Click for the Northeast-10 Release

Six UMass Lowell baseball players were named to Northeast-10 All-Conference Teams, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday. The River Hawks were led by First Team selections Matt Jacobs (Hudson, Mass.), James Katsiroubas (Milton, Mass.) and Cam Kneeland (Rowley, Mass.).

In addition, freshmen Geoff DeGroot (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) and Jimmy Ricoy (Lowell, Mass.) were named to the All-Rookie Team.

“All three First Team selections were extremely well deserved and all three had great seasons,” said head coach Ken Harring. “Matt Jacobs scored 50 runs as our leadoff hitter and James Katsiroubas and Cam Kneeland both ranked among the league leaders in RBI, making our lineup very dangerous this season.”

“We also have three well deserving All-Rookie selections and they make our future very bright, offensively and defensively. They stepped in and played major roles at key positions to help solidify our team.”
 
First Team
 
Jacobs, recently named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District I First Team, was UMass Lowell's dynamic leadoff hitter. The senior batted .332 with 50 runs scored, 22 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases. He is the first UMass Lowell player to score 50 runs in a season since Tim Manton in 2006.

Jacobs led the NE-10 in stolen bases, ranked second in runs scored and tied for fifth in triples (4). A 2011 All-Conference Second Team member, he is second all-time in program history with 74 career stolen bases.

Katisroubas hit .351 as a junior, totaling 39 RBI, 38 runs and 31 walks. He was also hit by 10 pitches for a league-best .472 on-base percentage. Katsiroubas had 10 doubles, one triple and tied the team-high with four home runs for a .494 slugging percentage.

Batting cleanup in the River Hawk lineup, Katsiroubas struck out just 14 times in 168 at bats—fewest among the eight UMass Lowell players with at least 100 at bats.

Kneeland was the heart of the River Hawk lineup for the second consecutive season, hitting .363 with 45 RBI and 40 runs. The senior finished with the program's highest batting average since Steve Paddock hit .368 in 2007. Kneeland tallied 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs for a team-best .505 slugging percentage.

Kneeland ranked fourth in the NE-10 in RBI, tied for fourth in hits (69), sixth in batting average and tied for seventh in doubles. A three-time All-Conference First Team selection, he is sixth in program history with 144 career RBI.
 
All-Rookie Team
 
DeGroot started all 47 games at shortstop for UMass Lowell in his rookie campaign. The talented freshman hit .309 with 41 runs scored, a team-high 32 walks and 16 RBI. DeGroot also stole 14 bases and finished third on the team with 55 total hits.

O'Keefe stepped in as a rookie and won the starting catcher job, playing in 38 of the River Hawks' 47 games. O'Keefe hit .254 with 22 RBI, seven doubles and four steals. An excellent defender, the rookie committed just three errors for a .989 fielding percentage.

Ricoy thrived in the clutch for UMass Lowell during his freshman season, hitting .267 with 38 RBI and 33 runs scored. Starting 44 games, he went a perfect 8-for-8 on steal attempts and added two home runs. Batting with runners in scoring position, Ricoy hit .373 (22-for-59)—second only to Kneeland's .385 mark.