NAC reveals 2024 baseball All-Conference awards
WATERVILLE, Maine – Lesley University’s
James Brandon and Husson University’s
Matt Wallingford headlined the North Atlantic Conference 2024 baseball end-of-the-season honors, claiming Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors, respectively.
Husson’s
Matt Holmes was tabbed for the Rookie of the Year award. Lesley’s
Don Gilbert earned the Coach of the Year accolade.
Akira Warren of Husson was named Senior Scholar Athlete.
An impressive season at the plate showcased Brandon ranked first in the NAC against conference opponents in doubles (8) and walks (14). He is also second in the conference in OPS (1.467), homeruns (6), on base percentage (.560), and total bases (49). In addition to these impressive statistics, Brandon is also third in hit by pitch (5), fourth in RBI (19) and eighth in batting average (.426) and runs (19). Brandon was named NAC Player of the Week once throughout the 2024 season (April 29).
Wallingford tops the leaderboard in the NAC with a .67 ERA against conference opponents. The pitcher started five games on the mound, earning a 4-1 record on the season. In conference play, Wallingford pitched 26.2 innings, gave up 13 hits, three runs, and walked eight. He ranks second in strike outs, logging 32.
Holmes posted a .365 average on the year with 31 hits, 18 runs scored, six doubles, two triples, five homeruns, 19 RBIs and five stolen bases in his freshman debut. Holmes finished with a .436 average in conference with 24 hits, 15 runs, six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBIs. Holmes finished 15th in the NAC in average, fourth in homeruns and 15th in RBIs.
Gilbert led the Lesley baseball team to a 23-16 overall and 13-5 conference record during the 2024 season, earning the second seed in the 2024 North Atlantic Conference playoffs.
On the field this season, Warren batted .316 with 31 hits, 31 runs, six doubles, one triple, one homerun, 18 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. In conference, Warren posted a .371 average with 23 hits, 21 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one homerun and 13 RBIs. Off the field, Warren maintains a 4.0 GPA in the doctorate program for physical therapy and is also working on his MBA.
In addition to the top conference awards,
45 student-athletes were named to the All-Conference teams, and
10 were named to the NAC Baseball Sportsmanship Team. The Sportsmanship Team is reserved for those who distinguish themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The honorees have positively affected the sport’s culture and game environment by clearly demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity beyond playing rules and etiquette.
The full list of baseball honorees is below:
Player of the Year – James Brandon, Lesley University
Pitcher of the Year – Matt Wallingford, Husson University
Rookie of the Year – Matt Holmes, Husson University
Senior Scholar Athlete – Akira Warren, Husson University
Coach of the Year – Don Gilbert, Lesley University
First Team East All-Conference
P – Matt Wallingford, Husson University
P – Dylan Langston, Lesley University
C – Kevin Dorsey, Lesley University
1B – Jackson Curtis, Husson University
1B – James Brandon, Lesley University
2B – Jason Bartlett, Thomas College
3B – Tony Meza, Thomas College
SS – TJ Santaw, Vermont State Lyndon
UTL – Alberto Bustamante, Vermont State Lyndon
UTL – DJ Cagnina, Thomas College
OF – Matt Holmes, Husson University
OF – Akira Warren, Husson University
OF – Evan Duncan, Vermont State Lyndon
Second Team East All-Conference
P – Alex Smith, Husson University
P – Jacob Nemergut, Lesley University
1B – Timothy Burns, UMaine-Presque Isle
2B – Owen Kalagher, Lesley University
3B – Sam Parsell, UMaine-Farmington
SS – Justin Dennett, Lesley University
OF – Adam Budorick, Lesley University
OF – Colby Jacobs, Lesley University
OF – Ricky Goupille, UMaine-Presque Isle
First Team West All-Conference
P – Francis Ferguson, Eastern Nazarene
P – Aaron Kifer, SUNY Poly
C – Dylan Pohl, SUNY Cobleskill
1B – O’Neil Jimenez, Eastern Nazarene
2B – Stephen Tejada, SUNY Cobleskill
3B – Anderson Jimenez, Eastern Nazarene
3B – Ryan Pelton, SUNY Poly
SS – David Flora, SUNY Cobleskill
UTL – Elvis Rojas, Eastern Nazarene
OF – Francis Ferguson, Eastern Nazarene
OF – Kurt Johnson, SUNY Poly
OF – Ethan Merone, SUNY Poly
Second Team West All-Conference
P – Andrew Soule, SUNY Poly
P – Luke Descheneaux, Eastern Nazarne
C – Edilberto Rosado, SUNY Canton
1B – Alphonse Fuca, SUNY Canton
2B – Quinn Hill, SUNY Poly
2B – John LaPorte, SUNY Canton
3B – Maxwell Rose, SUNY Canton
SS – Parker Wing, SUNY Poly
SS – Nick Shoemaker, SUNY Canton
UTL – Eliezer Vazquez, SUNY Canton
OF – Eduardo Labour, Eastern Nazarene
OF – Sam Gutierrez, SUNY Cobleskill
OF – Zach Ducorsky, SUNY Cobleskill
Baseball Sportsmanship Team
Eastern Nazarene – Isaac Garneau
Husson – Akira Warren
Lesley – Miles Chamberlain
Thomas - Patrick Temby
SUNY Canton – Hunter LaValley
SUNY Cobleskill - Chris Champlin
SUNY Poly – Lukasz Dubicki
UMaine-Farmington – Callister Montembeau
UMaine-Presque Isle - Joey Blake
Vermont State University Lyndon – Jordan Arpin