The Hartford Baseball team added the final touches to its historic 2018 season, as members of the program received their rings to commemorate the Hawks' first-ever America East Regular-Season and Tournament Championships.
   
"This event speaks volumes about just how far along the program has come in the past seven years," head coach Justin Blood said. "Celebrating a championship is one thing, but having so many people interested in joining us tonight is an even greater accomplishment. The people and the relationships are what it's all about, and this evening is a testament to our overall success."
   
After an introduction from Blood and remarks from Director of Athletics Mary Ellen Gillespie, the team's annual awards were presented. Below are the award winners:
 
Kyle Patrick Valentine Scholarship
In memory of former Hartford baseball standout Kyle P. Valentine who tragically passed away in 2004, the scholarship is awarded to a member of the baseball program who succeeds not only in the Barney School of Business but on and off the field and in the community as well. This year's recipient was redshirt junior Connor Lewis.
 
Alan L. Beck Academic Achievement Award
In memory of Alan L. Beck, who was a strong supporter of the Hartford baseball program and Hartford athletics, the Academic Achievement Award is given to a member of the baseball team that understands the importance of an education. This year's recipient was recent graduate TJ Ward, who was a 2018 America East All-Conference First-team and All-Academic Team selection.
 
Todd Reynolds Unsung Hero Award
The Todd Reynolds Unsung Hero Award is presented to a player who best reflects the special qualities of loyalty, competitiveness and devotion in which Todd embodied during the late 80's. This year's recipient was junior Zachary Ardito.
 
Sean Newcomb Most Valuable Pitcher Award
The Sean Newcomb Most Valuable Pitcher Award is presented in honor of the 2014 MLB First Round Draft Pick who owns the program's single-season records in ERA, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. Newcomb is currently pitching for the Atlanta Braves and finished the 2018 season with a 12-9 record and a 3.90 ERA. This year's recipient was Nicholas Dombkowski, who was the first ever pitcher to be named both America East Pitcher and Rookie of the Year a year ago.
 
Gary LaRocque Most Valuable Player Award
The Gary LaRocque Most Valuable Player Award is given to best overall player as voted on by the team. This year's recipient was recent graduate Nick Campana, who became the second player in program history to earn ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors this past season.
 
After the team awards portion of the ceremony the America East Championships rings were presented to the team to conclude the night.
 
"Being able to celebrate with my teammates from last season and seeing graduated players who guided me through my sophomore and junior season is great," commented Ward. "Coach Blood has built an excellent program over the eight years he has been here. It means a lot to be the first-ever team in program history to win a conference championship."
 
Posting the program's fifth-straight 20-plus win season (26-31), the Hawks wrapped up America East play with a 16-8 record, after starting the season 3-3 in conference play. Hartford then traveled to Maine, where it won three straight games to take home the tournament championship.
 
The team cleaned up at the America East's Annual Awards Banquet, highlighted by Blood earning Coach of the Year honors, Campana being named Player of the Year and Dombkowski making America East history by becoming the first-ever player to receive both Rookie and Pitcher of the Year honors. In total, 11 players combined for 17 All-Conference awards.
 
In the America East Championship game, the Hawks led wire-to-wire to take the title from Stony Brook, 9-4. Then junior Billy DeVito pitched an outstanding game, going seven innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. Ardito supplied the power, finishing with three hits, a career-high four RBI and a pair of runs to propel Hartford to the victory.
 
In the team's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, Hartford was selected to play in the Deland Regional, where it played Stetson and USF in the opening round. The Hawks came up short against top-seeded Stetson before falling to third seeded USF in an 11-inning affair in the Elimination Game.
 
Hartford returns 29 players from last year's team, and looks for continued success in the upcoming 2019 season.