TOWSON, Md. – Senior catcher Andrew Parker and junior designated hitter Kurt Wertz of Towson University have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-East first team, it has been announced by the ABCA.
In addition, junior rightfielder Dominic Fratantuono was named second team All-East.
Parker and Wertz are candidates for the ABCA All-American team which will be announced at the NCAA Division I College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Parker, Wertz and Fratantuono played key roles while leading the Tigers to their first CAA championship last month. They guided Towson to its first NCAA regional appearance since 1991. At the Chapel Hill regional, the Tigers beat No. 23 Florida Atlantic in the first round before losing to No. 1 North Carolina. In an elimination game, FAU edged the Tigers, 6-5.
A three-year starter at catcher for the Tigers, Parker was honored as the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. He finished the season with a .989 fielding percentage and threw out 26 of 54 base runners trying to steal against him.
A second team All-CAA selection for the second time in his career, Parker batted .269 with a .436 on-base percentage. He scored 43 runs in 56 games and had 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 39 runs batted in. He earned all-tournament honors at the CAA Championship by batting .538 with three doubles, two home runs and six runs batted in. Parker also had a .632 on-base percentage in the tournament. At the NCAA regional tournament, he led the Tigers to their 7-2 win over Florida Atlantic with a monstrous three-run homer in the sixth inning.
Parker finished his career with a .261 batting average, 105 runs scored, 49 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs and 118 runs batted in.
A third team All-America selection at designated hitter, Wertz played in 57 games for the Tigers and batted .338. The Tigers' second-leading hitter, he led the team with 13 home runs and 65 runs batted in. His 65 RBI's led the CAA and represented the fourth-highest single season total in school history. He was named first team All-CAA at designated hitter for Coach Mike Gottlieb.
Wertz, who scored 43 runs, also had 14 doubles and seven triples. He ranked second in the CAA in triples and his 142 total bases placed him third in the league. Wertz was also fourth in the CAA with a .640 slugging percentage.
A two-time selection as the CAA Player of the Week, he was the Tigers' leading hitter in CAA games. In 27 CAA games, he batted .370 with nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 37 RBI's.
After leading Towson to the number four seed in the CAA Tournament, he helped the Tigers win their first CAA championship as Towson beat Northeastern, top-seeded North Carolina Wilmington and No. 28 William & Mary twice. He earned a berth on the CAA's all-tournament team by batting .417 with two homers and six RBI's. In the Tigers' 5-2 win over William & Mary in the CAA championship game, he had two hits and drove in three runs. In the first inning, his solo homer gave Towson a 1-0 lead. With the Tigers clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning, his two-run triple upped their lead to 5-2 as they won the title.
A third team All-CAA selection, Fratantuono was the Tigers' leading hitter with a .342 batting average. The only Tiger to play in all 60 games, he led the team with 79 base hits and tied for the team lead with 17 doubles. He also had five triples with eight home runs and 53 runs batted in. He was second on the team and fifth in the CAA with 53 RBI's. He also tied for the team lead with 15 stolen bases.
An all-tournament selection at the CAA Championship, Fratantuono led the Tigers to their four-game sweep by batting a team-leading .600. He had six runs scored with a double, a triple, two home runs and seven runs batted in. He also had a .684 on-base percentage at the CAA Tournament. Fratantuono was honored as the CAA Player of the Week twice.
The CAA champion Tigers finished the season with a 30-30 record.
Pittsburgh led all schools with four selections to the East All-Region Team. The Panthers had three members of the first team and one player on the second team. Towson, William & Mary, UNC Wilmington and Delaware each had three players honored. Towson, Delaware and UNC Wilmington each placed two representatives on the first team.
2013 RAWLINGS/ABCA NCAA Division I EAST ALL-REGION TEAMS
First Team
RHP John Farrell Sr. William & Mary
RHP Ethan Mildren Jr. Pittsburgh
LHP Harrison Musgrave So. West Virginia
Relief Pat Christensen Sr. LaSalle
C Andrew Parker Sr. Towson
C Elvin Soto So. Pittsburgh
1B Jimmy Yezzo Jr. Delaware
2B Michael Bass Sr. UNC Wilmington
SS Giuseppe Papaccio Sr. Seton Hall
3B Ryan LaGrange Sr. UNC Wilmington
OF Nick Ferdinand Sr. Delaware
OF Casey Roche Jr. Pittsburgh
OF Ben Verlander Jr. Old Dominion
DH Kurt Wertz Jr. Towson
Second Team
LHP Mat Batts Jr. UNC Wilmington
RHP Chad Kuhl Jr. Delaware
LHP Andrew McGee Jr. Monmouth
RHP Kurt Sowa So. Rider
Relief Matt Lees So. Virginia Commonwealth
C Matt Resitetter Sr. Hofstra
1B Michael Katz So. William & Mary
2B Ryan Lindemuth Jr. William & Mary
SS Tyler Sciacca Sr. Villanova
3B Sam Parente Sr. Pittsburgh
OF Mike Alexander Jr. Delaware State
OF Chad Carroll So. James Madison
OF Dominic Fratantuono Jr. Towson
OF Zack Granite Jr. Seton Hall
DH Jacob Mayers Sr. Richmond
