Jabs, O'Rourke now consensus East Region Player, Pitcher of Year

Full Daktronics All-East Region selections (PDF)

RINDGE, N.H. (May 27, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University baseball team has posted a clean sweep of the major Daktronics/Division II Conference Commissioners Association East Region awards, as announced earlier this month by Daktronics. Sophomore third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) has been named ABCA East Region Player of the Year, while senior right-hander Brendan O'Rourke (Shrewsbury, Mass.) has been named ABCA East Region Pitcher of the Year.

Beyond the major awards, Franklin Pierce came away with eight All-East Region selections. Joining Jabs and O'Rourke on the First Team were senior catcher Matt Walsh (Plymouth, Mass.) and sophomore designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.). Landing on the Second Team were junior first baseman Matt O'Herron (Springfield, Mass.), senior right fielder John Razzino (Cranston, R.I.), sophomore right-hander Mike Lundin (Kingston, Mass.) and senior right-hander Paul Fahey (Dorchester, Mass.).

The eight All-East Region selections were the most of any team.

While starting all 52 games this year for the Ravens, primarily at third base and in the second spot in the order, Jabs -- who is how the consensus East Region Player of the Year and a consensus All-East Region First Team selection, having earned the accolades from the NCBWA, the ABCA and Daktronics -- owns a .328/.414/.656 slash line over 195 at-bats (64-for-195). He hit 13 home runs, which is tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in program history. In the Northeast-10, Jabs led the league in slugging percentage, triples (6), home runs, total bases (128, which was 30 more than his closest competition) and extra-base hits (32). He also ranked third in runs scored (53) and runs batted in (50), tied for third in sacrifice flies (5), tied for fourth in hits, seventh in stolen bases (23-for-26), tied for seventh in doubles (13), tied for eighth in walks (23), tied for 10th in hit by pitch (9), 14th in on-base percentage and 25th in batting average. Nationally, through the end of regional play, he was tied for 11th in the country in triples, was tied for 30th in stolen bases and was tied for 44th in home runs.

Over 13 starts and one relief appearance, O'Rourke -- who is the consensus East Region Pitcher of the Year and a consensus All-East Region First Team selection -- allowed just 10 runs (seven earned) on 42 hits over 75 innings, to post a miniscule, 0.84 earned run average. Of those 42 hits, just 15 went for extra bases, including just one home run. In the Northeast-10, O'Rourke led the league in wins (11-0) and was tied for the league lead in strikeouts (93). He also ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.16) and third in ERA and innings pitched. Nationally, through regional play, he ranked fifth in the country in ERA, tied for sixth in wins, seventh in hits allowed per nine innings (5.04), tied for 21st in strikeouts, 22nd in WHIP (0.96) and 26th in strikeouts per nine innings.

Walsh is a consensus All-East Region selection for the third time (2013, 2011) and a consensus All-East Region First Team selection for the second time (2011). He started all 52 games behind the plate and did so while posting a .366/.438/.505 line over 186 at-bats (68-for-186) out of the clean-up spot. He led the league in runs batted in (57). In addition, he ranked second in the league in hits, third in total bases (94), fourth in batting average, tied for fourth in hit by pitch (12), tied for fifth in doubles (14), seventh in on-base percentage, eighth in runs scored (44), tied for eighth in extra-base hits (18) and 11th in slugging percentage.

LaVorgna, who transitioned to designated hitter from left field after the season's first 10 games, has now earned consensus All-East Region First Team accolades as well. While starting in all 52 games, mostly out of the six spot in the order, he put together a .358/.407/.524 line over 187 at-bats (67-for-187) with 19 extra-base hits. He finished second in the league in total bases (98) and runs batted in (51), third in hits, tied for fourth in triples (4) and stolen bases (29-for-37), tied for fifth in runs scored (46) and extra-base hits, sixth in slugging percentage, eighth in batting average, tied for ninth in home runs (4), tied for 10th in sacrifice flies (4) and hit by pitch (9) and tied for 16th in doubles (11). Nationally, through regional play, he was tied for 10th in the country in stolen bases and ranked 23rd in stolen bases per game (0.56).

O'Herron, who played in 51 of 52 games at first base (50 starts) and hit primarily out of the five hole, is a consensus All-East Region selection, with First Team honors from the ABCA and Second Team accolades from the NCBWA and Daktronics. O'Herron hit to the tune of a .364/.430/.489 over 176 at-bats (64-for-176), during which he has struck out just 23 times, against 22 walks. He tied for the league lead in sacrifice flies (6). O'Herron also tied for third in doubles (15), tied for fourth in hits, ranked sixth in batting average, tied for eighth in total bases (86) and extra-base hits (18), ranked 10th in on-base percentage, ranked 11th in runs scored (40), tied for 11th in walks, tied for 13th in runs batted in (31) and sacrifice hits (5) and ranked 14th in slugging percentage.

Providing the Conference's best speed while hitting third, Razzino caps his career with consensus All-East Region Second Team honors. While starting all 52 games in right field, he posted a slash line of .305/.339/.435 over 200 at-bats (61-for-200) and stole 45 bases -- matching his own program record -- while being caught just five times (90%). He led the Northeast-10 in stolen bases. Razzino also finished second in the league in sacrifice hits (8) and runs scored (55), tied for third in sacrifice flies (5), fourth in runs batted in (41), tied for fourth in triples (4) and seventh in hits and total bases (87). Nationally, through regional play, he leads the country in both stolen bases and stolen bases per game (0.87).

Lundin, who pitched at the top of the rotation for much of the year, earns consensus All-East Region Second Team accolades in his first season with the Ravens. Through 15 appearances (12 starts), he has posted a 2.04 earned-run average while logging a team-high 84 innings. Along the way, he threw four complete games, three of which were wins against nationally ranked opponents on the road. He led the Northeast-10 in innings pitched and tied for the lead in strikeouts (93) and complete games. Lundin also tied for second in wins (8-1), ranked sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.96) and ranked seventh in ERA. Nationally, through regional play, Lundin ranks 11th in the country in WHIP (0.90), tied for 21st in strikeouts, 32nd in hits allowed per nine innings (6.32), 33rd in ERA and tied for 49th in wins.

Often the first man out of the bullpen and often called on to throw multiple innings of high-leverage relief, Fahey earned an Honorable Mention from the NCBWA and now follows up with his first career All-East Region selection. He has made 19 appearances out of the bullpen and logged 51.1 innings while striking out 57 (9.99 per nine innings) and posting a 1.93 earned run average. Despite being exclusively a reliever, Fahey finished ninth in the Northeast-10 in strikeouts. He was the highest-ranked pitcher in that department with fewer than five starts, as well as one of only three hurlers to rank among the league's top 50 strikeout men without making any starts. Fahey is one of only two men with zero starts to crack the top 50 in innings pitched, where he ranked tied for 33rd. Of his 19 appearances on the year, 16 were longer than one inning, while 14 encompassed at least two full innings.

The Ravens (48-4) laid claim to their fifth Northeast-10 title this spring and played host to the NCAA Championship East Regional for the seventh time.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).