Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball's Donato, Cillo and Runyan Named All-Patriot League
5/8/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 8, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell baseball veterans Bob Donato (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport), Alex Cillo (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township) and Gerry Runyan (Milton, Pa./Milton Area) earned All-Patriot League honors Tuesday, the league office announced. Donato earned his first career first-team citation, while Cillo and Runyan were on the second team. It was Cillo's second consecutive second-team award, while Runyan appeared on an All-League team for the first time in his career.
All three of the Bison honorees hail from the local area as Donato and Cillo are Williamsport natives and Runyan is from Milton. All three are also seniors who will be graduating later this month.
Donato, who was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2011, was Bucknell's top offensive player in 2012. He led the team in batting average (.362), runs (32), hits (64), doubles (16), home runs (6), RBIs (31), total bases (100), slugging percentage (.565), walks (25), on-base percentage (.444) and stolen bases (8). He was hitting above .400 as late as April 10 and put together a 21-game hitting streak from Feb. 18 to April 4. Overall, Donato had at least one hit in 38 of 46 games played this year.
Donato, the John F. Zeller Award winner at the Bucknell Athletics Department's Senior Recognition Dinner, posted a team-high 19 multi-hit games this spring, was second on the squad with six multi-RBI outings and he reached base in all but two games. Perhaps Donato's best game as a senior came Feb. 25 at James Madison when he was 4-for-7 with eight RBIs, two home runs and three runs scored. He tied the program record for RBIs in a single game and came one hit shy of equaling Doug Shribman's total bases mark (12).
A four-year starter and the team's leadoff hitter, Donato will graduate ranked in the top 10 on 11 Bison career record lists: doubles (1st, 56), games played (3rd, 186), total bases (3rd, 347), at bats (3rd, 677), games started (t-3rd, 179), hits (t-3rd, 210), home runs (4th, 23), sacrifice flies (6th, 9), walks (t-7th, 68), runs (8th, 129) and RBIs (10th, 105).
One of the Patriot League's best and most durable relievers over the second half of his career, Cillo earned his second All-League honor after posting a 3-0 record with a team-best 2.77 ERA and six saves this past season. He was a combined 7-1 with a 2.33 ERA, seven saves and 76 strikeouts over his final two campaigns as a Bison.
A right-hander, Cillo did not allow an earned run over his final three appearances in 2012, a span of 10.0 innings. Included in that stretch was a scoreless seven-inning relief performance against first-place Army that gave Bucknell a chance to hand the Black Knights their first league loss of the year. Earlier in the year, Cillo put together a streak of 12.0 innings without allowing an earned run and a 10.0-inning stretch without yielding a hit.
Cillo will graduate ranked fourth on Bucknell's all-time strikeouts-per-nine-innings list (8.63). No one that has played in the last 25 years is ranked above him.
Donato and Cillo are the 25th and 26th Bison all-time to earn at least two career All-Patriot League honors.
Runyan, the Bison's leading hitter as a junior in 2011, was recognized for the first time by the Patriot League after hitting .283 with one home run and 19 RBIs this past spring. He played a solid right field and was among the team leaders with a .350 on-base percentage, while his 25 runs scored ranked third on the team.
A right-hander and a two-year starter, Runyan began the year with four consecutive multi-hit games at James Madison and stretched that season-opening hitting streak to nine games. He kept his average above .300 most of the year and totaled 13 extra-base hits. Runyan was tied for third on the squad with 12 multi-hit games and fourth on the team with five multi-RBI outings. He also reached base in 15 consecutive games at one point.
Army, the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, swept the four major awards as Kevin McKague was named Player of the Year, Chris Rowley was named Pitcher of the Year, Harold Earls earned Rookie of the Year accolades and Joe Sottolano copped Coach of the Year plaudits. The Black Knights and second-place Holy Cross both had seven All-Patriot League honorees to pace the six-team league.
Bucknell wrapped up the 2012 campaign with a 21-28 overall record, including 7-13 in Patriot League play. The Bison tied Lafayette for fourth place in the league standings, but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker that decided the final Patriot League Tournament berth.
First Team All-Patriot League
SP: Chris Rowley, Army
SP: Nate Koneski, Holy Cross
RP: John Colella, Holy Cross
C: J.T. Watkins, Army
1B: Kevin McKague, Army
2B: Zach Price, Army
3B: Mike Ahmed, Holy Cross
SS: Alexis Maldonado, Holy Cross
OF: Bob Donato, Bucknell
OF: Patrick Puentes, Holy Cross
OF: Alex Azor, Navy
DH: Mark McCants, Army
Second Team All-Patriot League
SP: Logan Lee, Army
SP: Cory Kent, Lehigh
SP: Preston Gainey, Navy
RP: Alex Cillo, Bucknell
C: Chad Warga, Lehigh
1B: Jordan Enos, Holy Cross
2B: Kevin Casey, Lafayette
3B: Greg Dupell, Navy
SS: Brendan McGaheran, Lehigh
OF: Cody Murtle, Army
OF: Gerry Runyan, Bucknell
OF: Brandon Cipolla, Holy Cross
OF: Joe Abeln, Lehigh
DH: Tyler Brong, Lehigh
* The All-Patriot League Second Team has an extra starting pitcher and extra outfielder due to a tie in voting.
2012 Patriot League Major Awards
Player of the Year: Kevin McKague, Army, Sr.
Pitcher of the Year: Chris Rowley, Army, Jr.
Rookie of the Year: Harold Earls, Army, Fr.
Coach of the Year: Joe Sottolano, Army
