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BUFFALO, NY ­ The University at Buffalo baseball squad presented its team awards for the 2002 season at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet held at Samuel's Grande Manor.

Head coach Bill Breene made the following presentations: Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Adrian Daniels (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Tim Sova (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) received the Coach's Award; and Brandon DiCesare (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit) was named the team Most Valuable Player.

Phil Vanhorne

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes himself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Vanhorne gave the Bulls the speed threat that they were lacking over the past two seasons. Vanhorne has stolen 13 bases in his freshman campaign, the most by a UB player this season. He stole two bases while going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in UB's 11-10 victory over Mt. St. Mary's on March 16 in the first game of a doubleheader. He leads the team with three sacrifice flies this season and is third with 27 runs scored. Appearing in 39 games this season, Vanhorne is batting .259.

Adrian Daniels

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in his performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Daniels turned around a rough sophomore season when he hit .176 by raising his average better than 150 points to .333 in 31 games this year. Daniels, a co-captain on the 2002 squad, currently ranks third on the team in batting and went 7-for-8 with five runs scored, four RBIs and a home run in UB's doubleheader sweep over Mt. St. Mary's on March 16. He also drove in four runs, with a triple and a homer, to lead the Bulls to a 17-3 win over Akron on May 5. The second baseman, who missed some time this season with a wrist injury, has compiled a .537 slugging percentage in 2002, second on the team. Daniels also appeared in one game as a pitcher, allowing a run in an inning of work at Southern Mississippi on March 2.

Tim Sova

The Coach's Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Sova has always found a way to get on base for the Bulls over the past two seasons, reaching safely via a hit, base on balls or hit batsman in 74 of his 89 career games. He has been hit a team-high 14 times by pitches this season after being plunked 16 times in 2001. He went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in UB's 11-6 win over Bowling Green and drove in three with a 2-for-2 day at Ohio on April 27. In 2002, Sova is batting .285 and is second on the team with 28 runs scored. He also leads the Bulls with five sacrifices.

Brandon DiCesare

The Most Valuable Player Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through his skills and leadership. DiCesare carried the Bulls both offensively and defensively in 2002. At the plate, he leads the team with 14 doubles and ranks second with a .343 batting average and 31 RBIs, all career-highs. He knocked in a career-best four runs twice in 2002, including a 3-for-5 effort with a pair of doubles in the Bulls' 8-5 win at Southern Mississippi on March 3. The Bulls' starting catcher also drove in four at Mt. St. Mary's in game one of the March 16 doubleheader. DiCesare went 4-for-7 with three RBIs and three runs scored, including a home run, as the Bulls scored a school-record 27 runs in a 27-12 win at Ohio on April 28. Defensively, the junior co-captain has thrown out 30 of 65 potential basestealers, a 46 percent success rate.

The Bulls are 15-25 overall with four games remaining at Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern this weekend. They finished 6-17 in the Mid-American Conference. Both win totals are the most by the program since the sport was reinstated for the 2000 season.