Newport News, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its baseball All-Conference teams and major awards on Tuesday afternoon, as voted upon by the league's coaches. Fordham was well represented as six Rams found their way onto the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team, the All-Rookie Team, or the Academic All-Conference Team.
Junior outfielder
Mark Donadio (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) led the way earning Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors, while freshman catcher
Justin Bardwell (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills) and freshman pitcher
Reiss Knehr (Glen Head, N.Y./St. Dominic) were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Graduate student
Ryan McNally (Sparta, N.J./Pope John XXIII), senior
Joseph Runco (Spring Brook Township, Pa./North Pocono), and junior
Matthew Kozuch (Glen Rock, N.J./Saint Joseph Regional) were all selected to the Academic All-Conference Team, as voted on by the league's sports information directors.
With the selection of Bardwell and Knehr to the All-Rookie Team, Fordham has had at least one All-Rookie Team selection in each of head coach
Kevin Leighton's five years at Fordham.
Mark Donadio
Donadio had a solid season for the Rams, playing in all 55 games as the Rams' starting right fielder. He led the Rams with a .308 batting average and a .387 on-base percentage, while finishing second in runs scored (33), hits (60), doubles (9), triples (3), and RBI (31). An Atlantic 10 Player of the Week selection once during the season, he was Fordham's top hitter in conference play at .349 with 17 runs scored, seven doubles, and 14 RBI.
Bardwell made an immediate impact for the Rams, starting 46 of 50 games at catcher. He batted .277 overall with nine doubles, two triples, a home run, and 25 RBI. He finished tied for third on the team in doubles and RBI. In league play, he batted .275 with 11 runs scored, six doubles, and 14 RBI.
Knehr also made an impact in his first season, but his came on the mound. An Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection late in the season, he led Fordham with a 1.10 ERA, while holding opponents to a batting average under .200. He went 2-2 with two saves out of the Rams' bullpen, posting 36 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched.
McNally earns his second straight Academic All-Conference honor, after claiming Academic All-District honors earlier this year. After graduating in just three years with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, he currently has a 3.81 GPA in Gabelli Graduate School of Business, earning his degree in Global Finace. McNally has also had a career year in the field, setting career-highs in hits (50), runs (37), home runs (10), and RBI (37), and became the eighth Ram to reach double-digit home runs in a single season.
Runco picks up his third Academic All-Conference accolade in a year that he was a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award for his work in the classroom, community, and on the field. A four-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's honor roll, he graduated this past Saturday with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management. This season, he became Fordham's all-time leader in games played (215) and at bats, and moved into second in career hits (237) and third in stolen bases (88). He ended the season, batting .271 with 33 runs scored, 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 25 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.
Justin Bardwell
Kozuch gets his second straight nod to the Academic All-Conference team after being named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's honor roll for the third straight year. A Finance major, he holds a 3.84 GPA and has been placed on the Dean's List the last two years. Though he got off to a rough start, Kozuch battled back to hit .316 in conference play, and finished the year with seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 20 RBI.
