NJAC NEWS ARCHIVE

2007-08

January 27, 2008

KEAN'S IOVIERO AND AUGUSTINE HONORED BY THE
NEW JERSEY SPORT WRITERS ASSOCIATION

DUO RECOGNIZED AT THE ORGANIZATION'S 72ND ANNUAL BANQUET

Kean head baseball coach Neil Ioviero and 2007 NJAC Pitcher of the Year Joe Augustine were honored by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association at its 72nd anniversary banquet held in Edison on January 27. Ioviero was recognized as the College Baseball Coach of the Year, while Augustine was honored as the College Baseball Pitcher of the Year.

Augustine and Ioviero were among a number of distinguished individuals in New Jersey professional and amateur sports to be honored including Rutgers head women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, New York Mets pitcher Billy Wagner, and New York Jets running back Leon Washington.

Ioviero, who was also selected as the ABCA/Rawlings Division III National Coach of the Year, ABCA/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) Division II/III Coach of the Year, and the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Coach of the Year, has accumulated a 281-125-2 record in his 10 years at the helm of the Cougar program. Ioviero's club captured the program's first national championship last spring, and just the second in school history.

Augustine, who concluded his four year career at Kean this past spring, finished his collegiate career with a 25-7 overall record in 35 starts, recording 14 complete games. A 2007 ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-American, he sported a 3.09 ERA in 253 innings of work and also fanned 224 batters while allowing just 67 walks. This spring, Augustine broke the single-season strikeout mark with 103, while also tying the win mark at 9. At the conclusion of the 2007 season, Augustine continued his baseball career by signing a minor-league free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals.