May 21, 2002

Huskies Named All-PSAC in Baseball

BLOOMSBURG—Three Bloomsburg University baseball players were named All-PSAC in voting by the conference coaches this season.

Earning first team honors was Jason Helcoski (Jessup/Valley View), while Brian Sperling (Levittown/Neshaminy) and Matt Wiltrout (Macungie/Emmaus) picked up second team honors.

Helcoski, the Huskies' team MVP, hit .355 for the season with a team-high 10 home runs and a team-high 44 RBI. He also led the team in total bases with 96 and in slugging percentage with a mark of .632. Helcoski, a first baseman, also topped all regular players in the lineup with a ,991 fielding percentage making just three errors in 330 chances. His best game of the season was in Florida against Bluefield State when he hit two homers and drove in three runs in a 14-0 win.

The senior was a two-time MVP for the Huskies and finished his career with 22 home runs and 79 RBI with a batting average of .365.

Sperling, the Huskies designated hitter during the year, led the team in battling with a mark of .420 while hitting three home runs and driving in 40. He was also successful on 14 of 16 stolen base attempts and led the team in doubles with 18. He finished second in slugging percentage with a mark of .626 and was fourth in total bases with 82.

His best doubleheader of the season came at home against West Chester when he went 6-8 in two games with two homers and 11 RBI and scored four runs. He drove in seven of the runs in one game as the Huskies swept the Golden Rams. He earned PSAC Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

Wiltrout, a starting pitcher for Bloomsburg, was 4-4 with a 3.77 ERA. Wiltrout led the Huskies in innings with 57.1 and was second in strikeouts with 40. Two of Wiltrout's best games of the season came in back to back outings against NCAA qualifiers Mansfield and Kutztown. In a 1-0 loss to Mansfield, Wiltrout allowed just one run in six innings while striking out three and not issuing a walk. He followed that up with a nine inning, 2-1, win over Kutztown where he allowed just five hits and struck out five against the eventual PSAC champions.

Bloomsburg finished the year at 24-24.