Del Prete, Sinatra Honored at East Boston Athletic Board Banquet of Champions

EAST BOSTON – Suffolk baseball's East Boston natives, head coach Anthony Del Prete and freshman hurler Kevin Sinatra were recognized Monday night at the 66th annual East Boston Athletic Board Banquet of Champions at Spinelli's Banquet Hall. Del Prete was given the Walter Spriggs Coach of the Year Award, while Sinatra won The James A. Sartori Achievement Award for a Collegiate Athlete.

Del Prete guided Suffolk to more GNAC glory, the conference championship, his second in two years since taking over the program prior to the start of the 2015 season.  The Rams claimed the program's sixth GNAC title May 8 with a 5-4 victory over Saint Joseph's (Maine) and made their first ever consecutive NCAA appearance and sixth trip to the Big Dance overall. Under the guidance of the "baseball lifer", Suffolk had a banner year, nearly doubling its win total from a year ago with a 33-13 record, which is good for the most wins in New England and the second-most wins in the program's 69-year history.  The Rams, who finished ranked sixth by the NEIBA, garnered four NEIBA All-Region selections and earned postseason accolades by the GNAC including Pitcher of the Year in sophomore Worth Walrod and Rookie of the Year in freshman Jake Frasca.

In his first season in blue-and-gold, Sinatra put together a perfect 7-0 record on the bump in nine appearances. His 1.23 earned-run average stands at the third lowest total among New England pitchers and is ninth among all NCAA Division III arms. The rightie allowed just seven earned runs in 51 1/3 innings pitched on the year and struck out 29 batters. He threw four complete completes and won all four of his starts in conference action on the year, allowing just two earned runs. Sinatra threw a pair of complete game shutouts on the season against Rhode Island (March 26) and Norwich (April 17). For his efforts, he was named a third-team NEIBA All-Region selection and grabbed a spot on the GNAC's All-Conference second team.

The East Boston Athletic Board has helped athletes in the neighborhood reach their full potential and encouraged them to continue their education for the past 66 years. Founded in 1950 by a small group of Eastie residents, the group's first Banquet of Champions was in January 1950.