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Clarkson University Athletics

Seven Clarkson Baseball Players Earn Liberty League All-Star Nods, Kane Coach of the Year

By: May 14, 2019
LLAllStarBase2019

Men's Baseball | 5/14/2019 10:06:00 AM

Seven members of the Clarkson University Baseball team, as well as the coaching duo of Jim Kane and Ben Moxley, were picked for Liberty League All-Star honors on Tuesday when the conference office announced the voting decisions of the league's members.

Seniors Brad Pearson and Ryan Riley and sophomore Tommy Bianchi were named as Liberty League First-Team All-Stars, senior Vincent Granuzzo, junior Nate Burns, and sophomore Mike Tito were selected as Liberty League Second-Team All-Stars, and senior Mike Bubniak was chosen as a Liberty League Honorable Mention All-Star.

2019 Liberty League Baseball All-Star Release

Head Coach Jim Kane and assistant Ben Moxley were picked as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. It is the fourth time that Kane has received the honor, and third time in the last six seasons (2014, 2016, 2019). After missing the conference tournament by percentage points in 2018, the Golden Knights came within percentage points of hosting the tournament in 2019 thanks to a 15-7 record in league games. The team ranked second in the league in hitting (.302) and earned run average (4.79) while leading the conference in on-base percentage (.390) and fielding percentage (.968).

Senior Brad Pearson was picked as the Liberty League's top designated hitter. Pearson was forced into the role due to injury before returning to the outfield late in the season, but he still managed to hit at a .371/.430/593 clip for the year. He also stroked 24 extra-base hits, including 20 doubles, tied for 10th in the country. He scored 42 runs and drove in 34 more while striking for 52 hits overall. Seventeen of his 24 extra-base hits and 24 of his 34 runs batted in came in conference games.

Senior Ryan Riley, chosen a Liberty League First-Teamer as a starting pitcher, was the ace of the Clarkson pitching staff, earning a starting nod in every Liberty League conference series. He finished the year with a record of 6-4 overall with four complete games and a 3.49 earned run average. In 59.1 innings he struck out 57 hitters, ranking fourth in the league in innings pitched and third in the conference in strikeouts.

Sophomore Tommy Bianchi, in his first year with the Knights, was picked as a Liberty League First-Team outfielder. Bianchi started hot, cooled off somewhat in the middle of the year, and then was blistering hot down the stretch. He finished with a .362 batting average, good enough for sixth in the conference, with a .449 on-base percentage and .491 slugging percentage. He produced 11 extra-base hits and 42 hits overall while scoring 28 runs. Bianchi ended the year on a 12-game hitting streak which included nine multi-hit games.

Senior Vincent Granuzzo, picked as a Liberty League Second-Team All-Star at first base, ended the year with a .379/.459/.440 batting line with 28 runs batted in. His .379 batting average ranked third in the conference and his .459 on-base percentage was the highest in the Liberty League.

Junior Nate Burns, chosen as the Liberty League Second-Team All-Star team's reliever, was barely edged for the conference's earned run average title on the last day of the Liberty League Tournament, as he closed out the year with a 1.69 ERA, ranking 29th in the country. He was 2-1 with a save in 15 appearances and struck out 54 hitters in 53.1 innings, with his strikeout total ranking fourth in the conference.

Sophomore Michael Tito proved a pesky leadoff man for the Golden Knights, as he was named a Liberty League Second-Team All-Star at third base. Tito finished the year with a .315/.406/.370 batting line with a team-best 19 walks. He also ranked second on the team in runs scored (31) and hits (46) while committing just five errors at third base in more than 100 chances.

Senior Mike Bubniak was selected as a Liberty League Honorable Mention All-Star for his work as a starting pitcher. Bubniak won five games in 14 appearances, which included nine starting nods. He struck out 49 hitters in 51 innings of work. Four of his five wins came in conference play.






 
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Players Mentioned

Mike Bubniak

#18 Mike Bubniak

LHP
5' 11"
Senior
L/L
Nate Burns

#1 Nate Burns

OF/RHP
5' 9"
Junior
R/R
Vincent Granuzzo

#29 Vincent Granuzzo

LHP/IF
6' 1"
Senior
R/L
Brad Pearson

#25 Brad Pearson

C
5' 11"
Senior
L/R
Ryan Riley

#34 Ryan Riley

RHP
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Michael Tito

#2 Michael Tito

IF
5' 7"
Sophomore
R/R
Tommy Bianchi

#23 Tommy Bianchi

OF
5' 10"
Sophomore
L/L

Players Mentioned

Mike Bubniak

#18 Mike Bubniak

5' 11"
Senior
L/L
LHP
Nate Burns

#1 Nate Burns

5' 9"
Junior
R/R
OF/RHP
Vincent Granuzzo

#29 Vincent Granuzzo

6' 1"
Senior
R/L
LHP/IF
Brad Pearson

#25 Brad Pearson

5' 11"
Senior
L/R
C
Ryan Riley

#34 Ryan Riley

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
RHP
Michael Tito

#2 Michael Tito

5' 7"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Tommy Bianchi

#23 Tommy Bianchi

5' 10"
Sophomore
L/L
OF