Baseball team gets their national championship rings
(REDMEN SHOW OFF THEIR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS. PHOTO BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ)
MONTREAL - The final chapter of a national championship won last fall by the McGill University men's baseball team has been written with the awarding of commemorative rings at a ceremony hosted by school officials in Tomlinson Hall at the McGill Sports Centre.
"The rings are stunning, we couldn't be happier with them," said Casey Auerbach, a first baseman and one of the team's co-captains, from Westmount, Que. "We're so proud of our national championship and putting on our rings brought back memories of the final game in Windsor. They are something we'll cherish for the rest of our lives. Receiving them was the perfect way to cap off a dream season."
The Redmen, who ended up with a 20-7 overall record, had entered the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association tournament as underdogs after losing the CIBA North Division championship series to Concordia. But McGill earned a wild-card berth to Nationals and backed by the masterful pitching arm of ace Daniel Kost-Stephenson, the Redmen won four of six games played over three days to earn their second-ever national title.
Third baseman Chan Arndt registered three hits and collected three runs batted in as McGill rallied for a wild 12-9 victory over the Brock University Badgers in the final, played at Mic Mac Field in Windsor, Ont., Oct. 24. Arndt, a native of Yarmouth, Maine, was named tournament MVP, going 12-for-21 (.571) with one walk, eight RBIs, four runs scored and a pair of doubles.
Designated-hitter Josh Gordon, a mechanical engineering sophomore from Dollard des Ormeaux, Que., also posted solid numbers and earned all-tournament honours. He went 7-for-18 at the plate, with a pair of walks, six RBIs and four runs scored.
Kost-Stephenson, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering freshman from Westmount, Que., was named as the CIBA's most outstanding pitcher for the 2010 season. Known as "Dr. K", the 5-foot-9, 160-pounder posted a 2-0 record in four starts, registering a 0.95 earned-run average. He scattered 12 hits over 22 innings of work, striking out 14, walking seven, hitting one batter and allowing only three earned runs.
Joining them on the lineup card in the final game was shortstop Alexander Day, left-fielder Ted Davis, second baseman Max Tierno, catcher Justin Cloutier, outfielder Steven Warsh, centerfielder Adam Gordon and right-fielder Robert Garven, in addition to starting pitcher David Haberman, plus relievers Daniel Porter and L.J. Aguinaga.
Other members of the championship team included Mark Byer, Anthony Carbone, Alex Chouinard, Brian Cook, David Freiman, Jacob Gallinger, Chris Haddad, Conrad Hall, Mike Kolodny, Noah Leszcz and Jonathan Rosenbluth.
Expected losses to graduation include Cloutier, Day, Carbone, Lezscz and Gallinger.
"These are truly an amazing bunch of young men," said Ernie D'Alessandro, in his 15th season as head coach and field manager of the Redmen. "They fought through adversity and rose up above everything to win. I am so proud of them."
Joining D'Alessandro on the coaching staff was general manager Joe McKenzie, Jason Starr (infield), Carey Ashton (bench), Terry Doucet (pitching), David Goldberg (hitting), Jan Sauvé-Frenkel (first-base) and Joel Ross (bullpen).
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
McGill Athletics & Recreation
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m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)