24 May 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A total of seven players from the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team are represented on the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin's all-league baseball squads, including four on the first team.
On the first team from the league champion Titans are junior third baseman Mick Curran, sophomore outfielder Cory Lapinski, sophomore shortstop Pat Cinquegrani, and sophomore rightfielder Nick Chilczenkowski.
Senior righthander Rob Blumberg was a second team selection along with sophomore first baseman Brian McCabe and sophomore leftfielder Joe Howard.
Dennis Martel, who led IWU to a 16-5 record in the CCIW and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament for the second time in four seasons, was chosen as the league’s “Coach of the Year.”
Curran (Orland Park, Sandburg HS), who was a first team all-conference selection as a freshman in 2002, was second in the league with a .432 batting average and with 35 hits and was fourth with 53 total bases.
Lapinski (Niles, Maine East HS), a second team selection as a freshman, hit .388 in league play and was sixth in the conference. He was third in hits (33), tied for third in runs scored (22) and runs batted in (23), tied for the league lead with two triples and tied for second in home runs (five) and with 58 total bases.
Cinquegrani (Barrington, Palatine Fremd HS) hit .368 and stole five bases in 21 CCIW games.
Chilczenkowski (LaFox, Geneva HS) batted .365 with five doubles and two homers.
Blumberg (Freeburg HS) was 4-0 against the league with an earned run average of 3.25, fourth best in the CCIW.
McCabe (Cary, Cary-Grove HS) had five home runs, five doubles and batted .286 against CCIW opponents. He tied for third in the conference with 23 runs batted in.
Howard (Downers Grove, Montini HS) hit .319 in 21 league games with eight doubles and two homers.
