April 22, 2008

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy baseball outfielder Michael Speciale (So./Pearland, Texas) and infielder Mike Guadagnini (Fr./Virginia Beach, Va.) have been honored as the Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, it was announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

Speciale became the first student-athlete in the Patriot League this season to earn player-of-the-week kudos for a second time. He hit .385 (10-for-26) on the week with eight runs scored, one home run and seven RBIs. In league play, the Navy outfielder boasted a .533 (8-for-15) batting average with seven runs scored and a home run.

A native of Pearland, Texas, Speciale's best performance came in Navy's 16-6 victory at Bucknell last Saturday. He reached base safely in all-six plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with two walks, a home run and two RBIs. Speciale crossed home plate five times in that contest, matching the school record shared by Mark Zematis (April 3, 1999, vs. Lafayette), Toph Lake and Tony Mauro (March 28, 1998, at Lafayette).

On the year, Speciale is hitting .349 (60-for-172) with 45 runs, 11 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 31 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. His 45 runs scored ranks 10th in school history, while his eight long balls are tied for the third-most in the program annals.

Guadagnini enjoyed a productive week at the week, finishing with a .412 (7-for-17) batting average. In the series-opening doubleheader at Bucknell last Saturday, the Navy freshman went 6-for-8 with a home run and six RBIs. In Navy's 4-0 victory in game one, he went 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored against Bucknell ace Jason Buursma. One game later, Guadagnini finished 3-for-5 with a towering home run and three RBIs as the Midshipmen cruised to a 16-6 win.

The product of Virginia Beach, Va., owns a .295 (31-for-105) batting average during his rookie campaign with three doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs. Guadagnini's four round-trippers this year are just one shy of tying the Navy freshman record of five home runs, shared by Marcus Lee in 1991 and Terry Cook in 1974.

The Midshipmen (23-20) kick off a six-game homestand today against Maryland-Eastern Shore (5-33) at 4 p.m. Live stats for all of Navy's home games will be available via GameTracker on www.NavySports.com(.)