NJAC Baseball All-Conference Team

PITMAN, NJ – Rowan University had six baseball players named to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) All-Conference team.  Catcher Stephen Petriello was selected the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

Petriello (fr. South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) was joined on the NJAC All-Conference first team by outfielder Nick Kreiger (so. Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) and designated hitter Casey Grimes (so. Gibbstown, NJ/Paulsboro).  The All-Conference second team included pitcher Steven Melchiorre (sr. Atco, NJ/Hammonton) and third baseman Kevin McMenamin (so. Maple Shade, NJ/Maple Shade).  Pitcher Ryan Easterday (so. Westmont, NJ/Haddon Twp.) was an All-Conference honorable mention selection.

Petriello has a .360 batting average with 18 RBIs, 12 runs scored and seven doubles.  In the conference games only stats, he was second in batting average (.412), tied second for on-base percentage (.500) and sixth in slugging percentage (.549).  Petriello was named the NJAC Rookie of the Week two times during the season.  Kreiger leads the team with a .372 batting average with 51 hits in 137 at bats.  He has totaled 32 runs scored and 20 RBIs.  In the NJAC games, he was the leader in hits (29), third in batting average (.403) and fourth in on-base percentage (.469).

Grimes is hitting .327 with 31 RBIs and 26 runs scored.  He recorded seven home runs and six doubles.  In the overall conference statistics, Grimes is second in home runs (7), third in slugging percentage (.602), tied sixth in RBIs (31) and 15th in on-base percentage (.415).  He was tied first in home run (4) and second in slugging percentage (.651) in the NJAC games only stats.  Grimes was selected the NJAC Player of the Week one time.

Melchiorre has a 6-3 pitching record with a 1.85 earned run average (ERA).  In 68 innings, he has struck out 67 batters and held the opponents to a .205 batting average.  Melchiorre was first in the conference only games in strikeouts (41) and sixth in inning pitched (37.2) and in ERA (1.43).  In the overall statistics, he ranks second in strikeouts (67), fourth in innings pitched (68), tied fifth in wins (6) and seventh in ERA (1.85). 

McMenamin is third on the team with a .335 batting average.  He has 24 runs scored and 19 RBIs.  He has produced nine doubles, one triple and two home runs.  In the NJAC overall statistics, McMenamin is tied sixth in hits (54) and tied 10th in total bases (71).  He is 20th in batting average (.335).  In 2012, McMenamin was chosen the NJAC Rookie of the Year.  Easterday has 5-2 record on the mound and a 3.78 ERA.  In 50 innings, he has totaled 44 strikeouts and has an opposing batting average of .263.  Easterday was tied for fourth in wins (3) in conference only games.  

Rowan has a 29-12 overall record and is the third seed in the NJAC Championship Tournament.