GORHAM, Maine -- Two members of the University of Southern Maine baseball team have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division III All-America team that was announced Thursday evening at the pre-tournament banquet for NCAA Division III Championship Finals being played in Grand Chute, Wisconsin.

Named to the ABCA All-America first team was junior outfielder Anthony D’Alfonso (Westbrook, Maine), and selected to the third team was junior shortstop Chris Burleson (Portland, Maine/Deering). The two are the first USM players named to the ABCA All-America team since outfielder Ryan Bourque was picked to the second team in 2006.

This is the first time since 2001 that two USM players have been named to the All-America team in the same year. Outfielder Tyler Delorme (second team) and shortstop Pat Toomey (third team) were the last Huskies duo to be named All-Americans in the same year.

D’Alfonso, also named to the D3Baseball.com All-America second team earlier in the week, previously was named to the All-Little East Conference and New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England first teams. Burleson, who moved to shortstop this season after spending two years as the Huskies’ center fielder, was also named to the All-LEC and All-New England first teams, and was selected as the Player of the Year by both organizations.

D'Alfonso provided the Huskies a much-need power hitter in the middle of their lineup. The 6-foot-5, left-handed hitter finished the season with a 21-game hitting streak. For the season, he batted .393 (81 for 206) with 58 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, 15 homers and a team-high 62 RBI. He led the team with 145 total bases and a .704 slugging percentage.

The Huskies’ leadoff hitter, Burleson batted .383 (72 for 188) with 63 runs scored, 10 doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 50 RBI. He walked 39 times and had a .491 on-base percentage. He also led the team in stolen bases with 19.

According to the latest Little East Conference statistics, D’Alfonso was ranked first in the conference in slugging percentage, hits, RBI, home runs, and total bases, third in runs scored and fourth in batting average. Burleson led the conference in runs scored and walks, was second in hits, triples, and stolen bases, and fourth in on-base percentage and total bases (119).

Southern Maine, which loses only two players, finished the 2008 season with a 36-14 overall record, and an 11-3 mark (tied for second) in LEC play. USM reached the finals of the Little East Conference championship tournament and the NCAA Harwich (Mass.) Regional Tournament.