May 11, 2005
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Five Lafayette players have been named to the All-Patriot League baseball teams it was announced on Wednesday afternoon by the Patriot League Office.
Sophomores James Conrad (Columbia, Md./Atholton) and John Fugett (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Select) achieved first-team honors. Conrad batted a team best .376, splitting time between centerfield and later designated hitter after an arm injury took him out of the field. He led the team in hits (62), runs scored (39), stolen bases (17) and on-base percentage (.444). The Mathematics major batted .423 for the season as the DH while spending his entire season as the team's lead-off hitter.
Fugett was the go-to man out of the bullpen for head coach Joe Kinney. He made a team-high 18 appearances in relief for the Leopards, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 2.86 ERA. He allowed 12 runs in 34.2 innings, and was especially dominant in Patriot League play. Fugett, a History major, made seven league appearances and sported a 0.71 ERA on his way to a 1-0 record.
Three Leopards notched places on the All-Patriot League second team. Senior captain Adam Bucci (Trumbull, Conn./St. Luke's) earned Patriot League honors for the third time in his career. The Government & Law major was a first-team selection as a freshman and a second-team honoree as a sophomore, primarily playing DH. Bucci spent his last two seasons at first base, ending his collegiate career as Lafayette's all-time leader in games played (173). In 2004, Bucci started all 44 games and finished right on the .300 mark. Bucci leaves the program eighth in career home runs (16) and RBI (112), seventh in career hits (176) and holds a .312 career batting average.
The left side of the Lafayette infield was also well-represented. Sophomore third baseman Frank Cortazar (Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades) was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team, one season after his rookie campaign netted first-team honors at the DH spot. Cortazar, a Biochemistry major, batted at a .310 clip as a sophomore.
Ian Law (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) had a breakout season for the Maroon & White at shortstop. Law batted .369 and led the team in RBI (32) after making the pressure-filled move from third base to shortstop. The Economics and Business major batted his way to a .570 slugging percentage, starting 38 of 39 games he played. He also produced in Patriot League games, hitting .397 with a .621 slugging percentage.
The Leopards' five selections were the second most in the Patriot League behind Army which registered 11 all-conference spots. Under Kinney's tutelage, Lafayette has had 27 All-Patriot League selections in his six seasons, including two Patriot League Player of the Year Award winners.
Lafayette finished the year 18-26 overall and 6-10 in Patriot League play. The Leopards ended fourth in the league standings and potentially could have finished as high as a tie for third place had they been able to play a four-game conference series with Holy Cross.
Army swept the annual league awards, as sophomore shortstop Kyle Scogin was named Player of the Year, Nick Hill Pitcher of the Year, Cole White Rookie of the Year and Joe Sottolano Coach of the Year.
