Chad Salem ’11
Baseball The baseball team enjoyed another memorable campaign as it went over the 30-win plaChrissy Gutenberger teau for the fifth-straight season and qualified for the program’s eighth consecutive MAAC Tournament. Nearly unbeatable at home, the Jaspers won 15 straight games during the season at Van Cortlandt Park and tied for the third-longest streak in NCAA Division I at the time. The 2010 campaign also featured individual highlights as senior Kevin Nieto (.257) shattered the Jaspers’ all-time hits record and head coach Kevin Leighton surpassed the 150-careerwin mark in just five seasons at the helm. Nieto earned All-MAAC honors for the fourth-consecutive season and was joined on the First Team by juniors Mark Onorati and Chad Salem. Seniors Anthony Armenio, Tom Costigan, junior Mike McCann and freshman John Soldinger were named to the All-MAAC Second Team. In addition, the conference tabbed Soldinger the MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year for his superb season out of the Jasper bullpen. The Jaspers gave a preview of what was to come in 2010 when the squad picked up its first win of the season at No. 10 Miami and served the nationally ranked Hurricanes its first loss (12-7) on Feb. 28. The win marked Manhattan’s first over a ranked opponent since 2006, when the Jaspers defeated No. 6 Nebraska and Cornhuskers starter Joba Chamberlain, currently a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, in the NCAA Tournament. Manhattan proceeded to win six of its next seven games, including series victories at Delaware and Big East member West Virginia. Five days later, the Jaspers defeated their second Big East opponent of the year and knocked off Seton Hall, 3-2. The Jaspers saved some of their superb play down the stretch run, as they won 14 of their final 19 contests of the regular season. To qualify for the MAAC Championships, Manhattan was forced to make one of the biggest comebacks in program history as it erased a 12-run deficit in the final game of the regular season to knock off Siena at Van Cortlandt Park in a 19-18 extra inning triumph. The Jaspers carried their late inning heroics into the postseason and used two ninth-inning home runs by Onorati and Nieto to defeat Marist, 6-5, before the season came to a premature end, when they were eliminated the next day by Canisius. Manhattan graduated one of the program’s winningest classes in program history in seniors Armenio, Costigan, Mike Gazzola, Zac Goyer, Tom Moran and Nieto, who compiled 131 wins and two MAAC Regular-Season championships during their four years. Moran and Costigan were also recognized for their hard work in the classroom and were named for the third-straight year to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
farewell to freddy “sez” Manhattan College lost one of the Jaspers’ biggest fans with the passing of longtime supporter Fred “Freddy Sez” Schuman. Schuman died on Oct. 17 at the age of 85. He was known for his homemade signs and frying pan, which he would bang with a spoon to rally the fans. Schuman was a staple at Manhattan College basketball games for many years. He was also a common sight at Yankees games and became a famous figure at Yankee Stadium. Hot Prospect Matt Rizzotti Former Manhattan standout Matt Rizzotti became the second Jasper to be promoted to the Triple A level of minor league baseball last season, as the slugger, who hails from Long Island, finished the 2010 campaign with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Rizzotti, who led all of Double A ball in batting (.361) prior to his promotion, joined former teammate NIck Derba ’07 and advanced to the top tier of minor league baseball. Derba had a stint with Triple A Memphis Redbirds of the St. Louis Cardinals organization in April. Rizzotti completed his season with a .343 batting average, 17 home runs, 36 doubles and 76 RBIs; splitting his 125 games played in all three levels of the minor leagues. He was a sixth-round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.
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