May 24, 2005

Three Duquesne University baseball players received post-season recognition at the Atlantic 10 Championship banquet Tuesday evening led by junior Steve Maiolo who was named the Atlantic 10 Baseball Student-Athlete of the Year. Maiolo was also an All-Conference First Team selection an and All-Academic Team honoree as were teammates sophomore Joe Berletic and senior Bob Reifschneider.

Maiolo earned the top academic honor after posting a 3.96 grade point average in secondary education/citizenship. The junior shortstop from Pittsburgh, PA, was named a 2005 ESPN The Magazine District 2 Academic All-American and is a two-time Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honoree. He is a member of Duquesne's Dean's List and has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Director of Athletics Honor Roll every semester thus far. On the field, he leads the Dukes in batting with a .350 average and is also the team leader in runs batted in (32) and doubles (15).

Berletic is a pharmacy major and is also second on the team in batting with a .318 average. He is a member of the Dean's List, Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Director of Athletics Honor Roll.

Reifschneider makes his second appearance on the A-10's Academic All-Conference team. A finance major, he leads the Dukes with 72 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched and has three wins with a 5.50 ERA. He too is a member of the Dean's List, Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Director of Athletics Honor Roll.

The Dukes begin Atlantic 10 Championship play Wednesday as they face Dayton at noon at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, OH. The live stats of the game can be followed on the web at www.atlantic10.org.