Five Purple Knights Earn 2013 All-East Coast Conference Baseball Honors
UB Places Three On First Team And Two Players On Second Team
Central Islip, N.Y.-Five members of the University of Bridgeport baseball squad have earned spots on the 2013 All-East Coast Conference Team in a vote of league coaches that was announced over the weekend at this year's ECC Championship Tournament. Three Purple Knights, senior first baseman Mike Olszyk (Hamden, Conn.), junior shortstop John Ascenzia (West Haven, Conn.) and freshman designated hitter Nick Zieniuk (Margate, N.J.), were named First Team All-ECC, and sophomore catcher Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn.) and senior pitcher Shaun Hancock (Oakville, Ont., Canada) earned Second Team All-East Coast Conference accolades. The quintet of All-ECC honorees helped Bridgeport reach the finals of the conference championship for the third straight season over the weekend.
Olszyk led the Purple Knights with a .378 batting average in 2013, and he added two home runs and 32 runs batted in plus led the team in walks drawing 26 free passes.
Ascenzia batted an impressive .345 on the season, drove in 25 runs plus stole 18 bases this season. He also made only 11 errors all season long handling over 250 chances at shortstop, as he saw action in all 48 of his team's games.
Zieniuk had a strong first season in a UB uniform as he posted a .346 batting average which was third on the team in 2013.
A rock-solid backstop, Bickford hit .351 with a team-high three home runs and 33 RBI. Bickford also led the team with 24 doubles which, as of May 5, was the third best total in the nation.
Hancock posted a 5-4 record on the hill for UB in 2013 with a 3.66 ERA, as he led the team in innings pitched at 71.1.