WALTHAM, Mass. - Brandeis University juniors Drake Livada of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and John O'Brion of Portland, Maine, have each been named to the 2009 University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Association baseball team. Livada was a first-team selection at first base, while O'Brion was a second-team choice at second base.
Livada was one of only two Brandeis players to appear in all 41 games this season, starting 40 of them. He was second on the team in batting average at .347, while leading the squad with 50 hits, 70 total bases and 30 RBI and tying for the team lead with four home runs. Livada also finished second on the team with a .486 slugging percentage and was fifth with a .388 on-base percentage. His 15 multiple-hit games topped the squad, while his eight games with multiple RBI were second on the team. Livada had one remarkable stretch when he hit safely in eight straight games, including six with at least two hits, raising his batting average more than 75 points, from .290 to .366, earning UAA Player of the Week honors. The highlight of the stretch was a 4-5 performance with two RBI in a 9-2 win over UMass-Boston on April 23, tying for the Judges' season-high for hits in a game.
O'Brion, who missed 11 games this season with an injury, ended up starting 28 of the Judges' last 30 contests. He went on to lead the team in batting average (.352), slugging (.560) and on-base percentage (.454). O'Brion tied with Livada for the team lead with four home runs, while tying for second with seven doubles and fourth with 22 runs scored. His 16 RBI were fifth on the squad. O'Brion had eight multi-hit games and drove in multiple runs three times. His best game of the campaign was in the first game of a doubleheader with Clark University on April 4, when he helped Brandeis to a 13-6 win by going 2-3 with four RBI, including a three-run home run that gave the team a 6-1 lead after the first inning.
The Brandeis baseball team, in head coach Pete Varney's 28th season, finished with a record of 16-25. The Judges finished fifth in the University Athletic Association.
Livada is a 2006 graduate of Cape Elizabeth High School. He is the son of Evan and Marcia Livada of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
O'Brion is a 2006 graduate of Portland High School. He is the son of Martin and Debra O'Brion, Portland, Maine.