LANCASTER, Pa. - The Immaculata baseball team added 12 accolades as a collective on Monday as the Atlantic East Conference announced its baseball major awards and All-Conference teams. Nine Mighty Macs were named to the All-Conference teams overall while the Macs also earned three of the four major awards.
Head coach Josh Copskey along with assistant coaches John Merkh, Joe Brooks, Jeff Paglione, Lucas Rollins, and Norm Schoenig were named the Atlantic East Coaching Staff of the Year. With a new head coach at the helm, the coaching staff guided the Mighty Macs back to the Atlantic East Championship for the second straight season, claiming the Macs' first conference title and leading the Macs to a program-record 28 wins on the season.
Hunter Hall, meanwhile, was named the Atlantic East Elite 20 Award winner at the championship this past weekend. The Elite 20 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the finals site of each of the Atlantic East's 20 tam championships. Hall, an Accounting major, earned the honor with a 3.93 GPA.
Jason Hughes added more accolades to his season resume. The Tournament's Most Valuable Player was named Atlantic East Pitcher of the Year on Monday as well as having earned a First Team All-Conference selection. Hughes pitched a one-run complete game on Wednesday against Marymount to start the Macs off with a victory in the conference tournament while currently holding a 1.38 earned run average on the year.
Joining Hughes on the All-Conference First Team are two fellow pitchers in Mason Keller and Trevor Wagner. Keller concluded the regular season with the third best ERA in-conference amongst qualifying pitchers with a 3.38. Wagner, meanwhile, led the conference with seven saves on the season, pitching for a 2.36 ERA over 26.2 innings.
Meanwhile, three Immaculata position players were also named to the All-Conference First Team. Josh Crowding and Joey Wright both were named to the First Team for the second straight season. Crowding earned the honor with his team-leading .374 batting average on the season. The catcher was second on the team in both home runs and RBI while also earning a .980 fielding percentage from behind the plate. Wright, meanwhile, led the Macs with six home runs and 49 RBI on the season while earning a .951 OPS on the year. Frank Margiotta rounds out the Macs' First Team selections. With a .354 average out of the leadoff position, Margiotta leads the Macs with 56 runs scored and 56 hits while recording zero errors in center field on the year.
Ryan Crowell, Steven Theisen, and Louis Sharp then represented the Macs on the All-Conference Second Team. Crowell stands with the second-best ERA in the conference with a 3.04 ERA. Theisen, meanwhile, served as the Macs' every day shortstop, owning a .330 batting average on the year, scoring 20 runs on 38 base hits. Sharp acted as the Macs' designated hitter on the season, batting in 26 runners on the season while hitting for a .324 average.
The Mighty Macs will next host the NCAA Regionals beginning on Friday, May 20th and going through Sunday, May 22nd.
In order to view the full Atlantic East All-Conference teams and major awards, click here.
