Four Spartans Earn All-Conference Honors

Four members of Cayuga Community College Baseball were named to the Mid-State Athletic Conference's All-Conference Team this week, including three fixtures in the starting lineup and the team leader in wins.

First baseman Hazel Martinez, shortstop Fernando Espinal, right fielder Michael Norton and starting pitcher Greg Osterhout were named all-conference for their roles in the Spartans' 26-10 campaign, which saw the team set a program record for wins and capture the MSAC title.

Cayuga Coach John Rizzo congratulated the four players for earning the all-conference honors, while also noting that the team's success was a collective effort of the entire roster.

"All four of our recipients had great seasons and were very deserving. I thought we had a few other players who definitely merited consideration for the seasons they had, too," said Rizzo. "This season has been a product of everyone on our roster. Our lineup consistently scored, we played well defensively, and we had a lot of guys play key roles on the mound while we battled some injuries."

The Spartans' top hitter all season, Martinez led all NJCAA Division III batters with a .564 average and a 1.060 slugging percentage, and finished second nationally with a .609 on-base percentage. He led Cayuga with 10 homers, 60 RBI and 51 runs.

A defensive stalwart at shortstop, Espinal batted leadoff for much of the season and finished with a .390 average, .479 on-base percentage, two homers and 30 RBI. He led the team with 17 stolen bases and finished tied for second with 45 runs scored.

Norton was a fixture in the middle of the Spartans' lineup, finishing second with three homers and 37 RBI. The starting right fielder finished the season with a .375 average, .475 on-base percentage and was second with nine stolen bases.

The team's top starting pitcher, Osterhout threw two perfect games on the season. The first perfect game came at Falcon Park against SUNY Adirondack on April 3, where he struck out 14 batters in a 6-0 win. Three weeks later he repeated the feat on the road against Jefferson Community College, requiring only 47 pitches in a 16-0 win.

Osterhout finished the season with a 4-4 record and a 3.92 ERA, striking out 51 batters in 43 2/3 innings while walking only six.