NEIBA, Team Awards and Captains for Baseball Announced

HANOVER, N.H. — The New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) selected Dartmouth head coach Bob Whalen as its recipient of the Jack Butterfield Award, while sophomore reliever Cole Sulser (Santa Ysabel, Calif.) was named to the NEIBA All-New England Division I Second Team. Sulser was also selected as the Big Green's Pitcher of the Year and Team MVP, while junior Jeff Onstott (Houston, Texas) and sophomore Joe Sclafani (Palm City, Fla.) were chosen as co-captains for the 2010-11 season.

The Jack Butterfield Award is annually bestowed upon a coach who exhibits the integrity and dedication to the game that Coach Butterfield displayed during his long career at the University of Maine. Whalen, who this past weekend guided Dartmouth to its first victory in an NCAA Regional game in 23 years, has been Dartmouth's head coach for the past 21 years, compiling a 403-414-1 (.498) record during his tenure. Under his leadership, the Big Green have won two Ivy titles and six Red Rolfe Division crowns, earned 48 first team All-Ivy and All-EIBL selections, and sent 17 players to the professional ranks. Three of Whalen's players have been named the Ivy Player of the Year, two have been the league's Pitcher of the Year and a league-record six have earned the Ivy Rookie of the Year Award.

The award has special meaning to Whalen, who played and coached at Maine shortly after Butterfield's tenure. As a freshman, Whalen was a teammate and classmate of Butterfield's son, Brian, who went on to a professional playing career in the minor leagues.

Sulser earned the spot on the All-New England Division I Second Team and his team awards as Team MVP and Pitcher of the Year by virtue of posting a perfect 8-0 record with a 3.70 ERA and four saves. The right-hander led the team in appearances with 19 and led the Ivy League in both victories and strikeouts (60), despite making all but two of his outings on the mound in relief. Sulser, an All-Ivy second-teamer as well, held opponents to a .239 average against him in his 58.1 innings of work, the second lowest average in the conference. In his last outing of the year, Sulser pitched five innings of relief against FIU in the NCAA Regional at Coral Gables, Fla., allowing just two runs to pick up the victory.

The Big Green Rookie of the Year and the Best Offensive Player went to one individual as well — freshman catcher Chris O'Dowd (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.). The Ivy League's Co-Rookie of the Year finished the season leading the team in batting (.384), on-base percentage (.480) and slugging (.640) while collecting 48 hits, 12 doubles, six home runs, 26 RBIs and 32 runs. Defensively, O'Dowd did not commit an error in 181 chances behind the dish.

Junior outfielder Sam Bean (Needham, Mass.) was named the team's Most Improved Player. After being stuck behind other outfielders during his first two years, Bean forced his way into the lineup on a regular basis by the end of this past season, finishing the year with a .347 average while playing in 37 of the Big Green's 46 games, starting 23. He got on base at a .422 clip and smacked nine doubles and a pair of triples in 101 at-bats, plus scored 28 runs to rank fourth on the team. Bean also did not commit an error in the field and threw out five base runners to tie for the team lead.

The James H. Cooke Award, given to the four-year letterwinner who has done the most for Big Green baseball during his career, was bestowed upon senior left-hander Robert Young (Cleburne, Texas). A starting pitcher each of his four years, Young set a school record by starting 38 games in his career, tossing 233.2 innings which ranks sixth all-time at Dartmouth. The southpaw posted a 13-18 record, pitching more often than not against the opposition's top moundsman, and struck out 146 batters while walking just 51. Young was also the team captain each of the past two years as Dartmouth won an Ivy League title each of those seasons.

The final award, the Teammate of the Year, was given to sophomore pitcher Max Langford (Fairfax, Va.). Always willing to go the extra mile, not only in his own preparation to compete but also for his teammates, Langford never seems to turn down a request from his coaches and teammates to help out in any capacity. The right-hander was also a vaulable reliever for the Big Green this year, compiling a 5.40 ERA in 13 appearances with one start in which he earned a 14-4 victory against Williams. In eight of his 13 trips to the mound, Langford held the opposition scoreless, including top-ranked Virginia and #11 Miami, the latter in the NCAA Regional.

Finally, Coach Whalen revealed Onstott and Sclafani as the team's captains for the next season. Both have started in the middle infield from their first days on campus, Onstott at second base during his three years and Sclafani at short for his two campaigns. Onstott is a career .312 hitter in 126 games with 26 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 93 runs scored and 84 RBIs. Sclafani was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2009 and twice has earned All-Ivy honors. For his career he is a .332 hitter with 15 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 85 runs scored and 58 RBIs while fielding at a .940 clip.

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