Atlantic 10 Release

Newport News, Va. – (May 20, 2014) - The Atlantic 10 Conference released its baseball all-conference teams and major award winners on Tuesday, with four Rams receiving honors.  Senior outfielder Tim Swatek (Maywood, N.J.) was selected First Team All-Atlantic 10, while sophomore second baseman Joseph Runco (Springbrook Township, N.J.) earned Second Team honors.  Freshmen Kirk Haynes, Jr. (Linthicum, Md.) and Mark Donadio (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) were also selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.  Runco was also selected to the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team.
 
It is the first time since 1997 that Fordham has had four different players receive honors by the Atlantic 10 in one season.  Swatek is also Fordham's first First Team selection since Chris Walker in 2010, while it is the second time the Rams have had two All-Rookie selections (2011 – Swatek & Chris Pike).  Runco is also Fordham's first All-Academic selection for baseball since Bobby DiNardo in 2009.
 
Swatek received All-Atlantic 10 honors for the second time in his career, having been a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 relief pitcher in 2011.  He ended the regular season by leading the Rams and the conference in batting average (.383), on-base percentage (.481), and walks (30), while being second in stolen bases (22).  He also finished the year as Fordham's leader in hits (67), triples (3), and RBI (33).  Swatek's .383 batting average is the highest to finish a regular season at Fordham since Tim Boyle's .389 average in 2002.  In league play, Swatek posted a league-high .406 batting average to go with 19 runs scored, 16 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.
 
An Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team selection last year, Runco picks up his first All-League award after leading the conference with 23 stolen bases.  He also led the Rams in runs scored with 32 to go with a .292 overall batting average and 24 RBI.  In league play, Runco picked up his play, batting .337 with 22 runs scored, 11 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.  
 
Haynes, Jr., who earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors once this season, moved into the Rams' weekend rotation by mid-season, posting a 2-1 record in Atlantic 10 competition in five starts.  He finished with a 3.86 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 28 innings in league play with a .220 opponent batting average.  Overall, Haynes was 3-4 with a 3.93 ERA in ten starts with 47 strikeouts over 50.1 innings pitched.
 
Donadio, who also earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors once this season, slid into the starting outfield by the start of conference play.  He did not disappoint, batting .326 with 13 runs scored, five doubles, and 12 RBI in Atlantic 10 games.  Overall, Donadio batted .267 for the year, posting 16 runs, a home run, and 16 RBI in 44 games.
 
The selection of Haynes and Donadio marks the third straight season that Fordham has had a representative on the conference's All-Rookie Team with Matthew Cianci selected in 2012 and Runco in 2013.
 
All four award winners along with the rest of the Rams will take part in the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship, starting on Wednesday, May 21^st, at 2:30 PM against the Saint Joseph's Hawks.  The championship tournament is being held at the Billiken Sports Center in St. Louis, Mo.