Liberty League reveals 2018 Baseball Awards
The Liberty League has announced its 2018 All-League awards for baseball as voted by league coaches. The major award winners and all-league teams are listed below.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Colin Kelly, Sophomore, IF, Union College
Union sophomore Colin Kelly was selected as the Liberty League Player of the Year as the Dutchmen captured their third Liberty League title in five years. Kelly was one of the team’s leading hitters, as he had a batting average of .401 and a team-best 33 extra-base hits. His batting average is fourth-best among league leaders, following three teammates. He paced the league in slugging percentage (.803), home runs (12) and runs batted in (58). His 58 runs batted in was a single-season school record, which he broke earlier this season. He was also second among league leaders in runs scored with 43 and doubles with 17.
CO-PITCHER OF THE Year: Will Coleman, Senior, Clarkson University
Clarkson senior Will Coleman was named Co-Pitcher of the Year after posting a 1.52 earned run average this season, a league-best among starting pitchers. He finished the year with a 2-4 record in 47.1 innings, where he fanned 59 batters and held opponents to a .227 batting average. Coleman had six complete games in six starts for the Golden Knights and he was among the league’s top-five pitchers in strikeouts.
CO-PITCHER OF THE Year: Jake Vesling, Senior, Union College
Union senior Jake Vesling was named Co-Pitcher of the Year as he was part of the pitching staff that led the Dutchmen to their third Liberty League championship in five years. He has been the team’s ace this season with a 2.18 earned run average and a 7-1 record. He leads the league with his seven wins as Vesling made eight starts for Union, seven of which were complete games. In 62 innings, he struck out 65 batters, ranking him among the league’s top-four in strikeouts. In the league tournament, where he was selected Most Outstanding Player, Vesling tossed 13 innings and posted a 0.89 earned run average in two appearances, while earning a win and recording a save.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jack Koch, IF/OF, Union College
Union first-year Jack Koch was recognized with Rookie of the Year honors. He made an immediate impact for the team in his first year in a Dutchmen uniform, pacing Union in hitting with a .433 batting average and 43 runs scored. He produced 13 doubles, two triples and four home runs while totaling 55 hits on the year. In 32 starts and 36 games, Koch leads the league in batting average as well as runs scored while ranking second in on-base percentage (.516), slugging percentage (.661) and stolen bases (23). Koch was also among league leaders in hits, doubles, home runs and runs batted in (29).
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: University of Rochester – Head Coach Joe Reina, Assistant Coach Jake Shattuck, Volunteer Assistant Dan Paolini & Student Assistant Brian Charlamb
Rochester head coach Joe Reina and his staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors. They guided the Yellowjackets to an overall record of 19-17, including a 16-5 mark in league play. The team earned the top seed and hosting rights to the league tournament as Rochester claimed its first Liberty League regular season title since 2010. In league play, the Yellowjackets did not lose a season series as they swept three and split three. As a team, Rochester was second in the league in hitting with a .314 batting average and individually had two batters among the league’s top-ten in Aiden Finch (.392) and Steve Pickering (.389). Against conference opponents, they were even more dominant at the plate with a .338 team batting average. They were also among the league’s best in pitching in conference games with a combined 3.90 earned run average.
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM:
P- Evan Richardson, Jr., Bard
P- Will Coleman, Sr., Clarkson
P- Jake Vesling, Sr., Union
P- Brendan McNerney, Jr., RPI
RP- Brett Bouchard, Sr., RIT
C- Matt Lasky, Sr., Bard
C- David Rieth, So., Rochester
1B- Aiden Finch, Jr., Rochester
2B- Bobby Kinne, Sr., Vassar
SS- Colin Kelly, So., Union
3B- Jack Koch, Fr., Union
OF- Steve Pickering, Fr., Rochester
OF- Andy Labeck, Jr., Union
OF- Patrick Mylott, Jr., RIT
DH- Noah Normyle, So., RPI
UT- Jake Vesling, Sr., Union
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE SECOND TEAM:
P- Luke Meyerson, Sr., Rochester
P- Christopher Palmiero, So., RPI
P- Brian Reed, Sr., RIT
P- Andrew Smith, Sr., Clarkson
P- Daniel Zeglen, Jr., RIT
P- Spencer Anderson, Jr., Skidmore
RP- Andrew Aikins, Sr., Skidmore
C- Anthony Butler, Jr., St. Lawrence
C- Patrick Geiger, Jr., Skidmore
1B- Sean Cullen, So., Union
2B- Sam Kirschenbaum, Sr., Union
SS- Ethann Meister, Sr., RPI
3B- Jason Schulz, So., RIT
OF- Brendon Frank, So., St. Lawrence
OF- Brad Pearson, Jr., Clarkson
OF- Kyle Trombley, So., Rochester
OF- Joey Mylott, So., RIT
DH- Jeff Goldrosen, Sr., Bard
UT- Daniel Zeglen, Jr., RIT
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE:
P- Will Conroy, Gr., Rochester
P- Stevie Branche, So., RIT
P- Erick Zecha, So., RPI
RP- Mark Connor, So., Clarkson
RP- Charlie Hoover, Fr., Union
C- Dalton Murray, Sr., RIT
2B- Aaron Craig, So., Rochester
SS- Tyler Schmidt, Sr., Rochester
SS- Daniel Capra, So., RIT
3B- Jack Herman, Jr., Rochester
3B- Will Potter, Jr., Skidmore
3B- J.T. Sawyer, Sr., RPI
OF- Harrison Glatt, Sr., Union
OF- Tanner Blough, Fr., Vassar
OF- Michael Arboleda, Jr., RPI
OF- Drew Bankovich, Fr., Rochester
DH- Matt Schwartz, Jr., Vassar
DH- Dan Pariso, Sr., Clarkson
UT- Bryan Rubin, Jr., Vassar