LOWELL, Mass.  – Seven members of the UMass Lowell Baseball team were honored Wednesday night at the America East barbeque held at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass.
 
"The individual awards to our players are a direct result of our team accomplishments," said Head Coach Ken Harring. "I am very proud of the efforts of the entire team and coaching staff."
 
Junior Matthew Sanchez (Sunrise, Fla.) and freshman Ian Strom (Hopedale, Mass.) both were selected to the First-Team.  Senior Mike Calzetta (Lawrence, Mass.) and junior Danny Mendick (Rochester, N.Y.) each were selected to the Second-Team.
 
Sanchez finished the season with a team-high .357 batting average, second in the conference. The third baseman scored 27 runs and had 23 RBI.  He also led the team with 14 stolen bases.
 
Center fielder Strom made an immediate impact with the River Hawks hitting .290 with nine doubles. The freshman knocked in 23 RBI, scored 21 runs and had a .979 field percentage.  He picked up 13 multi hit games and eight multi run games for UMass Lowell. Strom was also selected to the All-Rookie Team.
  
Calzetta, a right-handed starter, finished the season with a 4-2 record and a 3.36 ERA. The Liberal Arts major struck out 36 batters over 64.1 innings of work, while notching an impressive four complete games.
 
Mendick, the River Hawks shortstop, led the offense with a team-high 34 RBI and 27 runs scored. He was tenth in America East with a .314 batting average.  In his first season at UMass Lowell, the junior had 15 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games. He knocked in a career-high six RBI in a 15-1 win over UMBC on April 26.    He was a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases.
 
 The River Hawks placed three players on the America East Baseball All-Academic Team, tied for most of any program. Senior Nick Boutoures (Wilmington, Mass.), junior Jacob O'Keefe (Wellington, Fla.) and sophomore Matt Mottola (Newburyport, Mass.) were the UMass Lowell representative.  
 
A History major, Boutoures graduated with a 3.65 GPA. The relief pitcher made 14 appearances and went 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA.     
 
O'Keefe, a Business Administration major, started 34 games behind the plate for the River Hawks and had the highest GPA on the All-Academic Team with 3.80.
 
The final River Hawk to be honored was Mottola, the designated hitter/first baseman had a 3.61 GPA and is majoring in Business Administration. He finished third on the team with a .311 batting average, 15 runs, and 13 RBI.
 
The River Hawks finished the year with a 20-22 record.  UMass Lowell placed third in the America East Conference with a 10-10 record.