University of Connecticut Athletics
Four Huskies earn BIG EAST postseason honors
5/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
STORRS, CT (May 23) - Four members of the University of Connecticut baseball team earned BIG EAST postseason honors, the league announced Wednesday night at the annual awards banquet.
Juniors Peter Soteropoulos (Peabody, MA) and Brett Burnham (South Windsor, CT) were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team while senior Cy Hess (Oakdale, CT) and sophomore Mike Leonard (Vernon, CT) were named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team. All choices were made by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players. Soteropoulos was selected as the second team’s utility player and Burnham as the shortstop. While the first and second teams are chosen by position, the third team is made up of the remaining top 13 vote recipients, regardless of position.
Soteropoulos led the team in hitting at a .374 clip and played in all 50 games, making appearances in left and right field, at first base and on the mound. An All-BIG EAST Third Team selection last season and All-BIG EAST Rookie Team member as a freshman, he improved his offensive numbers in virtually every category and led the team with 71 hits, tying him for seventh place on UConn’s all-time single season hit list. He finished the year with 11 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 46 RBI, 30 walks and 15 stolen bases. In five starts as a pitcher, Soteropoulos put together a 2-1 overall record and allowed only four earned runs in 27 innings for a staff-best 1.33 ERA. He also put together a 23-game hitting streak at the start of the season, one of three UConn players to have a streak of 20 games or more this season.
After transferring to UConn after two years at Auburn, Burnham made an immediate impact with the Huskies in his first season. The starting second baseman at the start of the season, Burnham moved over to short after an injury to Mike Mocerino and didn’t skip a beat. He played in all 50 games while batting a career-best .335 and driving in a team-best 49 runs. He also clubbed six home runs, scored 47 runs and was hit by pitch a UConn record 32 times, only one shy of the NCAA mark. In the field, Burnham committed only seven errors in 233 chances while helping to turn 24 double plays.
Hess enjoyed a breakout season as the Huskies’ unanimous selection as team captain. Having never before hit above .300 his previous three seasons, Hess finished second on the team in batting with a .366 average while slamming a team and career-best 11 home runs. He finished the season with 67 hits, 53 runs scored, 46 RBI, a team-high 35 walks and 10 stolen bases. In addition to playing a solid center field (three errors in 129 chances), Hess hit safely in 42 of 46 games played and had a 25-game hitting streak, the longest streak by a UConn batter in recent memory.
As UConn’s starting catcher, Leonard played in 46 games while batting a career-best .337 with 40 RBI. Though second on the team in home runs with eight, he also led the squad with 16 doubles while scoring 33 runs. He finished the season with career highs in hits (63), runs scored, doubles, triples (1), homers, stolen bases (2) and RBI. Behind the plate, he gunned down 20 of 42 runners in stolen base attempts and made only six errors in 341 chances. Leonard also had 18 multiple-hit and 12 multiple-RBI games and finished the year on a 20-game hitting streak.
Notre Dame senior center fielder Steve Stanley claimed his second consecutive BIG EAST Player of the Year award, while Boston College earned the other three postseason honors. Eagles right-hander Chris Lambert claimed Pitcher and Rookie of the Year accolades while head coach Peter Hughes was selected as the 2002 BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
2002 BIG EAST Baseball Postseason Award Winners
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Steve Stanley, Notre Dame, CF, Senior
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year
Chris Lambert, Boston College, RHP, Freshman
BIG EAST Rookie of the Year
Chris Lambert, Boston College, RHP, Freshman
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Peter Hughes, Boston College
All-BIG EAST First Team
Pos. Name School
Yr.
P
Chris Lambert
Boston College
Fr.
P
Isaac Pavlik
Seton Hall
Sr.
P
Joe Saunders
Virginia Tech
Jr.
C
Jeff Mackor
Boston College
Sr.
1B
Brant Colamarino
Pittsburgh
Jr.
2B
Marc Tugwell
Virginia Tech
Jr.
SS
Spencer Harris
Virginia Tech
Jr.
3B
John West
Virginia Tech
Sr.
OF
Casey Grimm
Seton Hall
Jr.
OF
Neal McCarthy
Boston College
Sr.
OF
Steve Stanley
Notre Dame
Sr.**
UT
Charles Bilezikjian
St. John’s
Sr.
DH
Brian Durkin
Boston College
Sr.
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Pos. Name School
Yr.
P
Bobby Brownlie
Rutgers
Jr.
P
Billy Biggs
West Virginia
Jr.
P
James Russell
Villanova
Jr.
C
Paul O’Toole
Notre Dame
Sr.
1B
Rob Cafiero
Villanova
Sr.
2B
Steve Sollmann
Notre Dame
So.
SS
Brett Burnham
Connecticut
Jr.
3B
Brendan Mannix
Villanova
Jr.
OF
Chris Graziano
Villanova
Jr.
OF
Val Majewski
Rutgers
Jr.
OF
Brian Stavisky
Notre Dame
Jr.
UT
Peter Soteropoulos
Connecticut
Jr.
DH
Brad Rea
Pittsburgh
Sr.
All-BIG EAST Third Team
P.J. Hiser
Pittsburgh RHP Jr.
Tom Wheeler
Rutgers RHP Sr.
Mike Leonard
Connecticut C So.
Bryan Spamer
Pittsburgh SS So.
Andy Bushey
Notre Dame 3B Sr.
Brian Macchi
Boston College OF Sr.
Drew Locke
Boston College OF Fr.
Cy Hess
Connecticut OF Sr.
Bill Quinn
Georgetown OF Fr.
Brad Bauder
Virginia Tech OF Jr.
Todd Crawford
Seton Hall UT Sr.
Wyatt Toregas
Virginia Tech UT Fr.
Matt Bok
Notre Dame DH Sr.
** - unanimous selection
