Caufield, Surowiec Headline PSAC Baseball All-Conference Teams
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- Millersville Shortstop Thomas Caufield and Mercyhurst First-Baseman Josh Surowiec were tabbed as Athletes of the Year in their respective divisions as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference all-conference teams and major award winners were released Friday.
All-conference teams and major award winners are determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Over in the East, Caufield gets Athlete of the Year honors, while Jared Marshman of Bloomsburg took home Pitcher of the Year, Jack Rothenhausler of East Stroudsburg was tabbed as Freshman of the Year, and Matt Jones of Shippensburg was picked as Coach of the Year.
In the West, Surowiec was Athlete of the Year, Eric Sapp of Gannon was Pitcher of the Year, Ethan Edkins of Slippery Rock was Freshman of the Year, and Head Coach Jeff Messer of The Rock was Coach of the Year.
Caufield is hitting .381 (74-for-194) with a PSAC-leading 72 RBIs. That mark is also ninth in NCAA DII. He has also scored 57 runs and slugged 14 home runs this year. His OPS is 1.186 as he is slugging .727 and has an on-base percentage of .459. Caufield is also 11-for-12 in stolen base attempts. Caufield helped the Marauders to a 39-12 overall mark and an 18-6 record as the top seed in the East.
Bloomsburg’s Marshman was the top arm in the league this season going 9-1 in 12 starts with a 1.81 ERA (14 ER in 69.2 IP). Marshman recorded 71 strikeouts this season and just nine walks all season. Opponents hit just .249 against him with just 69 hits surrendered. Marshman had one complete game and a shutout this season.
ESU freshman Jack Rothenhausler took home freshman of the year honors following an impressive first year. He hit .354 (46-for-130) with seven home runs and 29 RBIs. The freshman’s numbers are currently tops on the ESU squad in a lineup filled with plenty of veterans. Rothenhausler registered a .654 slugging percentage and a .411 on-base percentage.
Shippensburg’s Matt Jones helped the Raiders to an impressive bounce-back year. The Raiders made the PSAC tournament this year after a 15-19 league mark in 2021, Jones led them to a 16-8 mark in 2022 and the 3-seed in the league tournament. Shippensburg thrived thanks to their pitching staff with all-conference arms like Nick Zegna and Jackson LoBianco.
Over in the West Josh Surowiec took home Athlete of the Year thanks to a stellar year overall hitting. He currently leads the PSAC in batting average (.441) and OPS (1.416). He has slugged 14 home runs so far in 2022 and has 56 RBIs for the Lakers offense. In 47 games played he has also scored 52 runs and also hit 12 doubles.
Gannon’s top arm Eric Sapp took top arm honors in the west. This season, he is 9-0 with a 2.47 ERA (19 ER in 69.1 IP). He surrendered just 47 hits and opponents hit just .194 against him this season. Sapp also struck out 92 batters thus far in 2022 and threw three shutouts as the Golden Knights hurler.
Slippery Rock took home a pair of major awards including freshman and coach of the year in Edkins and Messer. A solid third starter for The Rock in their rotation, Edkins is 6-1 with a 3.16 ERA (13 ER in 37.0 IP). The freshman got batters out via putting the ball in play as he punched out 35 batters, but opponents are hitting just .206 against him.
Rock Head Coach Jeff Messer earns his seventh PSAC Coach of the Year honor after aiding The Rock to a 33-16 overall mark and a 17-11 record in the PSAC West. The Rock will likely get a shot in the NCAA Tournament this year under Messer. SRU is the top hitting team in the PSAC with a team average of .332.
PSAC EAST
Athlete of the Year – Thomas Caufield, Millersville
Pitcher of the Year – Jared Marshman, Bloomsburg
Freshman of the Year – Jack Rothenhausler, East Stroudsburg
Coach of the Year – Matt Jones, Shippensburg
FIRST TEAM
| POS. |
NAME |
INSTITUTION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
| Catcher |
Zach Doss |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
Waldorf, Md. / Maryland |
| First Base |
Mike Ferrara* |
West Chester |
Sr. |
Jamison, Pa. / UNC-Greensboro |
| Second Base |
Joe Barbera |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Bishop McDevitt |
| Shortstop |
Thomas Caufield |
Millersville |
R-Jr. |
West Chester, Pa. / Henderson |
| Third Base |
Brock Kauffman*^ |
East Stroudsburg |
R-Sr. |
Blue Ball, Pa. / Garden Spot |
| Infielder |
Jimmy Losh |
Millersville |
Sr. |
New Cumberland, Pa. / Cedar Cliff |
| Outfielder |
Ben Piripavel |
East Stroudsburg |
R-So. |
Bethlehem, Pa. / Liberty |
| Outfielder |
Bren Taylor* |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Hallam, Pa. / |
| Outfielder |
Zack Wright |
West Chester |
Gr. |
Columbus, N.J. / LaSalle |
| Starting Pitcher |
Brent Francisco |
East Stroudsburg |
R-So. |
Burlington Township, N.J. / Burlington Township |
| Starting Pitcher |
Jared Marshman |
Bloomsburg |
R-Jr. |
Berwick, Pa. / Berwick |
| Starting Pitcher |
Chase Nowak |
East Stroudsburg |
Gr. |
Wilkes-Barre, Pa. / James M. Coughlin |
| Relief Pitcher |
Kyle Lazer |
West Chester |
Fr. |
Havertown, Pa. / Msgr. Bonner & Prendie |
| Utility |
Luke Trainer |
Millersville |
R-Sr. |
Leola, Pa. / Conestoga Valley |
| Designated Hitter |
Ben Newbert^ |
Bloomsburg |
R-Sr. |
Bala Cynwyd, Pa. / Harriton |
SECOND TEAM
| POS. |
NAME |
INSTITUTION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
| Catcher |
Jake Mastillo |
Lock Haven |
So. |
Roaring Brook Township, Pa. / North Pocono |
| First Base |
Ross Mulhall |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Morgantown, W.Va. / Gardner-Webb |
| Second Base |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Shortstop |
Justin Horn |
West Chester |
Gr. |
Willow Grove, Pa. / Upper Dublin |
| Third Base |
Justin Darden |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Mountain Top, Pa. / Crestwood |
| Outfielder |
Luke Cantwell^ |
West Chester |
So. |
Broomall, Pa. / Marple Newtown |
| Outfielder |
Mike Kelly |
Kutztown |
Jr. |
Schwenksville, Pa. / Montgomery County CC |
| Outfielder |
Ben Werkheiser |
Shippensburg |
Sr. |
Doylestown, Pa. / Delaware |
| Starting Pitcher |
Braeden Fausnaught* |
West Chester |
Gr. |
Danville, Pa. / Danville |
| Starting Pitcher |
Ben Wilchacky |
Millersville |
Jr. |
Royersford, Pa. / Spring-Ford |
| Starting Pitcher |
Nick Zegna |
Shippensburg |
R-Jr. |
Newark, Del. / George Mason |
| Relief Pitcher |
Jackson LoBianco |
Shippensburg |
So. |
Irvine, Calif. / University |
| Utility |
Assaf Lowengart |
Mansfield |
Sr. |
Timorium, Israel / SUNY Sullivan CC |
| Designated Hitter |
CJ Peechatka |
East Stroudsburg |
Gr. |
Henryville, Pa. / Campbell |
Baseball All-Conference
PSAC WEST
Athlete of the Year – Josh Surowiec - Mercyhurst
Pitcher of the Year – Eric Sapp, Gannon
Freshman of the Year – Ethan Edkins, Slippery Rock
Coach of the Year – Jeff Messer, Slippery Rock
FIRST TEAM
| POS. |
NAME |
INSTITUTION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
| Catcher |
Connor Hamilton* |
Slippery Rock |
Sr. |
Forestport, N.Y. / Adirondack |
| First Base |
Josh Surowiec |
Mercyhurst |
Gr. |
Williamsville, N.Y. / Williamsville North |
| Second Base |
Troy Banks |
Mercyhurst |
Sr. |
Orchard Park, N.Y. / Niagara CC |
| Shortstop |
Markus Cestra |
IUP |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum Senior |
| Third Base |
Louden Conte* |
Cal U |
Gr. |
California, Pa. / California |
| Infielder |
Ian Hess |
Gannon |
R-Jr. |
Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan |
| Outfielder |
Dylan Broderick |
Pitt-Johnstown |
R-Jr. |
State College, Pa. / Saint Joseph’s Catholic |
| Outfielder |
Matthew Gibson |
Mercyhurst |
Gr. |
New Castle, Pa. / New Castle |
| Outfielder |
Alex Robenolt |
Slippery Rock |
R-Jr. |
Danville, Pa. / Danville |
| Starting Pitcher |
Dylan Brosky^ |
Cal U |
Sr. |
East Millsboro, Pa. / Brownsville |
| Starting Pitcher |
Devin Dunn |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour |
| Starting Pitcher |
Eric Sapp |
Gannon |
Gr. |
Deerfield, Ohio / Southeast |
| Relief Pitcher |
Nash Bryan |
Seton Hill |
Sr. |
Butler, Pa. / Wheeling |
| Utility |
Jacob McCaskey* |
Cal U |
Sr. |
Tarentum, Pa. / Deer Lakes |
| Designated Hitter |
Eddie Morris |
Slippery Rock |
So. |
Kittanning, Pa. / Armstrong |
SECOND TEAM
| POS. |
NAME |
INSTITUTION |
CLASS |
HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
| Catcher |
Justin Stewart |
Cal U |
Sr. |
Butler, Pa. / Butler |
| First Base |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Second Base |
Harrison Pontoli |
IUP |
Jr. |
Beaver, Pa. / Beaver Area |
| Shortstop |
Anthony Venezia |
Cal U |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. / Shaler |
| Third Base |
Jack Oberdorf |
Seton Hill |
Jr. |
Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg Salem |
| Outfielder |
Adam Crawford |
Cal U |
Fr. |
North Fayette, Pa. / West Allegheny |
| Outfielder |
Chris Juchno |
Mercyhurst |
Fr. |
Erie, Pa. / McDowell |
| Outfielder |
Neal McDermott |
Seton Hill |
Gr. |
Leechburg, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic |
| Starting Pitcher |
Deven Judy^ |
Gannon |
R-Sr. |
Belle Vernon, Pa. / Belle Vernon Area |
| Starting Pitcher |
Ricky Mineo^ |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock, Pa. / Slippery Rock |
| Starting Pitcher |
Jacob McCaskey |
Cal U |
Sr. |
Tarentum, Pa. / Deer Lakes |
| Relief Pitcher |
Patrick Gumto^ |
Cal U |
Sr. |
Allison Park, Pa. / Shaler |
| Utility |
Luke Trueman |
Slippery Rock |
Jr. |
McCandless, Pa. / North Allegheny |
| Designated Hitter |
Austin Mueller |
IUP |
Gr. |
Breinigsville, Pa. / Parkland |
*Indicates previous first-team selection
^Indicates previous second-team selection
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.