, three home runs, 25 RBI and 43 runs scored. Angelini has also walked 22 times, been hit by a pitch 11 times and has a .467 OBP, the second best on the team. He has posted 18 multi-hit games and he hit his first-career home run against then No. 22 Kentucky during the Tony Gwynn Classic.
Theetge has been marvelous on the mound this year for the Bulldogs, posting a perfect 8-0 record through regular season play. He has a 2.83 ERA, 40 strikeouts and 21 walks in 63 2/3 innings. Theetge earned his first-career victory against Delaware and has allowed one earned run or less in seven of his last eight starts. His eight wins are one shy of tying the Bryant freshman record set by Pete Kelich in 2010.