May 21, 2007
Mastroianni, Archuleta earn top regional honors,
Slade joins Mastroianni on All-Region first team
Rawlings/ABCA All-North Central Region Teams
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana baseball Head Coach Tracy Archuleta and junior second baseman Darin Mastroianni (Huntersville, North Carolina) were named the Rawlings/ABCA North Central Region Coach and Player of the Year. Mastroianni, along with senior rightfielder Hunter Slade (Newburgh, Indiana), was named to the All-North Central Region first team.
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Tracy Archuleta |
Archuleta, who took over a team that was 18-33 in 2006, has led the Screaming Eagles to a 41-21 record and the school's first NCAA II North Central Region title. The 41 victories match the program's record for wins in a single season—the Eagles were 41-12 in 1993—and are the most by a first-year head coach at USI.
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Darin Mastroianni |
Mastroianni is in the midst of one of the best seasons any USI player has had after earning Most Outstanding Player honors in NCAA II North Central Region Tournament.
The GLVC Player of the Year in 2007, Mastroianni has set school records for stolen bases (58) and hits (90) in a single season. He is hitting .407 with 13 doubles, six triples, a pair of home runs, and 42 RBIs.
Mastroianni also has earned first-team All-GLVC and first-team
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District V honors in addition to second-team
Daktronics, Inc. All-Region honors.
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Hunter Slade |
Slade also is earning first-team Rawlings/ABCA All-North Central Region honors. It is the second time that Slade has earned All-Region honors after being named first-team
Daktronics All-Region a week ago.
In 2007, Slade is hitting a career-high .342 with a GLVC-best 61 RBIs. Slade, who earned first-team Academic All-District V honors, was a first-team All-GLVC performer and needs just three RBIs to tie the single-season record.
The Eagles, who are in the NCAA II Championship for the first time, start the eight-team tournament Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama. USI plays either Columbus State University at 1 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship series,
click here.
Dan McDonnell,
USI Sports Information
