Annville, Pa. (May 4, 2017) – Alvernia University took two of four regular season awards and placed ten players on the MAC Commonwealth All-Conference team, announced Thursday by the Middle Atlantic Office.
Nathan Sides receives a top award for the second year in a row, being named the 2017 Player of the Year. Fellow sophomore John Catchmark joins Sides, bringing home Pitcher of the Year.
Alongside Catchmark and Sides on the First Team are pitcher Thomas Malik, first baseman Cameron Coons and outfielder Ben Dubas. Dillon Dunne was named Second Team for third base, while Ethan Francis (catcher), Mike Cirilli (Second Base), Antonio Baglivo (Relief Pitcher) and Matt Briner (Utility) were selected as Honorable Mention.
Nathan Sides, the 2016 Rookie of the Year, is the sixth Commonwealth Player of the Year in the last seven years for the Crusaders following Coons (2016), Ben Sawyer (2015), Leon Stimpson (2013) and Chris Ray (2011, 2012). Sides continues to be a force for the Crusaders in his second year, leading the team in batting average (.455), at bats (156), runs (47), hits (71), doubles (12), triples (5), total bases (96), on base percentage (.482) and stolen bases (12). Sides currently ranks first in the conference in hits and second in batting average.
Catchmark is making his second appearance on the All-Conference team, receiving Second Team accolades as a freshman. Appearing in 10 games this season on the mound, Catchmark boasts a 1.91 ERA. With 66 innings pitched, Catchmark has allowed just 14 earned runs and recorded 88 strikeouts. In conference play, he holds a 5-2 record with a pair of shutouts.
Malik moves up to First Team after being named Honorable Mention as a freshman. Appearing in 8 games on the mound, Malik holds a 5-1 record with a 3.05 ERA. In 41 innings of work, he has collected 23 strikeouts.
Coons, the 2016 Player of the Year, earns his second 1st Team honor and third selection overall. This season, Coons leads the Crusaders in RBI (48), homeruns (5) and slugging percentage (.686). He ranks second on the team in batting average (.398), hits (47) and doubles (11).
Dubas claims his second All-Conference nod, earning Second Team last year. Batting .344 on the year, Dubas has scored a team-high 33 runs while gathering 42 hits with 9 doubles and 5 homers. Appearing and starting in 38 games, the outfielder holds a .983 fielding percentage.
Dunne is making his first appearance on the All-MAC list. A junior, Dunne hit .316 while appearing in 35 games. Dunne notched 17 RBI on the season while drawing 11 walks and swiping 3 bags.
Francis is also making his first appearance on the All-MAC Commonwealth team. The junior finished the regular season hitting just under .300 while notching 10 RBI. Behind the plate, he has committed just two errors in over 120 attempts.
Cirilli receives honorable mention in his freshman campaign. Appearing in 32 contests, Cirilli hit .326 with 29 hits and scoring 24 runs. He collected a team second-best 17 walks, leading him to a .426 on base percentage.
Baglivo, a senior, made 14 appearances on the mound in his final season. Hurling 18 innings, Baglivo picked up a trio of saves, allowing just 6 walks and striking out 15.
Briner had a strong first season for the Crusaders, hitting .396 with 44 hits. Collecting 31 starts as either the DH or first baseman, Briner ripped 23 RBI while striking out just 2 times in over 100 at bats. He also put together a .993 fielding percentage in over 140 attempts.
FIRST TEAM
Position
Name
School
Year
Pitcher
Alvernia
Sophomore
Pitcher
Alvernia
Sophomore
Pitcher
Travis Schweizer
Hood
Junior
Relief Pitcher
Elliot Snyder
Widener
Senior
Catcher
Jordan Draude
Arcadia
Senior
First Base
Alvernia
Senior
Second Base
Zac Edwards
Lebanon Valley
Senior
Shortstop
Alvernia
Sophomore
Third Base
Colin Fry
Messiah
Junior
Outfield
Alvernia
Junior
Outfield
Cam Esposito
Hood
Junior
Outfield
Bryan Gillen
Arcadia
Sophomore
Designated Hitter
Nick Cardace
Arcadia
Junior
Utility
Jordan Patterson
Hood
Freshman
SECOND TEAM
Position
Name
School
Year
Pitcher
Jordan Nichols
Messiah
Sophomore
Pitcher
Josh Lafferty
Widener
Junior
Relief Pitcher
Jordan Patterson
Hood
Freshman
Catcher
Sam Stewart
Messiah
Sophomore
First Base
Kevin Kopas
Stevenson
Graduate Student
Second Base
Nick Enos
Widener
Senior
Shortstop
Justin Chasmar
Arcadia
Senior
Third Base
Alvernia
Junior
Outfield
Greg McDonough
Widener
Senior
Outfield
Michael Puglisi
Lebanon Valley
Senior
Outfield
Jeff Yordy
Albright
Sophomore
Designated Hitter
Billy Small
Stevenson
Junior
Utility
Marshall Kiessling
Lebanon Valley
Junior
HONORABLE MENTION
Position
Name
School
Year
Catcher
Colin Albright
Lebanon Valley
Junior
Catcher
Ethan Fancis
Alvernia
Junior
Catcher
Glenn Seymour
Widener
Junior
Designated Hitter
Philip Berry
Lebanon Valley
Senior
Designated Hitter
Kyle Schoen
Messiah
Junior
First Base
Dylan Johnson
Hood
Junior
Second Base
Alvernia
Freshman
Second Base
Nathan Kessler
Hood
Sophomore
Shortstop
Stephen Debellis
Widener
Sophomore
Third Base
John D’Aquanno
Stevenson
Junior
Third Base
Michael Elfreth
Widener
Senior
Outfield
Bob Barnett
Widener
Senior
Outfield
Matthew Kerber
Stevenson
Sophomore
Relief Pitcher
Alvernia
Senior
Relief Pitcher
Trevor Mastria
Albright
Senior
Utility
Alvernia
Sophomore
Utility
Adam Janney
Messiah
Junior
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