(2008) One of the most complete players in UML baseball history, there was very little for Jon Cahill to accomplish by the time his career was complete in May of 2001.
From his sophomore year on, Cahill collected multiple honors, peaking with his senior year in which he was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America First Team. He was also named the ABCA Northeast Region Player of the Year and Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year.
Though seven years removed from the program, Cahill's name is scattered all over the baseball record books. Among many other categories, he still tops career leaders in singles (186), doubles (66) and runs scored (194).
But perhaps his most impressive statistic is the fact that he played all 185 games of his career, starting 184.
"Jon was just an all-around good player," said Jim Stone, who was UML's head coach for 37 years. "He worked awfully hard. He did so many things well. He could play anywhere. And better than that, he is just a terrific kid from a terrific family."
During Cahill's career, UML posted an overall record of 134-51 (.724).
The significance of the game seemed to bring out the best in Cahill. In addition to his senior year plaudits, he was named the most valuable player of both the NE-10 Tournament and NCAA Tournament Northeast Regional.
It was fitting, after 12 years of falling short of making the Division II College World Series, that the River Hawks finally won the NCAA Tournament Northeast Regional in Cahill's senior year.
In fact, it was his performance in the regional championship games - perhaps one of the greatest individual efforts in UML history - which punched the team's ticket to Montgomery, AL.
Heading into Sunday's final and needing two wins over favored Concordia, Cahill collectively batted 5 for 10 with four runs and four RBI as UML defeated the Clippers, 6-2 and 8-0, clinching the River Hawks first ever NCAA Northeast Region title.
More impressive, Cahill also pitched a complete game in the 6-2 win, allowing eight hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out eight. He batted 4-5 with two runs and one RBI in the 6-2 win; and 1-5 with two runs and a three-run home run in the 8-0 victory.
"I got him a superman t-shirt after that performance," Stone quipped. "It was a Herculean performance. I had never seen or dreamt that was possible. I can't remember a more important performance. He was a one-man gang."
Cahill was voted the 2000-01 co-recipient of the Lester H. Cushing Award for Male Athlete of the Year, an honor he shared with Ron Hainsey, a defenseman with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers.
