Marcinczyk Named All-Big Ten Third Team
May 19 | Baseball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Sophomore Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) of the Rutgers baseball team has earned the recognition of All-Big Ten Third Team, the conference office announced today. Senior Joe D'Annunzio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) was additionally acknowledged by the league as a sportsmanship award honoree.
"For our first year in the Big Ten and finding out what it is about, there were a lot of great hitters," head coach Joe Litterio said. "Tom was one of those hitters who put up numbers and it is great to see him recognized. It is very deserving."
Marcinczyk had a breakout season in 2015 by leading the Scarlet Knights with a .325 overall batting average, a .337 Big Ten batting average, a .409 on-base percentage, a .507 slugging percentage (11th in Big Ten), 66 hits, 103 total bases (tied 11th), seven home runs (tied ninth), 36 RBIs and 25 walks. The outfielder had 20 multiple-hit games and capped his year by picking up two RBIs in each of the three games in the series win over No. 13 Iowa.
Having completed his fifth season in the program, D'Annunzio was picked as the sportsmanship award honoree. The merit is given to individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. D'Annunzio tied for the nation's lead with nine triples this season, including five in Big Ten games. Playing both first base and in the outfield, the veteran appeared in 175 games in his career as a Scarlet Knight.
"Joe is a perfect candidate for the sportsmanship award," Litterio said. "He was a player who gave it his all at practice, games and in the classroom. He will be missed."
The All-Big Ten selections were tabulated after a vote of the league's 13 head coaches. It is the third different conference in as many seasons Rutgers has had a player honored. Click here for the full release.
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