Blue
Hen Catcher Brian Valichka Named to ABCA
All-East Region First
Team
 DATE:
July 2, 2004
WEST
LONG BRANCH, NJ -- University of
Delaware sophomore catcher Brian
Valichka has been named to the
American Baseball Coaches Association
All-East Region first team, the ABCA has
announced.
Valichka
(pronounced vuh-lick-uh), a sport
management major from Frederick, MD
(Urbana High School), was the lone Blue
Hen player honored on the two teams. The
teams, sponsored by Rawlings, were
selected from a committee of head coaches
from the ABCA East Region, which includes
NCAA Division I schools from New Jersey to
North Carolina.
Valichka,
who also earned first team All-Colonial
Athletic Association honors and was
selected to the CAA All-Tournament team
this past season, led the Blue Hens to a
33-24 record during the 2004 season. The
Blue Hens, led by head coach Jim
Sherman, placed sixth in the CAA
regular season standings with a 12-11 but
saved its best play for late in the
season.
Delaware
opened the CAA Tournament by downing top
seed George Mason and later upended host
and eventual champion UNC Wilmington to
advance to the championship round. The
Hens needed to win just one game on the
final day but were swept by UNC Wilmington
and fell short of an NCAA Tournament
bid.
One of the
CAA's top defensive players, Valichka
showed vast improvement at the plate
during the 2004 campaign. After hitting
just .168 with no home runs and 12 runs
batted in during his first season at
Delaware in 2003, he easily surpassed
those totals this spring. He played in 52
games with 50 starts and ranked second on
the team with a .362 batting average. He
scored 42 runs, collected 68 hits, 17
doubles, three triples, and seven home
runs, and added 27 RBI. He also stole
eight bases, committed just two errors in
356 chances in the field for a .995
fielding percentage, and threw out 23 of
62 base-stealers.
Valichka
enjoyed an outstanding CAA Tournament as
he hit safely in four of the five games,
collecting 10 hits in 21 at bats for a
.476 average, scored six runs, and knocked
in two other runs to lead the Blue Hens.
An honor
student, Valichka was nominated this
spring for the Verizon/College Sports
Information Directors of America Academic
All-America team and for the CAA
Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.
East
Carolina, which was ranked as high as No.
5 in the national polls during the season
and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and
William & Mary each placed three
players on the first team to highlight the
selections.
AGATE:
American
Baseball Coaches Association All-East
Region Team:
1st
Team: P - Gregg Bunn (East Carolina),
Stacen Gant (George Mason), Shawn Phillips
(Delaware State), Bill Bray (William &
Mary); C - Brian Valichka (Delaware); 1B -
Chris Looze (William & Mary), 2B -
Trevor Lawhorn (East Carolina), SS - Jeff
Palumbo (George Mason); 3B - Anthony
Granato (Virginia Commonwealth); OF - Mike
Butia (James Madison), Jeffrey Frazier
(Rutgers), Chris Rahl (William &
Mary); DH - Ryan Jones (East
Carolina).
2nd
Team: P - Ronald Hill (UNC
Wilmington), Justin Orenduff (Virginia
Commonwealth), Justin Verlander (Old
Dominion), Blake Cross (UNC Wilmington); C
- Michael Lombardi (Georgetown); 1B - Jim
Fasano (Richmond), Ryan Norwood (East
Carolina); 2B - Graig Badger (Rutgers); SS
- Aaron Smith (UNC Wilmington); 3B - Nick
Shimer (George Mason); OF - Chip Grawey
(UNC Wilmington), Adam Innerst (George
Mason), Scott Rich (Rider); DH - PJ Hiser
(Pittsburgh).
- DDD
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