5/9/2008
SUNY Cortland sophomore pitcher Matt Tone (Rochester/Irondequoit) has been selected as the State University of New York Athletic Conference's (SUNYAC) Don Axtell Pitcher of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches. Tone is one of seven Cortland players to earn all-league honors, while Red Dragon ninth-year head coach Joe Brown was named the 2008 SUNYAC Walter Nitardy Coach of the Year.
Joining Tone on the all-league first team are senior catcher Mike Zaccardo (Rochester/Irondequoit), senior first baseman Nick DeVito (Hingham, MA) and senior shortstop Matt Vitalone (Rome/Rome Free Academy). Junior outfielders Adam Dimino (Lima/Honeoye Falls-Lima) and Khyle Dimino (Lima/Brighton) and freshman pitcher Travis Ratliff (Levittown/Division Avenue) were second-team honorees.
Tone posted a 3-0 record and 1.69 ERA in three starts during SUNYAC play. One of his victories was a nine-inning no-hitter at Oswego. He allowed only 12 hits and four runs and struck out 28 batters in 21 and one-third innings versus league foes.
Zaccardo batted .349 with seven walks, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored in 13 league games. He did not commit an error during that stretch. Zaccardo was the SUNYAC Player of the Year in 2007.
DeVito was Cortland's top hitter during league play with a .459 average in 12 games. He recorded three doubles, a homer and 11 RBI, posted a team-best .622 slugging percentage and did not make an error in 40 fielding chances.
Vitalone earned first-team all-league honors for the second straight year. In 13 league games, he batted .382 wit a homer, three doubles and a team-high 15 RBI.
Adam Dimino batted .435 in seven league appearances. He drove in seven runs, scored eight times and stole five bases in seven attempts.
Khyle Dimino appeared in 10 league games, batting .421 with four RBI and 11 runs scored. He led the Red Dragons in SUNYAC play with 10 stolen bases and a .542 on-base percentage.
Ratliff pitched 25 innings in SUNYAC play, the most of any Red Dragon. He went 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 18 strikeouts in four starts.
Brown was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year for the second straight year and the fourth time overall, all since 2004. He led Cortland to a 14-0 record during the SUNYAC regular-season – its first perfect league mark since 2002 – and its fourth straight league postseason title. Brown brings an overall record of 327-86-1 (.791) into this year's NCAA tournament.