Walters, Melone Sit Atop PSAC Baseball All-Conference Teams
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has released its baseball all-conference teams, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
All-conference teams and major award winners are determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
In the East, West Chester junior Jared Melone was named Athlete of the Year. It marks the sixth time that WCU has boasted the winner while Melone is the fifth athlete to accomplish the feat and the first Golden Ram since 2015. The junior currently leads NCAA DII with a .482 batting average while pacing the PSAC in hits, RBI, slugging percentage and total bases. Melone led the Golden Rams to the No. 1 seed in the East in the upcoming PSAC Baseball Championship that starts May 9. Melone has tallied 27 multi-hit games, including a five-hit performance against the University of Sciences.
Millersville junior Eli Nabholz was tabbed the Pitcher of the Year and he is fifth Marauder to accomplish the feat. MU has boasted the award winner in five of the last six seasons. Nabholz was at his best against the PSAC East, posting a 1.93 ERA, 5-1 record and .216 batting average against in divisional play.
Nabholz ranked third in the PSAC in innings pitched, fourth in ERA among pitchers with at least 40 innings, ranked sixth in strikeouts, second in wins and tie for third in complete games. In seven starts against PSAC teams, Nabholz threw five complete games and gave up more than two earned runs just once. He had a stretch of 21 consecutive scoreless innings against Mansfield, WCU and East Stroudsburg.
Lock Haven’s Scott Leitholf was tabbed Freshman of the Year and is the fourth Bald Eagle to claim the accolade. He is the first since 2001. He is tied for second in the league in wins with eight while tossing five complete games in 10 starts. Leitholf held his opponents to a .244 batting average.
Bloomsburg’s Mike Collins was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his career and first since 2014. Under Collins direction, the Huskies produced five all-conference players while his team sports a 29-16 record. BU is the No. 3 seed in the East for the championship.
In the West, Slippery Rock senior Tyler Walters was tabbed Athlete of the Year and it marks the seventh time that The Rock has boasted the winner. Walters is the first SRU recipient since 2014. Earlier in the season, Walters broke the PSAC all-time home run record and currently sits at 49 for his storied career. He is the only athlete on either all-conference team this season to have landed on an all-conference team in all four years of his career. Walters is batting .390 on the season with a slugging percentage of .759 and has amassed 28 walks.
Mercyhurst junior Chris Vallimont earned Pitcher of the Year recognition and is the seventh Laker to accomplish the feat. A MU athlete has garnered the award in each of the last five seasons. Vallimont is the only PSAC with over 100 strikeouts this season (108) while producing a 2.04 earned run average. The junior is tied for the lead in the league in opponent batting average (.136) while he is tied for second with eight wins.
SRU’s Abraham Mow claimed Freshman of the Year honors and is the sixth SRU athlete to win the award. Mow impressed with a .331 batting average while scoring 48 runs and accumulated 41 RBI. He sports a .429 on-base percentage and hits a .408 clip with runners in scoring position.
SRU’s Jeff Messer earned Coach of the Year accolades for the seventh time in his career and first since 2003. Under his direction this season, eight athletes landed on an all-conference team, including six on the first team. The Rock will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West while sporting a 29-17 record. Messer has accumulated 993 career wins in his storied career and has led SRU to a .500 or better winning percentage in 23 of the last 24 years. He is the sixth active winningest coach in NCAA Division II.
Aside from Walters, three athletes appear on an all-conference team for third time in their respective careers.
A list of all honorees is below.
PSAC BASEBALL EAST ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Steven Zimmerman^* |
Sr. |
East Stroudsburg |
Pine Grove, Pa. / Pine Grove |
| First Base |
Jared Melone* |
Jr. |
West Chester |
North Wales, Pa. / North Penn |
| Second Base |
Cayden Stover* |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
Beech Creek, Pa. / Chesapeake College |
| Shortstop |
Nick Ward |
Sr, |
West Chester |
Kenneth Square, Pa. / Unionville |
| Third Base |
Kaylor Kulina |
R-Jr. |
Millersville |
Hummelstown, Pa. / Lower Dauphin |
| Outfield |
Austin Edgette** |
R-Sr. |
Bloomsburg |
Exton, Pa. / Downington East |
| Outfield |
Dalton Hoiles |
Fr. |
Shippensburg |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin |
| Outfield |
Liam McArthur |
Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Basking Ridge, N.J. / Seton Hall |
| Starting Pitcher |
Eli Nabholz^ |
Jr. |
Millersville |
Pottsville, Pa. / Pottsville |
| Starting Pitcher |
Ashton Raines |
Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
Wallingford, Pa. / Strath Haven |
| Starting Pitcher |
Zack Sims |
So. |
Shippensburg |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Middletown |
| Relief Pitcher |
Breton LaRose |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
Ogdensburg, N.Y. / Sacred Heart |
| Designated Hitter |
Shane Dressler^* |
Sr. |
West Chester |
York Haven, Pa. / Red Land |
| Utility |
Carson Freeman |
So. |
East Stroudsburg |
Bangor, Pa. / Bangor |
| Infielder |
Kolby DeHaas |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
Coeur D'Alene, Idaho / Idaho Wenatchee Valley CC |
PSAC BASEBALL EAST ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher# |
Nick Lafferty |
Jr. |
Kutztown |
Croydon, Pa. / Archbishop Woo |
| Catcher |
Drew Bene |
Jr. |
Shippensburg |
Lebanon, Pa. / Northern Lebanon |
| Second Base |
Nick Spangler |
Sr. |
Shippensburg |
Spring Grove, Pa. / Spring Grove |
| Shortstop |
Cash Gladfelter* |
Jr. |
Shippensburg |
York, Pa. / West York |
| Third Base |
Brock Kauffman |
Fr. |
East Stroudsburg |
| Blue Ball, Pa. / Garden Spot |
|
| Outfield |
Nick Stotler^ |
R-Jr. |
Lock Haven |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum |
| Outfield |
Cole Swiger |
So. |
Bloomsburg |
Maple Glen, Pa. / Upper Dublin |
| Outfield |
Shane Woelfel |
R-Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
Mahwah, N.J. / Mahwah |
| Starting Pitcher# |
Cordell Shannon |
Jr. |
Millersville |
Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg |
| Starting Pitcher |
Gabe Mosser* |
Sr. |
Shippensburg |
Laurys Station, Pa. / Parkland |
| Starting Pitcher |
Jon Fisher |
Jr. |
West Chester |
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarsh |
| Starting Pitcher |
Scott Leitholf |
Fr. |
Lock Haven |
Dillsburg, Pa. / Northern York |
| Relief Pitcher |
Gavilan Fogarty-Harnish |
So. |
Kutztown |
Ephrata, Pa. / Ephrata |
| Designated Hitter |
Justin Sleigh |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
Dubois, Pa. / Dubois |
| Utility |
Chad Cooperman |
So. |
Bloomsburg |
Allentown, Pa. / Salisbury |
Athlete of the Year: Jared Melone, West Chester
Pitcher of the Year: Eli Nabholz, Millersville
Freshman of the Year: Scott Leitholf, Lock Haven
Coach of the Year: Mike Collins, Bloomsburg
PSAC BASEBALL WEST ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Tyler Walters^** |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
Saegertown, Pa. / Saegertown |
| First Base |
Eric Fairman |
Jr. |
California |
| Pittsburgh, Pa. / Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Second Base |
Ted DeSanti |
Sr. |
IUP |
Erie, Pa. / Erie Cathedral Prep |
| Shortstop |
Joe Campagna |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
Beaver Falls, Pa. / Blackhawk |
| Third Base |
Abraham Mow |
Fr. |
Slippery Rock |
Milford, Del. / Milford |
| Outfield |
Chris Wastchak^ |
Sr. |
California |
McMurray, Pa. / Peters Township |
| Outfield |
Kyle Cox |
Sr. |
Gannon |
Dorchester, N.J. / Millville |
| Outfield |
Chris Eisel |
So. |
IUP |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin |
| Starting Pitcher |
Chris Vallimont* |
Jr. |
Mercyhurst |
Erie, Pa. / Mercyhurst Prep |
| Starting Pitcher |
Alex Pantuso* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin |
| Starting Pitcher |
Matt Gordon |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Grove City, Pa. / Grove City |
|
| Relief Pitcher |
Wyatt Daugherty* |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
Butler, Pa. / Butler |
| Designated Hitter |
Nate Cardy^ |
R-Jr. |
Gannon |
Franklin, Pa. / Franklin |
| Utility |
Ian Steighner |
Jr. |
Gannon |
|
| Infielder |
Garrett Brooks |
Sr. |
California |
Connellsville, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic |
PSAC BASEBALL WEST ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
Cl. |
University |
Hometown/Previous |
| Catcher |
Drew Delsignore* |
Sr. |
Mercyhurst |
| New Middleton, Ohio / Cardinal Mooney |
|
|
| First Base |
Daniel Elliott |
Sr. |
Mercyhurst |
Willoughby, Ohio / Willoughby South |
| Shortstop |
Jack Shirk* |
Jr. |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Johnstown, Pa. / Richland |
| Third Base |
Tom McCarthy^ |
Sr. |
Seton Hill |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin |
| Outfield |
Luca Fuscardo* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
Weirton, W. Va. / Madonna |
| Outfield |
Matt Oruch |
Sr. |
Gannon |
| Blue Bell, Pa. / Wissahickon |
|
| Outfield |
Dan Clark^ |
Sr. |
Pitt-Johnstown |
Indiana, Pa. / Indiana Area |
| Starting Pitcher |
David Cricks |
Sr. |
Gannon |
Gibsonia, Pa. / Hampton |
| Starting Pitcher |
Tyler Garbee |
Jr. |
Mercyhurst |
Sewickley, Pa. / Quaker Valley |
| Starting Pitcher |
Russell Lamovec* |
Jr. |
Mercyhurst |
Willoughby Hills, Ohio / Willoughby South |
| Relief Pitcher |
Corey Fogle |
So. |
California |
| Connellsville, Pa. / Connellsville |
|
| Designated Hitter |
Christian Porterfield* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
West Middlesex, Pa. / West Middlesex |
| Utility |
NONE |
|
|
|
Athlete of the Year: Tyler Walters, Slippery Rock
Pitcher of the Year: Chris Vallimont, Mercyhurst
Freshman of the Year: Abraham Mow, Slippery Rock
Coach of the Year: Jeff Messer, Slippery Rock
*Indicates previous PSAC All-Conference First Team selection
^Indicates previous PSAC All-Conference Second Team selection
#Number of honorees altered due to tie