May 1, 2008

WORCESTER, Mass. - Senior catcher Brendan Akashian (Lowell, Mass.), a member of the Holy Cross baseball team, has received the 2008 Hop Riopel Award. The award was presented at the 53rd annual Holy Cross Varsity Club dinner, held at the Hogan Campus Center on Satruday, May 3.

The Riopel Award is presented each year to the most valuable player of the Crusader baseball team.

Akashian, who also won the Riopel Award last year, is batting .321 on the season, with three home runs and a team-best 30 runs batted in. He leads the Crusaders with a .460 on-base percentage, in addition to posting a .438 slugging percentage. Over the course of his Holy Cross career, Akashian owns a .304 batting average with nine homers and 77 runs batted in.

Akashian has helped the Crusaders to just their third all-time Patriot League Tournament appearance, and their first 20-win season since 1980.