Three baseball Broncos named to All-MAC teams
May 22, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Three members of the Western Michigan University baseball team were named yesterday to 2003 all-conference teams by the Mid-American Conference.
Senior right-fielder Tom Fabrizio and senior pitcher Keith Perez were named to the All-MAC First Team, while senior pitcher Brad Mumma earned second-team honors.
Fabrizio , of Oak Forest, Ill., led the Broncos in batting (.390), hits (73), doubles (18), RBIs (38) and slugging percentage (.545). He finished fifth among MAC players in hitting and batted .424 in league play. A fifth-year senior, Fabrizio has signed with the San Diego Padres and will be eventually assigned to Idaho Falls in the Class A short-season Pioneer League.
"Based on the type of season Tommy had, I don't think it's any surprise he was selected to the first team. He's in good company--this is the best group of position players I have seen in the MAC in a while," said coach Fred Decker.
Perez of Holly, Mich., paced the WMU pitching staff with seven wins and a 3.10 ERA after missing the entire 2002 season to injury. He posted a 5-1 record in league play and owned the MAC's lowest ERA (2.52). Opposing teams hit just .217 against Perez in MAC action --the lowest mark in the league. Perez set the WMU career record for strikeouts (288), a figure that ranks fifth-best in MAC history.
"Keith's selection was well deserved, he really came on strong down the stretch," said Decker.
Mumma of LaPorte, Ind., shouldered the No. 1 starting spot most of the season, finishing with a 6-4 record and 3.27 ERA. He led MAC players in strikeouts (79) and complete games (7), while finishing fourth in innings pitched (85.1). Mumma also put together a remarkable streak of seven complete games from March 15-April 25.
"Brad really stepped up for us this year when we needed him," said Decker. "He was a leader on the team and had a terrific season."
Western Michigan completed its 2003 campaign with a 25-26 overall record, finishing fourth in the MAC West Division with a 16-12 conference mark.
Media contact: Daniel Jankowski, 269 387-4138, daniel.jankowski@wmich.edu