Ioviero, Five Cougars Tabbed With All-Region Honors

Five Cougars Tabbed With All-Region Honors

Union, N.J. (5/21/08) - Five Cougars as well as head coach Neil Ioviero have been tabbed to the 2008 ABCA-Rawlings Mid-Atlantic All-Region team as announced on Wednesday.

Head coach Neil Ioviero was tabbed the Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, for the second straight season as the Cougars advanced to the World Series for the second straight season.  To date, Ioviero has a 320-134-2 record in the midst of his 11th season at Kean University.

Sophomore Joe Bartlinski (South Amboy, N.J.) was tabbed with first team honors while senior Derek Gianakas (Edison, N.J.) and junior Brandon Aich (Sayreville, N.J.) were selected to the second team.  Seniors Maikel De La Rosa (Newark, N.J.) and Bryan Burke (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) were selected to the third team.  De La Rosa was also selected as the Mid-Atlantic Region's Gold Glove winner at shortstop.

Bartlinski (pictured right) is currently sporting a team high eight wins while also collecting 75 strikeouts.  He has also tallied four complete games in 12 starts this season.  Gianakas, the 2008 NJAC Player of the Year, is leading the team in RBI (50), homeruns (12) and runs scored (54).  Aich, the NJAC and NJCBA Fireman of the Year, has a 7-1 record with 4 saves in 17 appearances.  Aich has a team-low 1.60 ERA and has fanned 41.

De La Rosa (pictured left) has become the all-time KU leader in both stolen bases and runs scored this season.  To date, De La Rosa has 29 stolen bases as well as 49 runs scored this season.  In addition, he has a team-high 32 walks while committing just four miscues in 196 chances.  Burke is leading the Cougars with a .379 batting average with a team-high 66 hits.  Burke, who has 27 stolen bases this season, is one of three Cougars to start every game this season.