Baseball Players Named to All-SUNYAC Squad

BROCKPORT, NY (05/11/2011)(readMedia)-- The College at Brockport's baseball team cleaned up on the year-ending All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) team as the Golden Eagles had the Coach of the Year, the Rookie of the Year as well as a pair of players named to both the first- and second-teams. 

After guiding Brockport (27-12 overall, 13-5 SUNYAC) to the SUNYAC championship series and a second-place finish in the regular season, fourth-year head coach Justin Beach was named the Walter Nitardy Coach of the Year. He becomes the fourth Golden Eagle head baseball coach to earn the honor, and the first since Mark Rowland in 2000.

"It's a great honor to receive Coach of the Year, and it's also very humbling, especially considering all the great coaches in our conference," Beach said.

"Although any success the Brockport baseball program has is a direct result of the hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence of our players (current and former) and assistant coaching staff. This program is very lucky to have great assistant coaches/people around to help us accomplish our goals."

Freshman Kyle Tracy (Plainview, NY/Bethpage) became the fourth Golden Eagle in 10 years to win the SUNYAC's Clark V. Whited Rookie of the Year award. Tracy, an outfielder, finished the season with a .341 batting average (28-for-82), the second-highest mark among starters. Tracy's success included hitting batting .455 (20-for-44) over 14 games from April 3-May 1 to raise his average to a then team-high .413. Tracy hit one home run and drove in 11 runs while smacking six doubles and slugging .451, the second-best mark on Brockport. 

Tracy becomes Brockport's first Rookie of the Year recipient since current assistant coach Jason Shannon in 2006.

"We are very proud of Kyle Tracy for receiving the Rookie of the Year award," Beach said of Tracy. "This couldn't go to a better kid with a tremendous work ethic."

Brockport also had a pair of first-team All-SUNYAC selections in senior Max Keado (Troy, NY/Catholic Central) and sophomore Mike Weakley (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool). 

Keado, Brockport's centerfielder, batted .313 (46-for-147) while leading the team in hits (46), at-bats (147), triples (2) and total bases (56). Keado went 10-for-15 on stolen base attempts and made only one error while playing in 38 games. His .987 fielding percentage was tied for best on the team. This is Keado's second straight year earning first-team All-SUNYAC honors. 

Weakley was selected first-team at third base after batting .299 (41-for-137) with seven doubles, one home run, a team-leading 14 stolen bases and 28 RBI, the second-highest total on the team. Weakley's 41 hits also were second-most on Brockport while his 51 total bases were third on the team. Weakley was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference's (ECAC) Upstate Player of the Week for the week ending April 10 after he batted .421 (8-for-19) with 10 RBI as Brockport went 5-0 on the week. Included in that hot stretch was a two-run home run during Brockport's 9-4 win over Fredonia on April 7. It was Weakley's second career round-tripper. 

Senior Kyle Smith (Sanborn, NY/Niagara Wheatfield) and sophomore Jake Coleman (Hilton, NY/Hilton) each earned second-team All-SUNYAC honors. 

Smith compiled an 8-1 record, the second-most wins in a single season, and shattered the school's strikeout record by fanning 73 batters in 75 innings of work. The 75 innings pitched in 2011 is tied for fourth-highest in a single season in school history. Smith sported a 2.28 earned-run average with five complete games and one shutout. Over his two-year career, Smith's 11 career wins are tied for seventh-most in school history, while his 126 career strikeouts rank fourth all-time. Smith was honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as an Honorable Mention selection to the National Players of the Week for the week ending May 1. 

Coleman was a catalyst for a Brockport offense that averaged 5.9 runs per game in outscoring the opposition 229-144. Coleman batted a team-leading .360 (40-for-111) with four doubles and 12 RBI while swiping 14 bases in 16 attempts. Coleman led Brockport in runs scored (33), walks (23) and on-base percentage (.489). During the SUNYAC tournament, Coleman hit .364 (8-for-22), including a 3-for-5 game with a career-high five RBI as Brockport staved off elimination and defeated New Paltz 9-8 before falling in the SUNYAC championship series to Cortland. 

Earlier in the year, Coleman had a 13-game hitting streak from April 3-May 1, during which he batted .432 (19-for-44).

"Max, Mike, Kyle and Jake have been a big part of our team all year long, and it's great to see these guys receive this award," Beach said. "For Jake, being on the All-SUNYAC team is an understatement for how important he has been to our team's success. ... Mike and Max have played hard all year long and have come through for us in the clutch. Kyle Smith has been our MVP all year, pitching all the big games while giving us a chance to win each and every one of his starts."

The selection of the All-SUNYAC teams is based on the votes of the conference head coaches, and only statistics from conference games are considered.