Dartmouth Baseball Announces Team Awards and Captain for 2010

HANOVER, N.H. ? The Dartmouth College baseball team gave out its awards last night at the season-ending cookout, plus named the captain for the 2009-10 school year. Junior Nick Santomauro (North Caldwell, N.J.), the Ivy League Player of the Year and Blair Bat Award winner, was the most decorated athlete for the evening, earning the team's Most Valuable Player and Best Offensive Player awards.

Santomauro led the team in five offensive categories, including batting average (.372), hits (61) and doubles (13), and was among the Ivy League's top seven in nine separate categories. Those 61 hits led the league and his 98 total bases ranked second. The 6-4 lefty-swinging right fielder hit .473 in league play, the third highest conference batting average ever at Dartmouth. He was also a unanimous selection for the All-Ivy First Team, making the team for the third time in his career, and an All-New England Second Team pick as well.

The Pitcher of the Year was bestowed upon a freshman, right-hander Kyle Hendricks (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.). The rookie was 6-3 on the season with a 4.84 ERA, plus won each of his five Ivy League starts ? the only pitcher in the conference to do so. He also won the clinching game of the Ivy Championship Series by hurling 7.1 innings of shutout ball while striking out nine against Cornell, sending Dartmouth to its first regional in 22 years. The All-Ivy Second Team member struck out 50 batters to lead the team and rank fifth in the Ivy League.

The team's Rookie of the Year award went to freshman shortstop Joe Sclafani (Palm City, Fla.). The switch-hitter was a first team All-Ivy selection and the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, batting .339 for the season with a league-leading six triples and 50 runs scored. His 162 assists in the field were 37 more than any other player in the conference, and he boasted a .388 batting average in league play. After he was inserted into the lead-off slot in the lineup, Dartmouth posted a 25-7 record.

Senior Ray Allen (Longwood, Fla.) was voted as the team's most improved player. After batting .382 in part-time duty as a freshman, Allen struggled at the plate, hitting .210 during his sophomore and junior seasons combined. But he found his stroke again this year to earn first team All-Ivy honors as the Big Green's designated hitter, batting .335 while leading the team with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .601 slugging percentage. In addition, he was among the Ivy League's top 10 in seven offensive categories.

The James H. Cooke Award, given to the four-year letter-winner who has done the most for Big Green baseball during his career, was given to senior catcher Jack Monahan (Overland Park, Kan.). The starting catcher for most of his career, Monahan was a defensive stalwart and did not commit an error for his last three-plus seasons spanning 576 chances. Limited to just 21 starts this year due to an injury, the co-captain hit .241 with nine RBIs while tying for the team lead with three sacrifice flies.

The final award of the evening was given to senior catcher Kyle Evans (Springfield, Mo.) as the Teammate of the Year. His tireless work ethic came to the forefront this year as he filled in behind the plate following Monahan's injury, and like Monahan, he did not commit an error in 115 chances while gunning down 8-of-17 would-be base stealers. He also chipped in a .243 average with seven RBIs at the plate. But one of his great contributions was his ability to keep his teammates loose with his quick wit and fun-loving nature.

The Dartmouth baseball team will have a single captain for the 2009-10 school year, that being rising senior Robert Young (Cleburne, Texas) as voted by his teammates. This will mark the fourth straight season in which a Young has been a captain of the Big Green baseball squad, as Robert served as co-captain during this season with Monahan, while his older brother, Russell, was a captain the previous two years as well.

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