ABCA/Rawlings Releases All-Region Baseball Teams
ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Teams
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Seven members of the Empire 8 baseball teams have been named ABCA/Rawlings Division III New York All-Region players.
The ABCA/Rawlings All-Region teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee. All-Region first team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors.
Stevens Institute of Technology junior
Jayson Yano was named to the first team as a utility player. Yano became the first player in Empire 8 conference history to be named Pitcher and Player of the Year in the same season and is the first student-athlete in Stevens's baseball history to claim pitcher or player of the year honors. He led the club in numerous hitting categories including batting average (.344), hits (52) and runs batted in (37).
During the 2015 season Yano saw time at second base, shortstop, first base, and designated hitter. His 52 hits put him eighth on the single-season record, one behind former Ducks standout Matt Glassman, and his 13 doubles put him tied for fifth on the single season list.
Yano was equally as dominant on the mound, as he was tied for the conference lead with six victories and was fourth in strikeouts with 61. Outside of conference play, he made five appearances against teams that were selected for NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 record.
Ithaca sophomore
Trevor Thompson, a native of Lake Hopatcong, N.J., was named to the first team as a third baseman after a superb sophomore campaign. He started and played in all 34 games this season and led the Bombers in 10 offensive categories. Thompson hit .385 on the year with 25 runs scored, 21 RBI, 11 doubles and three home runs. In the field, he owned a .951 fielding percentage in 142 chances and only committed two errors over the final 29 games.
St. John Fisher freshman
Scott Eisenmenger was named to the second team as a first baseman. He started 37 games of the 41 he played for the Cardinals. Eisenmenger hit .364 to rank second on the team and seventh among Empire 8 players. He totaled 55 hits, 12 doubles, 32 RBI and 93 total bases. He registered at least one hit in all but six games and had three or more hits on five different occasions. He had a 12-game hit streak in the middle of the season and finished the season with an active 11-game hit streak. Defensively, he recorded 347 putouts, 11 assists and a .986 fielding percentage.
Fisher's Shane Barley makes a second team appearance as an outfielder after accounting for his team's most runs (38), hits (55), RBI (39) and doubles (14). The senior also recorded three home runs and 14 walks while batting .335 with an on-base percentage of .388.
Fisher Calvin Woolhiser made the third team as an outfielder after leading Fisher with a .365 batting average. The senior also collected 54 hits with six stolen bases, while enjoying a second-highest .415 on-base percentage.
Fisher sophomore
Kevin Berge makes the third team after owning the team's and conference's best ERA at 1.84. In 20 games in relief, the sophomore held opponents to a .229 batting average while racking up 25 strikeouts.
Ithaca senior
Jimmy Wagner landed on the third team as a relief pitcher. The Hilton, N.Y. native paced Ithaca's pitching staff in ERA (2.25), appearances (17), saves (six) and opponent's batting average (.218). Wagner went 3-1 on the year and combined on three shutouts.
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The 72nd annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 7-10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.