Salute to the champs: Briarcliffe baseball

The Briarcliffe baseball program had some turnover during the offseason, but that didn't stop the squad from coming together at the right time to capture the USCAA Small College World Series on May 18. Briarcliffe marched through its season with a 33-15 mark.

Thomas Butler emerged as one of Briarcliffe's top performers, tossing a four-hitter with two strikeouts and one walk in the team's series-clinching 6-2 win over Southern Virginia in Game 2. Butler was named World Series MVP, and Joe Russo, Chris Ahearn and Joe Solomeno were named to the all-tournament team.

And now, the team:

THOMAS BUTLER:Jr., P/INF (BA .338; 1 HR; .449 OBP): Butler was a jack of all trades for Briarcliffe, acting as a long reliever and spot starter, as well as an excellent hitter. Butler was named USCAA World Series MVP after posting a .444 batting average and .600 OBP. Butler went 2-0 with 1.00 ERA in the postseason, allowing just three earned runs in his last 16 innings. He retired 24 straight batters during one stretch.

ERIC WIENER: So., 2B (BA .301; 30 walks; 40 runs; .424 OBP): Briarcliffe's leadoff hitter, his leadoff triple in the ninth inning of the championship game sparked a three-run frame. He had a hit in five of Briarcliffe's six games in the USCAA WS.

CHRIS MCCABE: So., SS (BA .298; 19 RBIs; .406 OBP): He hit a walk-off single in a USCAA second-round game. McCabe helped stabilize the offense after becoming the regular No. 2 hitter during the season.

JOE SOLOMENO: So., C (BA .331; 2 HRs; 23 RBIs): Solomeno hit .391 in the USCAA championship and was named to the all-tournament team. He caught all three games played on the last day of the championship series.

CHRIS AHEARN: So., OF (BA .276; 22 SB): Ahearn hit .412 with four RBIs and three steals during the USCAA championship, which included the winning run against Robert Morris-Springfield and the winning hit against Spalding University. He was named to the all-tournament team.

JOSEPH RUSSO: Fr, OF (BA .389; 1 HR; 30 RBIs; .493 OBP): Russo's walk-off grand slam carried Briarcliffe into the championship series. The freshman was a 2011 USCAA first-team All-Star. He was named to the World Series all-tournament team and was a USCAA All-American.

KEVIN LICUL: So., 1B (BA .359; 20 RBIs; .488 OBP): He came back from a back injury to go 4-for-8 against top-seeded Southern Virginia in the championship series.

DAVE DARCY: Jr., 3B (BA .328; 22 RBIs; .414 OBP): He made several great defensive plays on a wet field. One of his highlights of the season was a steal of home in a 1-0 victory.

ANTHONY MELE: So., OF (BA .351; 11 doubles; 30 RBIs): He made several great plays in the fog-shrouded finals to keep Briarcliffe in the lead.

SAM BRAVERMAN: Jr., DH (BA .324; 10 doubles; 3 HR; 23 RBIs; .500 OBP): One of Briarcliffe's most consistent offensive players, Braverman had walk-off hits in three games this season.

SEAN GRAHAM: , So. INF: He hit .364 and scored three game-winning runs.

JAMES MARTE: Fr., INF: He had a .667 OBP during the season.

DAVE HOSKIN: Jr., INF: Had two game-winning RBIs this season.

PITCHERS

RICK DOHT: Sr.: He went 7-2, including a no-hitter. Went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings in the World Series.

KURT STETTNER: So.: He went 3-0 with seven saves. He allowed no earned runs in the WS, including the save in the title game against Southern Virginia.

RICH IRELAND: Jr.: Went 4-1 with one save and a 2.79 ERA with two shutouts.

VINNY APRANO: Jr.: He posted a 5-4 mark (3.63 ERA) with a playoff shutout against Spalding.

CHRIS BREZINSKI: Jr.: He went 3-2 with a 4.83 ERA and shut out Penn State-Greater Allegheny.

DAN HARTY: Jr.: He went 1-1 with a save and allowed one run in his last five appearances.

RICH BURGOS: Jr: He finished the season 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA.

RALPH PEREZ: Jr. P/1B: He hit .333 during the regular season.

COACHES

HEAD COACH ED JUSINO: He took over after coaching the Briarcliffe softball team the previous four years, leading the squad to playoff appearances in each season. He has been coaching baseball and softball concurrently for the past 26 years.

DAVID LOHMAN: A Hofstra graduate, his expertise as a hitting coach helped take Briarcliffe's offense to a new level.

JOHN PARINELLO: With the help of Parinello, Briarcliffe posted a regular-season ERA of 4.27 and a championship ERA of 1.96.