D3baseball.com
All-American Team
Worcester, MA --- Senior outfielder Matt Hart
(N. Easton, MA) has been named to the D3baseball.com All-American
third team on Wednesday. Hart is the third Worcester State baseball
student-athlete ever to receive the honor and the third for 14th
year head coach Dirk Baker.
Hart instrumental in the success of the Lancers this season as the
squad captured their seventh MASCAC regular season championship
with a 13-1 record and posted the second 30-win campaign in program
history at 30-15. Hart, a first-team NEIBA selection and this
season’s MASCAC Player of the Year, is currently 15th in the
NCAA Division III in total bases (132), 18th in slugging (.815),
11th in homers (14) and 32nd in total stolen bases (27).
Hart led the MASCAC in six statistical categories which included
batting average (.426), hits (69), runs (54), homers, on-base
percentage (.500) and slugging (.815). Hart also was third in
stolen bases, tied for second in doubles (13) and triples (4) and
ninth in runs batted in (34). Hart, the team’s lead-off
hitter reached base safely in 46 of 72 times to start out an inning
(.639) which includes 22 times in 45 games to start off a contest.
Hart also belted five lead-off homers in 14 MASCAC contests.
Hart had one of the most remarkable seasons ever put up in WSC
baseball history. Hart’s single season marks of hits and
stolen bases were the second highest while his homers and total
bases are tied for the third-most. Hart also distinguished himself
with a career .379 batting average in two seasons which is good for
17th on the all-time list.
Hall of Famer Eric Swedberg and Tim Leonard were the last
student-athletes to be named All-Americans. Swedberg was named a
Division III All-American in 2000, 2001 and 2002 while he was also
honored as an Academic All-American in 2002. Leonard received the
nod as an academic All-American in 2001.
Hart is also the first-ever MASCAC player ever selected in the
three years that D3baseball.com has been naming All-Americans.
The Lancers ended their 2009 campaign with a setback in the ECAC
New England Baseball Tournament to WPI in the championship game.
The team also fell 4-3 to Westfield State in Championship round of
the MASCAC Tournament.
The New England representatives included Conor Fahey (Cumberland,
RI - RHP) of WPI, Shawn Gilblair (Windham, CT - UTL) of Eastern
Connecticut, Jeremiah Bayer (Greenfield, MA - RHP) and Sean Killeen
(Greenfield, MA- C) of Trinity and Bobby Doyon (Keene, NH - OF) of
Keene State on the first team, Anthony D’Alfonso (Westbrook,
ME - OF) of Southern Maine on the second squad, Andrew Fatse
(Hampden, MA – 2B) of WNEC on the third team.
Bobby Barret (Milton, MA - C) of Suffolk, Chris Burleson (Portland,
ME - SS) of Southern Maine, Melvin Castillo (Danbury, CT - 3B) of
Eastern Connecticut, Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ -DH) of Wheaton along
with Ian Lee (Hamden, ME - C) and Pat Moran (Winterport, ME - UTL)
of St Joseph’s (ME) were honorable mentions.