Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. – Seniors Carlos Alonso, Ryan Cuneo (at right), and Brian Rorick have been selected to serve as tri-captains of the University of Delaware baseball team for the 2010 season, head coach Jim Sherman announced today.

It marks just the second time in the past 10 years that the team has used tri-captains.

Alonso, a native of Los Gatos, Calif., is entering his second season with the Blue Hens after transferring from Santa Barbara City College. During his inaugural campaign in Newark, the slick-fielding third baseman made an immediate impact on the program.

A starter in every game during the season, he earned second-team All-Conference honors after leading Delaware with a .380 batting average, 59 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases. The team’s leadoff hitter throughout the season, he also ranked fifth in the CAA with 20 doubles, sixth with a .480 on-base percentage, and eighth with 78 hits.

Throughout the year, he reached base safely in each of the team’s 48 games. With that streak, he became the first Blue Hen in program history to record either a hit or walk in every game during an entire campaign.

Cuneo, a native of Freehold, N.J., also had a nice season at the plate for the Blue Hens, serving as the No. 2 hitter throughout the year. A preseason All-Conference selection, he went on to start all 48 games for Delaware.

As a junior, Cuneo posted a .285 batting average and finished tied for second in the CAA with 17 home runs. The left-handed slugger also ripped a team-high 56 RBI and tied a single-game program record with three home runs in a 27-2 victory over Hofstra on April 10.

During his four-year career, he has appeared in 119 games with 99 starts. Over that time, the Blue Hen first baseman has hit .305 with 24 home runs and 108 RBI. He has also scored 82 runs and recorded 27 doubles.

Rorick, who hails from Trooper, Pa., had a breakout season as a junior in 2008. Last year, he led the CAA with 91 innings pitched. A power pitcher, he also stood atop the conference with 95 strikeouts and ranked second with five successful pickoff attempts.

During the season, he earned CAA Pitcher of the Week honors on May 18 and was selected as the UD Pitcher of the Year. His performance at the end of the regular season helped vault the Hens into the playoffs after he tossed three consecutive complete games, including an incredible 13-strikeout performance against VCU to kick off the final conference series of the year.

In two seasons toeing the rubber for the Hens, Rorick has appeared in 26 games with 22 starts. Over that time, he has posted six wins, three complete games, and 131 strikeouts while compiling a 5.30 ERA in 134 innings of work.

The three senior standouts will be called upon to lead a Blue Hen team that is coming off a successful 2008 campaign. Last season, the squad posted a 28-20 record and advanced to the third day of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship.