JEFF RUSTICO NAMED NORTHEAST-10 ALL-CONFERENCE

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. (May 15, 2006) - Sophomore catcher Jeff Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.) of the American International College baseball team was selected Northeast-10 Third Team All-Conference by a vote of the league's head coaches, it was announced Monday afternoon.  Rustico becomes the first Yellow Jacket baseball player to be named All-Conference since the 2002 season and the first All-Conference catcher for AIC since former Boston Red Sox farmhand Dana LeVangie collected First Team and Player of the Year honors from the NE-10 in 1991.

Rustico started 37 of 38 games this season behind the dish for American International and batted a team-high .270 with 17 runs batted in, good for second on the club.  He ranked third on the club with nine multi-hit games, including a career-high four hits against Stonehill on March 25.  He went a combined 7-12 in a doubleheader against the Skyhawks that day.  Rustico also threw out 19 of 50 would-be base-stealers this season (38%) and has thrown out 37.8% of would-be basestealers over his two-year career.

Over his first two seasons, Rustico has started all but one game, primarily at catcher, and has collected 68 hits and 29 runs batted in to go along with a .252 batting average. 

The AIC baseball team posted its highest win total since the 2002 season this year and has increased its win total in each of the last two seasons.