May 13, 1999
Fairfield University baseball players Tom Lopusznick (Leonardo, N.J.) and Christian Jung (Brewster, N.Y.) were named to the South Division All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Team, announced Thursday afternoon.
Lopusznick garnered his first selection to the All-MAAC team. The junior right fielder led the Stags in batting average (.333), home runs (10), RBIs (42), stolen bases (33), slugging percentage (.585) and on-base percentage (.446). His 10 home runs are a new Fairfield single-season record, bringing his career total to 25, which ties the school mark. Lopusznick handled all 80 fielding chances without an error and recorded four assists.
Jung earned a spot on the squad for the second consecutive season. The senior second baseman hit .331 with 35 RBIs and nine doubles. He posted a .487 slugging percentage and a .970 fielding percentage, making just six errors in 46 contests. Jung was also one of six All-Conference selections to earn All-Academic honors. He has a 3.23 cumulative grade point average in Spanish.
Joe Bruderek (Norristown, Pa.), Steve Colcord (North Hampton, N.H.), Jeff Hanson (Brewster, Mass.), Matt McGoldrick (Butler, N.J.) and John Pacifico (Bayville, N.Y.) join Jung on the All-Academic team.
Bruderek owns a 3.43 grade point average in finance. The junior pitcher went 3-5 on the mound with a 6.29 earned run average. He tossed 48.2 innings, striking out 28.
A sociology major, Colcord has a 3.42 grade point average. The sophomore pitcher was the Stags' ace this season, hurling 62 innings with five complete games. He posted a 5-4 record and a 4.21 ERA in 11 appearances and led the squad with 35 strikeouts.
Hanson boasts a 3.42 grade point average as a biology major in the pre-med track. The junior second baseman saw action in 12 contests and garnered 11 at-bats. He was 2-for-11 with two doubles and two runs scored.
McGoldrick played 12 contests before an injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season. The sophomore outfielder hit .281 with a double, a homer and seven RBIs. He was 6-for-6 in stolen bases and recorded 19 putouts without an error.
A business finance major, Pacifico has a 3.34 grade point average. The sophomore outfielder played in 12 games, registering a hit in 12 plate appearances. The Red and White's total of six players on the All-Academic team is second to Manhattan's eight.
Fairfield finished the season with a 23-23 overall mark, the first time the Stags have been at the .500 mark since 1996. The 23 wins also represented the most ever in a single season, tying the all-time mark held by the 1992 and 1995 teams.
As a team, the Stags stole 120 bases, eclipsing the old program record of 118 set by the 1977 squad. Their running game was complemented by an offense that batted a solid .296 and cracked 30 home runs, the third highest single-season total in school history. Opponents got to see some nifty defense as well as Fairfield also posted one of its best fielding percentages ever at .952 (3rd in MAAC) and turned 37 double plays.
The All-MAAC squad was determined by the coaches' vote, and the conference selected the All-Academic team. To be eligible for the academic accolades, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.2 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and be a starter or significant reserve.
