University of Delaware First Baseman Steve Ulaky Named a 2011 ECAC Second Team All-Star
August 19, 2011
File Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell_lg.jpg)
CENTERVILLE, Mass. -- Already named a first team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in May for his performance as a senior, University of Delaware first baseman Steve Ulaky was selected to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I second team All-East squad, the league announced Thursday.
The team was selected from a vote of the ECAC Division I head coaches. The ECAC is the largest conference in the United States with 312 member schools in NCAA Divisions I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina.
Ulaky (above right) helped lead the Blue Hens to a 27-26 overall record and a tie for fifth place in the CAA with a 16-14 mark. Delaware was sitting atop the conference standings with three weeks remaining in the regular season but saw its playoff hopes fall by the wayside during its bye week on the final weekend of play.
Ulaky led the team in all offensive power categories while playing in all 53 games at first base. He had a team high 78 hits, 14 home runs, 54 runs batted in, 140 total bases, and a .609 slugging percentage in 230 at-bats. He also was second on the team with a .339 batting average.
The Silver Spring, Md. (Good Counsel High School) native was second in the CAA in total bases, third in home runs, and fourth in RBI and slugging percentage. He was also sixth in the conference in hits and tied for seventh with 18 doubles on the year. In CAA games only, Ulaky paced the team with a .350 batting average while driving in 29 runs with seven home runs.
The fifth-year senior also etched his name in the record books by hitting three home runs in a single contest, doing so this season at Delaware State on March 22. Two of those home runs came in the eighth inning, tying another Delaware and an NCAA record in the process. He became the third player in UD history to hit two in the same inning, joining Matt Schmidt and Andrew Salvo. He was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week and the National 5 & 10 Best of the Blue Hens Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
Ulaky ends his career as a .358 hitter in 466 at bats. He collected 167 career hits in 129 games as a two-year starter and four-year regular. He also hit 40 career doubles and 22 home runs while knocking in an even 100 RBI.
The CAA was well represented on the first and second ECAC teams led by James Madison catcher Jake Lowery, who was named to the 2011 ECAC Division I Player of the Year.
Joining Ulaky on the second team were fellow CAA members Danny Poma of Hofstra and VCU’s Taylor Perkins.
The BIG EAST led all conferences with eight members on the first and second teams. The CAA was represented the second most, totaling four members on either the first or second teams.
The ACC only recorded three players to both squads, but dominated the major awards. Virginia junior right-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen was selected as the ECAC Pitcher of the Year while his coach, Brian O’Connor, was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to the NCAA Semifinals.
AGATE:
2011 ECAC Division I Baseball All-Stars
First Team:
1B – David Chester, Sr., Pittsburgh (BIG EAST); 2B – Dan Paolini, Sr., Siena (MAAC); SS – Joe Panik, Jr., St. John’s (BIG EAST); 3B – Steven Proscia, Jr., Virginia (ACC); C – Jake Lowery, Jr., James Madison (CAA); DH – William Carmona, So., Stony Brook (America East); OF – George Springer, Jr., Connecticut (BIG EAST); OF – Brendon Kelliher, Sr., George Washington (A-10); OF – Jeremy Baltz, So., St. John’s (BIG EAST); Util – Ricky Pacione, Sr., Marist (MAAC); Pitcher – Danny Hultzen, Jr., Virginia (ACC); Pitcher – Nick Tropeano, Jr., Stony Brook (America East)
Second Team:
1B – Steve Ulaky, Sr., Delaware (CAA); 2B – Ryan Terry, Sr., Monmouth (NEC); SS – Sean Jamieson, Sr., Canisius (MEAC); 3B – Matt Gedman, Sr., UMass (A-10); C – Kevan Smith, Sr., Pittsburgh (BIG EAST); DH – Jeremy Gum, Sr., West Virginia (BIG EAST); OF – David Coleman, Sr., Virginia (ACC); OF – Danny Poma, Jr., Hofstra (CAA); OF – Dario Pizzano, So., Columbia (Ivy League); Util. – Taylor Perkins, Jr., VCU (CAA); Pitcher – Matt Barnes, Jr., Connecticut (BIG EAST); Pitcher – Joe DiRocco, Sr., Seton Hall (BIG EAST)
Player of the Year: Jake Lowery, C, Jr., James Madison (CAA)
Pitcher of the Year: Danny Hultzen, Jr., Virginia (ACC)
Rookie of the Year: Brandon McNitt, RHP, Stony Brook (America East)
Coach of the Year: Brian O’Connor, Virginia (ACC)
