Baseball (26-16)After missing the Division III play-offs last year, for the first time in the history of the tournament, the Bombers quickly reasserted themselves into the postseason picture. Ithaca earned a berth in the NCAA New York region play-offs before finishing the campaign with a 26-16 overall record. The Bombers went right to work in 1997, claiming the opener over St. Norbert, 11-1, and presenting Coach George Valesente '66, M.S. '75, with his 500th Ithaca victory, all in the same afternoon. Junior left fielder Andy Cuykendall emerged as an offensive force, hitting a squad-leading .401 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs. Sophomore right fielder Mike O'Donovan and junior center fielder Jason DeLand contributed plate marks of .356 and .346, respec-tively. DeLand led the team with 40 RBIs and had 18 stolen bases to rank second behind junior second baseman Chris Snover's 27 thefts. Junior left-hander Ben Maslona paced the pitching staff with a 7-4 record and 2.28 earned-run average in 15 appearances, including 11 as a starter. Sophomore Bryan Gaal became the bull pen stopper and responded with a 3-2 record, three saves, and a 2.61 ERA. Senior Chris Francis closed out his career with an unblemished 5-0 record and a 2.66 ERA, and junior Ian Stringer was 5-4 with a 2.77 ERA. Cuykendall was a first-team all-region selection. DeLand and Francis earned second-team slots, and Gaal and Maslona were third-team picks. |