ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Teams

RINDGE, N.H. (May 25, 2016) – The consensus East Region Player of the Year a year ago, junior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) of the No. 1/3 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team has now claimed the award from all three organizations to bestow it in 2016 a well, as he was selected as back-to-back East Region Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Thursday. Jabs also landed on the ABCA/Rawlings All-East Region First Team, leading five Ravens to earn All-Region accolades.

Joining Jabs on the ABCA/Rawlings All-East Region First Team were sophomore right-hander Anthony Matarazzo (Medford, Mass.), senior right-hander Paul Covelle (Medford, Mass.) and senior right-hander Tanner Bird (Adams, Mass.). Landing on the Second Team was junior designated hitter Chris LaVorgna (North Haven, Conn.).

Jabs earns his second straight selection to the ABCA All-East Region First Team as well, as he was also a consensus All-Region First Team selection a year ago, and shares ABCA East Region Player of the Year honors with Philadelphia's Fernando Garza. Somehow, Jabs has managed to improve on last year's already gaudy numbers and has posted a .363/.476/.662 slash line through 55 games and 204 at-bats (74-for-204) so far in 2016. Through the East Regional, he is tied for 16th in the country in runs batted in (69), ranks 26th in runs batted in per game (1.25), is tied for 27th in walks (41), is tied for 45th in home runs (14) and is tied for 48th in total bases (135). Within the Northeast-10, Jabs ranks first in slugging percentage, home runs and runs batted in; second in walks; third in on-base percentage; fifth in runs scored (60); sixth in batting average and hits; tied for 11th in doubles (13); tied for 13th in triples (3); and tied for 17th in stolen bases (16).

Matarazzo, who logged just 9.2 innings as a freshman a year ago, earns his first career ABCA All-Region selection as a sophomore, to go with CCA and NCBWA All-Region honors from earlier in the spring. Through 13 starts, he has logged 83.2 innings and recorded 72 strikeouts (7.75 per nine innings) on his way to a 1.61 ERA and an 11-0 record with two complete games. Matarazzo has allowed 18 runs (15 earned) on 64 hits and walked 20 along the way. In the country, he currently ranks tied for fourth in wins, seventh in ERA, 19th in WHIP (1.00) and 28th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.88). Within the Northeast-10, Matarazzo ranks first in wins, second in ERA, seventh in innings pitched, tied for ninth in complete games, tied for 10th in strikeouts and 16th in strikeouts per nine innings.

Covelle earns his first career ABCA All-Region selection in his senior season by landing on the First Team, to go with CCA All-East Region Second Team accolades from earlier in the spring. Pitching from the top of the rotation all spring, he has logged 94.1 innings over 14 starts and struck out 93 (8.87 per nine innings), on his way to a 2.00 ERA and a 10-2 record with four complete games. Covelle has allowed 25 runs (21 earned) on 56 hits and walked 15. He currently ranks third in the country in WHIP (0.75), sixth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.34), 14th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.20), tied for 14th in wins, 15th in ERA and 31st in walks allowed per nine innings (1.43). Within the NE-10, Covelle is ranked first in innings pitched, tied for second in wins and complete games, ranked third in ERA and strikeouts and ranked 10th in strikeouts per nine innings.

Bird, who had just 12.1 collegiate innings to his name entering the season, exploded onto the scene from the Ravens bullpen as a senior to earn his first ABCA All-Region selection, to go with CCA and NCBWA selections earlier in the spring. He has made 21 appearances on the mound, including one start, and has logged 58 innings while recording 66 strikeouts (10.24 per nine innings), on his way to a 1.55 ERA, an 8-1 record and three saves. Bird currently ranks fourth in the country in WHIP (0.83), fifth in ERA, ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.59) and 22nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50). He has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 36 hits and has walked 12 against the 66 strikeouts. Within the Northeast-10, Bird ranks first in ERA, ranks fourth in strikeouts per nine innings, is tied for fifth in wins and ranks 13th in strikeouts.

For LaVorgna, it is his second consecutive ABCA All-Region selection, as he was a consensus All-East Region First Team honoree a year ago. While playing all 55 games at designated hitter for the Ravens and hitting primarily out of the clean-up hole, he has posted a .315/.375/.441 slash line over 213 at-bats (67-for-213) with 10 doubles, four triples and three home runs. He is currently tied for 43rd in the country in stolen bases (24). Within the Northeast-10, LaVorgna ranks fifth in runs batted in (52), is tied for sixth in stolen bases (24), ranks eighth in hits, is tied for ninth in triples and ranks 14th in runs scored (41).

The Ravens (48-7) captured their seventh NCAA Regional title with a 6-3 win over Southern New Hampshire on Monday afternoon at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Franklin Pierce will open its NCAA Championship National Finals appearance on Sunday, May 29 against South Region champion Nova Southeastern, at 3 p.m. at Coleman Field at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

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).