NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The University of Southern Maine earned three of the four major awards this afternoon when the 2009 Little East baseball all-conference teams were announced by the conference office after a vote by each of the eight head coaches. Senior outfielder Anthony D'Alfonso (Westbrook, Maine) was named the player of the year, while classmate Tim Therrian (New Portland, Maine) was honored as the pitcher of the year. Ed Flaherty was tabbed as the coach of the year, while Keene State College freshman outfielder Cody Callahan (Seekonk, Mass.) was selected as the rookie of the year.

The Little East Conference honors a 12-member first and second all-conference team. Eastern Connecticut State University and the Huskies shared the most number of honorees with seven, while the Owls were just one off the pace. The University of Massachusetts Boston and Rhode Island College each placed a pair of student-athletes to complete the 2009 all-conference teams.

D'Alfonso is the third straight and sixth overall Southern Maine student-athlete to be named the top player in the Little East circuit. The Westbrook, Maine product was the catalyst for the most explosive offensive attack in the nation (11.8 runs per game) by ranking third in the country in runs batted in (71). D'Alfonso hit safely in 33 of the 39 games he appeared in, including 24 games with multiple hits. He hit .430 (74-for-158) with 28 extra base hits-17 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs-and scored 50 runs. D'Alfonso drove in a season-high five runs twice, including a three-for-six outing against Western Connecticut on April 19. He is also making his second straight appearance on the All-Little East first-team as an outfielder.

Therrian is just the second Huskies' player to be honored as the top pitcher in the conference, and first since Ryan Adams was among the major award winners in 2002. The native of New Portland, Maine led the Little East in innings pitched (64.2) and wins (9), while ranking fourth in earned run average (3.48) and seventh in opposing batting average (.273). In 11 appearances, Therrian started nine games to post a 9-0 record with 51 strikeouts, while allowing just 14 walks. He registered a season-high in strikeouts against Rhode Island College on April 25 with nine to earn his second complete-game victory on the campaign. Therrian is making his debut on the all-conference, first-team.

Callahan led all Little East Conference rookies in nearly every offensive category: batting average (.455), doubles (19), hits (65), on-base percentage (.524), RBI (52), and slugging percentage (.790). He is just the third Owls' student-athlete to earn at least a share of the top rookie award. Callahan made an immediate impact in the Keene State lineup, beginning his collegiate career with a season-high 13 game hitting streak. He hit safely in 32 of his 38 games, including registering multiple knocks 18 times. In his college debut, Callahan went four-for five to drive in a season-best seven runs against The College of New Jersey on March 14. The All-Little East, second-team pick smacked 29 extra base hits, including nine home runs, to record 113 total bases on the campaign. He was named the top hitter in the nation for the week ending March 22 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Flaherty was named the top skipper in the Little East for the fourth time in his career, after leading Southern Maine to an overall record of 35-7, including a 12-2 mark in the conference circuit. The Huskies were ranked atop the final editions of the D3Baseball.com Top 25 poll and the American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) Division III Top-30 survey. Southern Maine earned the top seed and right to host the Little East Baseball Championship. Under his guidance, the Huskies' boasted a pair of winning streaks over 10 games, including a season-high 17-game run between April 2 and 24. Flaherty and his squad accepted the program's 18th invitation to the NCAA Division III Tournament field, receiving one of just 13 at-large bids.

Initially formed in 1986 as a six-team men's and women's basketball conference, the Little East Conference has since grown to its present eight-school membership, sponsoring championship play in 19 intercollegiate athletics: baseball; men's and women's basketball; men's and women's cross country; field hockey; men's and women's lacrosse; men's and women's soccer; softball; women's swimming; men's and women's tennis; men's and women's indoor track; men's and women's outdoor track and women's volleyball.