Cimino named Jack Rafeld OAC Player of the Year and four others Pioneers named All-OAC in 2009
Senior third baseman becomes the 21st Pioneer to earn league honor

By: Logan Wern, SID Intern
May 11, 2009
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) released its 2009 All-OAC Baseball Teams and Special Award Winners Monday (May 11) and five Marietta College student-athletes were among the 45 to receive recognition.

Senior third baseman Cameron Cimino (Boardman) and junior designated hitter Chris Beatty (Seven Fields Pa./Hampton) both earned first team honors. Cimino was also named Jack Rafeld OAC Player of the Year. In addition, sophomore first baseman Casey Levens (Dayton/Centerville), freshman pitcher Brian Gasser (New Philadelphia/Indian Valley), and senior pitcher T.J. Knowlton (Greenwich/Mapleton) all received honorable mention.

Under the direction of sixth-year Head Coach Brian Brewer, the Pioneers battled some of the toughest teams in the nation as well as the weather to finish the regular season 29-15 overall and 12-6 in the OAC. Marietta went 3-3 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the nation and had 18 games that were either postponed or canceled because of weather conditions.

Marietta, which won national championships in 1981, 1983, 1986 and 2006, received one of the 13 at-large bids to the national tournament after finishing runner-up in both the OAC regular season and OAC Tournament. The third-seeded Pioneers will open Mideast Regional play on Wednesday (May 13) night against fourth-seeded Adrian (Mich.), which is hosting the six-team regional tournament. [Mideast Regional Tournament web site]

The Etta Express will be making its record 34th trip to the Mideast Regional, dating back to its first appearance in 1971. The Pioneers have advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series a record 20 times, including the last four occasions that they have participated in Mideast Regional.

Cimino is the 21st Pioneer to be named the Jack Rafeld OAC Player of the Year and received All-OAC first team honors for the second time in as many years. With a batting average of .439, and a tally of 72 hits, 51 runs, 16 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 164 at-bats, Cimino has no doubt contributed to Marietta's success this year. Cimino, who has a team-best 16-game hitting streak earlier in the year, also leads the squad with 21 multiple-hit games, including five four-hit performances.

Beatty currently leads Marietta with 12 home runs and 52 RBI, while ranking second on the squad with a .393 batting average. The backup catcher has added three triples and 10 doubles to go along with 39 runs scored. Beatty paces the team with 17 multiple-RBI games and ranks second with 17 multiple-hit games.

Levens is putting up offensive numbers that rank on par with both Cimino and Beatty despite missing 16 games with an injury. The sophomore ranks third on the team with a .330 batting average while adding 14 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 39 RBI. Levens has 11 multiple-hit and 10 multiple-RBI games this season.

Knowlton, a 2008 All-OAC first team and 2007 All-OAC second team selection, currently leads the team with 15 starts and two complete games. In 63 innings, the senior right-hander is 3-1 with 35 strikeouts and a 4.86 ERA. Knowlton has posted a season-high five strikeouts on three different occasions.

Gasser quickly emerged as Marietta’s second starter as a freshman in 2009. The right-hander is currently 5-3 with a 5.37 ERA in 15 appearances, which includes 10 starts. Gasser has struck out a team-best 51 hitters over the course of 63 2/3 innings. He has collected a season-high nine strikeouts in two different outings this season.

Marietta fans can listen to all of the Pioneer's Mideast Regional action on WMOA-AM 1490 and online at http://pioneers.marietta.edu/onlinebroadcasts.html.Live statistics of all the games will also be available at http://www.adrian.edu/sports/livestats/xlive.htm.