Senior Sean Allaire Named Northeast Conference Baseball Player of the Year; Five Blue Devils Make First Team

Senior Sean Allaire was named the Northeast Conference baseball player of the year, it was announced on Wednesday night at the annual pre-tournament barbecue. Allaire becomes the third Blue Devil to earn the honor, joining former standouts Tim D'Aquila (2003) and Keith Stegnauer (2004). He led the league in hitting with a .456 average, and as of Monday morning was third in the country in in that category. The Blue Devils placed five players on the All-Conference First Team, including Allaire, junior Pat Epps, seniors Richie Tri and Tommy Meade and sophomore Mitch Wells.

CCSU's NEC Tournament Preview

Allaire put together one of the best single-season performances in school history in 2010. In addition to being named the player of the year, he was named First Team All-Conference as a utility player. Allaire played shortstop, third base, catcher and in the outfield during the season, qualifying him for the utility position.

His .456 batting average led the league, and is just one point off the school record of .457 set by Mike Scirotino in 1990. His 93 hits are the second-highest single season total in school history (100, Keith Stegbauer in 2004) and he set a new single season RBI record with 70 so far in 2010. He also set a new school mark with 22 doubles this season. He has an amazing 30 multi-hit games this season in 49 total games played. Allaire was a Second Team All-Conference selection last season.

Epps was also named to the First Team in the outfield. If not for Allaire, Epps would have been a favorite to win player of the year honors in the NEC. He hit .413 with 81 hits, a school-record 17 home runs and 66 runs batted in. He also became the all-time leader at CCSU in home runs with 24 in his career. He led the team with 60 runs scored. Epps is on the First Team for the second time in the last two seasons. He was a Second Team selection as a freshman.

Tri is the second member of the Blue Devils to make the First Team in the outfield. He earns All-Conference honors for the third time in his career. He was named to the Second Team in 2009 and 2006. He is hitting .404 entering the tournament with 15 doubles, six home runs and 38 runs batted in. After hitting .246 in his first two seasons, Tri is hitting .376 over the last two seasons with 124 hits, 12 home runs and 84 RBI.

Wells (.390) and Meade (.379) are fourth and fifth on the team in hitting this season. Wells was the First Team third baseman and Meade earned the First Team nod at first base.

Central posts five of the top seven hitters in the NEC this season. Allaire is first, Epps second, Tri is fourth and Wells and Meade are sixth and seventh respecitvely in the league. Central leads the NEC with its .353 average, 34 points higher than second place Bryant who hit .319.

Wells has 76 hits, third on the team, along with eight home runs and 43 RBI. He is second on the team, behind Allaire, with 29 multi-hit games this season. Allaire leads the way with 30. This is his first All-Conference selection.

Meade, who has also starred on the mound for the Blue Devils this season, is hitting .379 with 72 hits, nine home runs and 51 RBI in his final season with the Blue Devils. On the mound Meade is 3-1 with a 6.95 ERA this season. He has made eight starts and pitched 44.0 innings, the third-highest total on the team. His 24 strikeouts are third on the team. This is his first All-Conference selection.

The Blue Devils begin their quest for the NEC title on Thursday beginning at 3:30 p.m. Fans can follow the action live by logging on to www.NortheastConference.tv for live streaming audio and video.