Baseball Has 10 Earn All-NEC, Including Rookie of the Year

The Central Connecticut baseball team had 10 members earn All-Northeast Conference recognition it was announced by the league office on Wednesday on the eve of the conference championship. Freshman Jake Neuman was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, while a trio of Blue Devils were named to the All-NEC First Team. 

Senior Andrew Braun, along with juniors Jay Devito and Sam Loda were named to the All-NEC First Team. Seniors Buddy Dewaine, Brandon Fox and Dave Matthews joined Neuman on the All-NEC Second Team. Sophomore Dan Covino and freshmen Noah Martinez and Jeff Nicol also earned second team honors.

The conference championship begins on Thursday, May 27, and second-seeded CCSU will open play against third-seeded Sacred Heart at 4:00 p.m. following the matchup of top-seeded Bryant and fourth-seeded LIU.

Neuman slid into the CCSU bullpen as a rookie and took on the role of a closer for the Blue Devils. He went 3-0 with eight saves and a 1.88 ERA in 14 appearances. He averaged 6.75 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, while post 12 scoreless outings to earn a spot on the second team, in addition to being the third Blue Devil to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors.

Braun slid into the Blue Devils' weekend rotation as a senior and posted a 8-1 record in 12 appearances. The lefthander ranked second nationally with a 0.89 WHIP and third with a 9.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was among the top five pitchers in the league with a 3.00 ERA, 71.0 innings pitched, and 65 strikeouts. On the year, the  Corona, CA-native, posted a complete game-shutout against Sacred Heart on March 19. He scattered five hits, while striking out 10 and walking none. He allowed more than one walk in a game, just once on the year when he surrendered two against FDU on May 20. 

Devito had an outstanding season at the plate, ranking second nationally with 1.14 base on balls per game, and third nationally with a .529 on-base percentage. He reached base in all but one game on the season and had a streak of 33 straight games reaching base that dated back to the final four games of the 2020 season. He played in all 36 games and hit a team-leading .357. Devito scored 33 runs to go with 20 RBIs. He had four games with at least three hits and reached base seven times in a 10-1 win at LIU on April 17.

Loda started the first 35 games of the season at catcher, before getting a break in the season-finale. He drove in a team-leading 30 RBIs, which ranked eighth in the league. He hit .274 with 11 doubles and 22 runs scored at the plate. He drove in a season-high five runs in a 21-7 win at FDU on March 26. His work behind the plate helped the CCSU pitching staff post a 3.64 ERA which was second-best in the NEC. Defensively he had a .990 fielding percentage and threw out 16 would be base stealers for a .242 runners caught stealing percentage.

Fox earned Second Team honors as a starting pitcher. Fox tossed a league-high 74.1 innings and also ranked among the league leaders with a 4.00 ERA and a 5-4 record. Matthews earned Second Team honors for the second time in his career. He hit .304 on the season and ranked among the NEC leaders with six homeruns and 12 doubles. Dewaine hit .308 with seven doubles, three homeruns and 15 RBIs in just 91 at-bats during the regular season.

Covino ranked third on the team with a .312 batting average. He added four homeruns with 25 runs scored and 26 runs batted in. Covino posted 12 multi-hit games, primarily batting leadoff for CCSU. Martinez ranked among the NEC leaders six homeruns and two triples. He hit .297 with a .511 slugging percentage, while starting 35 games and driving in 29 runs for the Blue Devils. Nicol played in 17 games for CCSU and posted a .304 average with 14 RBIs. He capped the regular season by going 2-for-4 with two runs, a homerun and 3 RBIs against Fairleigh Dickinson.

The Blue Devils are making their 17th appearance in the NEC Championship and have won the league crown on six previous occasions. CCSU won the 2019 championship and are defending champions after the cancellation of the 2020 season. Central has gone 24-12 overall this season and posted a 21-9 mark in NEC play.

2021 NEC All-Conference Honors
Player of the Year –  Liam McGill, Bryant
Pitcher of the Year – Tyler Mattison, Bryant
Rookie of the Year – JAKE NEUMAN, CCSU
Coach of the Year – Ryan Klosterman, Bryant

2021 All-Northeast Conference Baseball First Team
1B -  Liam McGill, Bryant
2B -  Jake Gustin, Bryant
3B -  JAY DEVITO, CCSU
SS -  Anthony Warneke, LIU
OF -  James Ciliento, Bryant
OF -  Jared Gillen, Wagner
OF -  Derek Smith, Bryant 
C -    SAM LODA, CCSU
DH -  Robert Farruggio, Sacred Heart
SP -  Tyler Mattison, Bryant
SP -  ANDREW BRAUN, CCSU
RP - Jordan Geber, Mount St. Mary's
RP -  Rob Griswold, LIU

2021 All-Northeast Conference Baseball Second Team
1B -  NOAH MARTINEZ, CCSU
2B -  DAN COVINO, CCSU
3B -  Joey Porricelli, Merrimack
SS -  Austin Markmann, Sacred Heart
OF -  BUDDY DEWAINE, CCSU
OF -  Cade Biddle, LIU
OF -  DAVE MATTHEWS, CCSU
C -    Damaurys Rodriguez, Bryant
DH -  JEFF NICOL, CCSU
SP -  Tyler Schoff, Bryant
SP -  BRANDON FOX, CCSU
SP -  Vito Morgese, Bryant 
RP -  JAKE NEUMAN, CCSU