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NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Phil Messerian of Felician College has claimed Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Baseball Player of the Week honors. Pitcher of the Week accolades went to Thomas Forkin of Caldwell College, while Felician's Joe Petosa was tabbed Rookie of the Week.

Messerian, a 6-2 senior outfielder from Fair Lawn, N.J., hit .533 in five games with six runs scored, three runs batted in, two triples and one double. He combined to go 4-for-7 with four runs scored in a double-header against Franklin Pierce. He earned a .867 slugging percentage for the week.

Forkin, a senior right-hander from Oceanside, N.Y., fanned a career-high 10 batters and did not allow an earned run over 8.0 innings of work in a victory over Saint Michael's on Sunday.

Petosa, a 5-10 freshman outfielder from Spotswood, N.J., hit .400 in five games with seven runs scored, three RBI, one double, one triple and one stolen base. He drove in two runs and stole a base in game two of a double-header against Franklin Pierce. He crossed the plate twice and had two hits against both Molloy and Southern Connecticut.

Honorable Mention

Alberto Ruiz, Bloomfield (Jr., OF, 6-0, Edison, NJ) - Hit .387 in Florida, including a 5-7 performance with two doubles and two RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of Concordia. Went 3-4 against Adelphi.

Dan Robinson, Dominican (Jr., OF/DH, Massapequa, NY) - Hit .500 in two games with three RBI and two runs scored.

Todd Craig, Dominican (Sr., RHP, Shenandoah, PA)  -  Allowed one ER and fanned six in 5.0 IP in a win over Molloy.

Bryan Henry, Chestnut Hill (Jr., C, Columbus, NJ) - Recorded a .444 average with four RBI and two 2B in opening week. 

CACC Notes

Bloomfield - The Deacons opened their 2010 campaign with a weekend trip to North Carolina for a four-game set against UNC Pembroke. The weekend was filled with career firsts for Bloomfield, as senior Delroy Cox and sophomore Mike Amonica belted their first career home runs. Senior lefty Matt Snyder had three outstanding starts, allowing two earned runs over five innings against the nationally-ranked Braves. The anchor of the Bloomfield rotation continued his superb work on the mound when the team traveled to West Palm Beach for their annual Spring Break trip, opening the week by allowing just two earned runs while striking out eight over six innings of work in a 9-6 loss to Saint Rose, and orchestrated seven outstanding innings of three-run ball against regionally-ranked Adelphi, picking up a no-decision in a 6-5 extra-inning loss. The stellar pitching continued into the next day, as junior Steve Godowski fanned 10 in five innings as the Deacons used a six-run ninth inning to top regionally-ranked Concordia 9-6. Sophomore Brad Smith completed the doubleheader sweep with six innings of one-run ball, as senior Jon Walsh picked up his first save of the season in a 4-1 victory. Junior left fielder Alberto Ruiz led the offensive charge on the day, going 5-7 for the doubleheader with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Overall, Ruiz hit .387 for the trip, leading the Deacons in hitting while mashing five doubles over eight games. Walsh picked up BC’s third victory of the trip, needing just 77 pitches over seven innings of work to take a 2-1 victory over C.W. Post. Sophomore Rafael Cruz worked the ninth to pick up his first save. Sophomore right fielder Emilio Fernandez led the team in stolen bases for the week, swiping four bags over the eight games while hitting .281 for the trip.

Caldwell - The Cougars began their Florida trip on Saturday with a 1-0 loss to No. 15 Franklin Pierce at the Palm Beach Challenge in Lantana, Fla. The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader saw Caldwell lose to Palm Beach Atlantic 7-1. On Sunday, the Cougars picked up their first win of the trip with a 4-1 victory over St. Michael’s. Caldwell plays six games in Florida next week.

Chestnut Hill - Chestnut Hill College opened their 2010 season with a 1-5 week in Ft. Pierce Florida. The Griffins’ lone win came against the University of the Sciences (9-3) in a non-conference meeting. The Griffins improve to 6-2 all-time against the Devils.

USP - Mark Perry (Toms River, N.J.) hit safely in seven of the Devils eight games in Florida and leads Sciences with a .333 batting average. He and senior Mark Forbes (Hockessin, Del.) are tied for the team lead with nine hits. The USP catching corps (Forbes and Dennis Murphy (Mullica Hill, N.J.) have thrown out nine of 29 runners trying to steal a base – an additional five runners were also picked off base. USP returns to action up north this week when it faces West Chester University on Wednesday and hosts East Stroudsburg University on Friday.