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CASAL, SAXON SELECTED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN BY COLLEGIATE BASEBALL

February 11, 2008

Courtesy of Matt McLagan, Caldwell SID

CALDWELL, N.J. - Caldwell College baseball players Robert Casal (Howard Beach, NY/St. Francis Prep) and Adric Saxon (Coral Springs, FL/Broward CC) were among 10 players from the Northeast Region named NCAA Division II Pre-Season All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball, a national publication that covers all levels of college baseball. Additionally, senior pitcher Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY/Washingtonville) was mentioned as a player to watch, while freshman infielder Juan Mejia (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine Prep) was included among the newcomers to watch.

Casal, a sophomore pitcher, and Saxon, a sophomore outfielder, both earned all-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference first team and all-Northeast Region second team honors after outstanding freshman seasons in 2007. Casal went 10-1 with an earned run average of 3.74 while leading the team in strikeouts (75) and innings pitched (74 2/3). The right-hander also was named to the NJCBA all-state first team and the ECAC Division II All-Star Team.

Saxon paced the Cougars at the plate, hitting .365 with 13 home runs and 62 runs batted in. He became the first Cougar baseball player to lead the nation in a statistical category after averaging 1.55 RBIs per game. Also a first team all-state selection, Saxon was chosen the Northeast Region Rookie of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Murphy was 3-1 on the mound with 31 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. He also batted .328 with 29 RBIs and a team-best 15 stolen bases while playing mostly at shortstop. A first team all-CACC honoree in 2006, Murphy was named to the CACC all-Tournament team last spring. Mejia is a corner infielder who batted .481 and earned first team all-conference honors as a senior last year at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, N.J.

The Cougars, coached by Chris Reardon, advanced to the NCAA Division II Northeast Region Tournament in 2007 after capturing the CACC regular-season crown. Caldwell, which finished the season 25-15, will be playing four teams that are included in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Top 40: No. 22 West Chester on Feb. 22, No. 7 Franklin Pierce University on Mar. 8, No. 7 Tusculum College on Mar. 16 and Mar. 19, and No. 38 Adelphi on Mar. 28. The 2008 season starts Feb. 22, when Caldwell travels to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for the Northeast Challenge.