Tuesday, May 18, 2004

THREE NAMED TO BASEBALL ALL-NEW ENGLAND TEAMS

MEDFORD – The All-Star selection committee of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) met at Tufts on Monday and determined the 2004 All-New England teams. Three Jumbos were recognized among the 44 players honored. Only two teams, Eastern Connecticut and Southern Maine, had more players on the teams than the Jumbos, who had three along with Western New England, Babson and Johnson & Wales.

Senior pitching ace Randy Newsom (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) was awarded All-New England Second Team. Third baseman Adam Kacamburas (North Reading, MA/North Reading) earned All-New England Third Team honors in his senior season. Freshman Kyle Backstrom (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) showed the promise of things to come by receiving All-New England Third Team honors at DH.

Newsom won six games and led the NESCAC with 57 strike outs. His five complete games ranked second in the conference, while his 3.10 earned run average was seventh. Opponents hit just .231 off Newsom, who finished his four-year Tufts career 18-7 with 165 strike outs and a 3.05 era in 209.1 innings. He will pitch in the NEIBA All-Star Game at Fenwway Park on May 30.

Kacamburas was the spark at the top of the batting order that the young Tufts team needed. He was third in NESCAC with 33 runs scored, more than one per game. His 10 doubles tied for seventh in the conference, and he also has third-place ties in steals (13) and walks (26). Kacamburas hit .322 with 21 runs batted in and a .448 on-base percentage this spring.

Backstrom was a young slugger, leading the team and finishing among the top 10 in NESCAC with a .562 slugging percentage. His 28 runs batted in did the same. Backstrom finished at .354 with nine doubles, one triple and three home runs. /All three homers came in one game at Babson College, a 9-4 win on April 27, when he drove in eight runs.

The Jumbos finished 18-14 this spring.

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