The Middlebury baseball team garnered four all-conference honors when the NESCAC announced its postseason awards on Thursday.
Henry Ayers was tabbed the Co-Rookie of the Year, while three Panthers - Ayers,
Sam Gersch and
Christian Zebrowski - earned all-league praise.
HONOREE HIGHLIGHTS
- Ayers (Co-Rookie of the Year & First Team)
- Ayers becomes the first player in program history to secure the first-year accolade.
- The rookie showcased a stellar introduction to the college game, logging a .476 batting average that paced the NESCAC and ranks fourth across Division III.
- He also led the conference in hits (69), slugging percentage (.676) and on-base plus slugging (OPS - 1.182). His base knock total established a single-season program record.
- Ayers struck out just five times across 145 at-bats, making him the most difficult batter to strike out in the NESCAC and the 10th toughest nationally.
- The Panther hit safely in each of the final 13 contests and 31 of his 34 starts. He closed the campaign with a five-game multi-hit streak, representing all five of the team's NESCAC Tournament tilts.
- Gersch (First Team)
- In his first year donning the Middlebury uniform, Gersch's .418 batting average trailed only Ayers and Tufts' Jack Kamin in the conference.
- The rookie ranked in the top 10 across numerous categories leaguewide, including on-base percentage (.503 - fourth), OPS (1.085 - fourth), stolen bases (23 - fourth), hits (51 - tied for sixth) and slugging percentage (.582 - eighth).
- Gersch hit safely in all five NESCAC postseason bouts, including multi-hit efforts in four games. He crossed home plate eight times during the tournament.
- He was the lone Panther to appear in all 36 matchups this season.
- Zebrowski (Second Team)
- The sophomore pitcher secures his initial conference recognition.
- Across 14 appearances on the hill, Zebrowski logged 34.1 frames of work. He posted a 2.36 earned run average (ERA) and a 6-0 record.
- He walked just 10 batters while striking out 42.
- Zebrowski closed his second campaign in strong form, tossing 7.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts during the conference tournament.
The Panthers concluded the season with a 21-15 record, finishing 7-5 in NESCAC play and advancing to the championship weekend for the ninth time.