Felician Athletics - 5/30/08 BASEBALL - Trio To Play Sanctioned Summer Ball

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Three Felician College baseball players have been signed by NCAA-sanctioned wood-bat collegiate leagues for the summer.

Rising junior Marcos Torres (Miami, FL/South Miami) will be a member of the Pageland Red Roosters of the Tar Heel Summer Baseball League. The 2008 first-team all-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference catcher, Torres is the first Felician player ever to be signed by a THSBL team. Centerfielder and senior-to-be Vinnie DiBenedetti (Forked River, NJ/Lacey Township) and rising junior pitcher Jeff Calabrese (Lincroft, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) will be teammates on the Jersey Pilots of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.

The THSBL and ACBL are partially funded by Major League Baseball. All players in each league must have college eligibility remaining, and must be recommended by their college coach and/or a professional scout.

“It’s an honor for those guys to be selected,” said Felician head coach Chris Langan. “It means they’ve been identified as pro prospects and are guaranteed some exposure to major league scouts. It also shows the growth in our program and that we’ve been working hard to get to the next level.”

The Golden Falcons had a 26-24 won-lost record in 2008, finishing tied for fourth in the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with a 17-10 league mark. Torres (.365, 3 HR, 39 RBI) was Felician’s leading hitter, while DiBenedetti (.297, school record 10 triples, 23 RBI) was a second-team all-CACC selection. Calabrese (3-1, 3.72 ERA, 30 SO) was a member of the starting rotation.