May 21, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - In the last weekend of the season, La Salle University Baseball's John Malloy earned his fourth Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor after batting .400 for the week and hitting his first collegiate home run.

Last Tuesday at St. Peter's, Malloy hit a two-run home run to help the Explorers to a 13-7 victory over the Peacocks.

Then, in his final A-10 series at Fordham, he had three hits in both Friday's and Saturday's games - to increase his season total to 69 - a La Salle freshman record and the eighth-best mark in a single season at the school.

He finished the year with five straight hits - getting two in his final two at bats in La Salle's 13-inning, 5-4 loss. He actually sparked the Explorers' three-run rally in the eighth to tie the game with his 17th double of the year - a La Salle freshman record and third all-time in a single season.

Then in the rain-shortened five-inning, 3-0 loss to end the year, Malloy was a perfect 3-for-3, collecting three of La Salle's five hits in the game. It was his sixth game of the year with at least three hits - a team-high.

Malloy's fourth honor of the year is twice as many as any other A-10 freshmen. Richmond's Matt Zielinski has received the award twice and Charlotte's Bryan Hamilton was named co-Rookie twice.

Since 2000, four of the last five freshmen who have had at least three A-10 Player of the Week honors have gone on to be named A-10 Rookie of the Year. The only time was in 2004, when both Tom Shanley of George Washington and Richmond's Ben Zeskind both had four nods and Shanley picked up the postseason honor.

Voting for the 2007 A-10 Rookie of the Year and all other postseason honors is being conducted and the A-10 will announce all of the award winners in the next few days.