ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team received a pair of awards from the Empire 8 Conference on Monday afternoon, as Nick Cottone '19 was tabbed as the E8 Pitcher of the Week and Mason Ryan '22 earned Rookie of the Week honors.

In his record-tying 10th start of the spring, Cottone secured his third victory with yet another quality start in a 10-4 triumph against Utica College. The fourth-year righty from Toms River, New Jersey, surrendered three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 7.0 innings of work. He also struck out 10 batters – his second game with double-digit strikeouts and just one shy of his team single-game record – versus one walk on 104 pitches.

The 6-foot-5-inch flamethrower began his outing with five consecutive scoreless frames. He did so by stranding the bases loaded in the second, fanning two Pioneers in both the third and fourth innings, and mowing down the Utica side in order in the fifth.

In his final season donning the Purple and Gold, Cottone was nothing short of dominate. He compiled one of the best seasons by an Elmira starter in five years as a varsity program, going 3-3 with a 3.96 ERA and two team records: 70 strikeouts and a .223 batting average against. He ranks second in the Empire 8 in each of his record-setting categories.

Ryan collected his first weekly award from the conference office after pacing the Soaring Eagles with a .320 batting average, eight hits, seven runs, and four doubles. He also was among team leaders with four stolen bases and a trio of RBIs.

The freshman shortstop had at least one hit in four of EC's six games, which included a pair of performances with a career-high three hits.  When the Soaring Eagles walked off against Keuka College on Tuesday, April 30, Ryan went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. In the 2019 finale on Sunday against Utica, the Union-Endicott High School product established a new team record by slugging three doubles, in addition to two RBIs and two runs.

Over the course of his debut campaign, Ryan has been a mainstay at short and near the top of the lineup. His 36 starts were the most among all freshmen, while he ranked fourth among qualified hitters with a .258 batting average. Despite his rookie status, Ryan was first among all Soaring Eagles in runs (20) and stolen bases (10).