TRENTON, N.J. – Manhattan senior catcher Ramon Ortega (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) and senior second baseman Nick Camastro (Lagrangeville, N.Y./Arlington) were each named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) First Team for the 2013 season. The announcement came as part of the postseason awards banquet on the eve of the MAAC Baseball Championship Tournament.
Ortega, a preseason All-MAAC selection, earned his third league honor and his second spot on the First Team. The Jasper backstop led the team in batting average (.311), home runs (5), and runs batted in (36) in his final season. He started in 49 of the 50 games he played this year and hit .299 with three homers and 18 RBI in conference play. A strong defensive catcher, he was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List in the preseason and threw out 18 of 49 attempted base stealers. Ortega finished his season with 56 hits, giving him 213 for his career which places him 10th in Manhattan history.
Another preseason All-MAAC honoree, Camastro was named to the First Team for the second straight season and picked up his third career conference honor. The middle infielder capped off his stellar career with a .276 batting average including one homer and 13 RBI in 2013. His .380 on-base percentage was second on the team as he worked 17 walks and was hit by a pitch 19 times. A strong fielder, he had a .976 fielding percentage this year, helping to turn 42 double plays. His 56 hits on the year gave him 220 during his career, good for 5th all-time in program history.
The Jaspers saw a strong performance in the classroom this season as well with seven different players earning a spot on the MAAC All-Academic Team. Joining Camastro were fellow senior Kyle Murphy (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross), juniors Chris Kalousdian (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) and Scott McClennan (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall), along with sophomores Nick Girardi (Syosset, N.Y./St. Dominic's), Michael Scarinci (Nanuet, N.Y./Pearl River), and Joe McClennan (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall).
