Drury Named ECAC Rookie Of The Year

Ashburnham, Mass. native collects ECAC New England second team honors

FITCHBURG, Mass. (June 11, 2014) – Endicott College senior Tad Gold (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.), Tufts University junior Kyle Slinger (Danville, Calif.) and Fitchburg State University freshman Steven Drury, Jr. (Ashburnham, Mass.) earned top-billing, as the Eastern College Athletic Conference announced its 2014 Division III New England All-Star teams today. Gold earned the Player of the Year distinction, while Slinger was named the Pitcher of the Year and Drury captured Rookie of the Year laurels. The voting was completed by the head coaches within the ECAC Division III New England Baseball membership. 

Gold was one of the top players in the country during the 2014 season, batting .429 with 45 RBI and 60 runs scored. He rapped out 79 hits in 49 games, including 18 doubles and nine triples for a .625 slugging percentage. Gold posted a .493 on-base percentage, swiped 28 bases and led Endicott to both its second consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament championship and its second straight trip to the NCAA Division III New England Regional final. Defensively, he did not commit a single error in 94 total chances in centerfield. Gold was also named D3baseball.com National Player of the Year, an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) First-Team All-America, the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Player of the Year and the ECAC Division III New England Player of the Week on May 6. He was recently selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Slinger was dominant on the mound for the Jumbos, helping Tufts advance to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in program history. The southpaw finished the season with an unblemished 9-0 record and a 1.18 earned run average. In 11 starts, Slinger logged 76 innings, tossed a pair of complete games, struck out 73 batters and held opponents to a .174 average. In the NCAA Harwich Regional, he twirled a complete game three-hitter against St. Joseph’s College of Maine, striking out nine while allowing just one earned run in a 3-1 victory. For his efforts, Slinger was also named the D3baseball.com New England Pitcher of the Year, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-NEIBA selection.

Drury emerged as the top offensive threat for the Falcons in his first season at Fitchburg State. In 39 games, he batted .438 with two homeruns and 27 RBI. Drury also smacked 15 doubles and nine triples, giving him a .742 slugging percentage. He reached base at a .531 clip and crossed the plate 35 times while also stealing 11 bases, as Fitchburg State put together a 22-18 record and earned a berth in the 2014 ECAC Division III New England Baseball Championship. Drury, a two-time ECAC Division III New England Player of the Week honoree, was also named to the First-Team All-NEIBA, the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Co-Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-MASCAC.

For more information regarding the ECAC New England All-Star teams, please contact Associate Director of Athletics, Keith Brouillard at kbrouil3@fitchburgtate or visit http://www.ecac.org

2014 ECAC Division III New England Baseball Major Award Winners

2014 ECAC Division III New England Baseball All-Star Teams