5/27/2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? Three Georgetown baseball players were recognized by the BIG EAST when the conference announced Wednesday night the recipients of its 2004 season honors. Included in the group was First Team All-BIG EAST selection Michael Lombardi (Brookhaven Hamlet, N.Y./ St. Anthony's), a senior catcher and the first Georgetown baseball player since 1996 to earn First Team honors.
Junior designated hitter Billy Quinn (Alta Loma, Calif./ Alta Loma) was named to the Second Team and senior left fielder Ron Cano (El Segundo, Calif./ El Segundo) was named to the Third Team to round out the Hoyas' honorees.
Lombardi earned Georgetown's only offensive Player of the Week award this season, and finished 13th in the conference in batting average with a mark of .348. He led the team in both average and on-base percentage (.426), and tied for the team lead in runs batted-in with 37. He had four home runs, including one in the final at-bat of his collegiate career when the Hoyas finished up their season on May 17 against Villanova.
Quinn battled an injury this year that forced him to miss over a third of the team's games, but still managed to hit .341 with five home runs and 31 runs batted-in. He led the team in slugging percentage (.558), and was also a force on the mound and in right field, as his strong arm kept both opposing batters and runners at bay. Although positioned at designated hitter much of the year, he started five games in right field, and nailed two Villanova base runners in a terrific defensive showing in the Hoyas' closing series against the Wildcats. He?recorded a perfect 0.00 ERA in four appearances on the mound throughout the season.
Cano posted the Hoyas' third best batting average at .320, and was second on the team in stolen bases, with eight. He drove in 21 runs, and was third on the team in doubles (12) and tied for the team-lead in triples (2). A dependable four-year starter, Cano ended his Georgetown career as the program's all-time leader in at-bats (738).
The selection of athletes for the awards was determined through voting of the league's 11 head coaches. The Hoyas finished the 2004 season 8-17 in conference and 25-30 overall.????
