Baseball Major Award, All-Landmark Honorees Announced
TOWSON, Md. — Landmark newcomer Elizabethtown and 2015 regular season champions Scranton split this year's four major baseball awards.
The eight conference coaches chose Blue Jay first baseman Luke Gatti as the Player of the Year, while fellow senior Kristopher Davis earned Pitcher of the Year accolades. Royal freshman outfielder Tommy Trotter was named Rookie of the Year and Scranton's Michael Bartoletti and his assistants received Coaching Staff of the Year recognition.
Pitchers struggled to find an answer for Gatti all season long, as he led the Landmark with a .420 batting average and ranked second with 13 doubles and 40 RBIs. In conference games, Gatti's average rose to .442 with a .532 slugging percentage.
Davis topped the conference in both wins (7) and strikeouts (55). Five of his nine starts were complete game efforts, and he ended the year with a 2.53 earned-run average over 64 innings pitched. Davis walked only six batters over those 64 innings.
Scranton finished first in the regular season standings for the first time in the Landmark era, including an 11-game conference winning streak from April 4-26, and the coaches recognized Bartoletti and his staff for that success. This is the Royals' second Coaching Staff of the Year award, with the other coming back in 2011.
Trotter played a key role in fueling this year's success for Scranton. He ranked behind only Gatti with his .404 average, and he is also second in on-base percentage (.471) and hits (55). Trotter added 10 doubles and a pair of triples at the plate.
Ten other players joined Gatti, Davis and Trotter as First-Team All-Landmark performers, while an additional 13 earned second team recognition.
Susquehanna catcher Zach Leone was the third and final qualifying player to hit over .400, as he managed a .402 clip to go along with 10 doubles and 31 RBIs. His .556 slugging percentage led the league, and he threw out a league-high 12 runners attempting to steal.
Moravian continued its streak of reaching the playoffs every year as a member of the Landmark, and the Greyhounds were rewarded with three selections on the first team.
Catcher Mike Roethke made the cut for a second-straight spring. He tied Leone, also cutting down 12 attempted base stealers, and he hit .328 at the plate with a .395 OBP. Moravian outfielder Matt Hanson, meanwhile, is the only three-time first teamer on this year's list. The 2014 Player of the Year was third in the conference with 21 steals, he was fifth in hits (49) and he committed only one error in the field. Senior third baseman Ryan Luke rounds out the trio. He ranked fifth in the league in average (.376) and runs scored (32).
Two more Royals were included on the first team with Trotter. Michael Umerich missed the first month of the season, but the senior designated hitter crushed Landmark pitching once he made it into the lineup, leading all hitters with a .460 BA in conference games. All 20 of his RBIs came in Landmark contests. Shortstop Patrick O'Dell was also a consistent presence in Scranton's lineup, hitting .365 with a .424 OBP and 10 stolen bases.
Elizabethtown's Kyle Fackler gets the nod as the league's top second baseman this spring. He led the Landmark in both runs scored overall (41) and in conference games (24). Fackler was also second in walks (23), fourth in doubles (11) and fourth in hits (50).
Catholic will compete against Moravian in this weekend's championship series, and the Cardinals landed two players on the first team. A second team selection in 2014, outfielder Stefan Poggioli moves up a slot after a season in which he maintains a .357 BA with four triples, three home runs and 10 steals. Reliever Joseph Salzano makes the first team after collecting a league-high eight saves. He has a 2.00 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 27 innings of work.
Drew shortstop Steve Kowalski cracks the first team for a second-consecutive spring. He ranks in the top 10 with 17 walks, and his 22 stolen bases are second most in the conference.
The full list of 26 honorees is available below.
|
|
|
|
| Player of the Year |
Pitcher of the Year |
Rookie of the Year |
Coach of the Year |
Luke Gatti,
Elizabethtown
|
Kristopher Davis,
Elizabethtown
|
Tommy Trotter,
Scranton
|
Michael Bartoletti,
Scranton |
The 2015 Landmark Baseball All-Conference Teams:
| First Team |
|
Second Team |
| C |
Zach Leone
|
Susquehanna
|
So.
|
Pelham, N.Y. |
|
C |
Mike Miraglia
|
Drew
|
So.
|
Toms River, N.J. |
C
|
Mike Roethke^ |
Moravian
|
Jr.
|
Flemington, N.J. |
|
1B |
Charles Savite^
|
Moravian
|
Jr. |
Hackettstown, N.J. |
| 1B |
Luke Gatti
|
Elizabethtown
|
Sr. |
Columbia, Pa. |
|
2B |
Andrew Stewart
|
Catholic
|
Jr.
|
Manasquan, N.J. |
2B
|
Kyle Fackler
|
Elizabethtown |
So. |
Harrisburg, Pa. |
|
SS
|
Colin Case
|
Moravian
|
Sr.
|
Easton, Pa. |
| SS |
Steve Kowalski^
|
Drew
|
Sr.
|
Robbinsville, N.J. |
|
SS
|
Dan Hinchcliff
|
Catholic
|
Sr.
|
Hatfield, Pa. |
SS
|
Patrick O'Dell
|
Scranton
|
So.
|
Phoenixville, Pa. |
|
3B
|
Bryan Palsi
|
Susquehanna
|
Jr.
|
Brielle, N.J. |
3B
|
Ryan Luke
|
Moravian |
Sr.
|
Stewartsville, N.J. |
|
3B |
Wyatt Schmidt
|
Catholic
|
So. |
Southampton, N.Y. |
| OF |
Matt Hanson^*
|
Moravian
|
Sr.
|
Doylestown, Pa. |
|
OF |
Mike DiDonato
|
Drew
|
So.
|
Oakland, N.J. |
| OF |
Stefan Poggioli
|
Catholic |
Jr. |
Middletown, N.J. |
|
OF |
Brian Healy
|
Scranton
|
Jr. |
Middletown, N.J. |
OF
|
Tommy Trotter
|
Scranton
|
Fr.
|
Cranford, N.J. |
|
OF
|
Alex Holbert
|
Elizabethtown
|
Sr.
|
Mechanicsburg, Pa. |
DH
|
Michael Umerich
|
Scranton |
Sr.
|
Clarks Summit, Pa. |
|
DH
|
Jake Crist
|
Catholic |
Fr.
|
Greencastle, Pa. |
| SP |
Kristopher Davis
|
Elizabethtown
|
Sr.
|
Doylestown, Pa. |
|
SP
|
Dan Morrin
|
Moravian
|
Fr.
|
Doylestown, Pa. |
| RP |
Joseph Salzano
|
Catholic
|
So.
|
South Riding, Va. |
|
RP
|
Brad Suciu
|
USMMA |
Jr.
|
Zanesville, Ohio |
^ 2014 First Team All-Landmark
* 2013 First Team All-Landmark