St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball players Andrew Jemison, James Versage, Alex Mack, James Reilly, Gregory DiGiaro, Matthew Johnson and Aaron Dona were each named as ECC All-Conference selections on Thursday afternoon. Jemison, Versage, Mack and Reilly received First Team honors, while DiGiaro, Johnson and Dona each garnered Second Team accolades in a vote of the conference's coaches. Additionally, pitcher Alex Mack was named the ECC Pitcher of the Year.
The seven Spartans have helped their team capture the ECC Regular Season Championship and the number one seed in the upcoming postseason tournament. STAC finished the regular season with a 23-3 record and a 17-3 ECC mark. Top-seeded STAC will meet fourth seeded Queens College in a best-of-three semifinal series that begins on Friday at Palisades Credit Union Park.
Jemison was named to the team as a third baseman, while Versage was recognized as an outfielder, DiGiaro a designated hitter and Johnson a utility player. Mack and Dona were selected to the team as starting pitchers, while Reilly joined the group as a relief pitcher.
Alex Mack, a graduate student, led the pitching staff with a tremendous season by every measure. He recorded an earned run average of 1.31 with 62 strikeouts in 48 innings en route to a stellar 6-0 record. The ECC pitching triple crown winner was named the conference Pitcher of the Week on three occasions. Teammate Aaron Dona, a junior, gave STAC one of the best rotations in the ECC, along with Mack and Angelo Baez. He posted a 2-0 record with a 2.20 earned run average over 28.2 innings pitched, while striking out the opposition 40 times. In the bullpen, James Reilly led all Spartan relievers with four saves in 12 appearances. The junior right-hander posted a 1-1 record with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings of work.
Andrew Jemison, a sophomore, excelled offensively for STAC, posting a .383 batting average, with nine doubles, two triples and a home run. In 24 games played, Jemison also recorded 25 RBI (3rd on Team) and 31 runs scored (2nd on Team). Versage, a senior, held a .367 batting average, with a team-leading 12 doubles and five home runs (tied for 1st with Brian Donnelly) in 26 games. He also led the team in RBI (34) and was third on the squad with 29 runs scored.
Gregory DiGiaro, a sophomore, hit .316, with five doubles, two triples, a home run, 14 RBI and nine runs scored in 18 contests for the Spartans. Meanwhile, senior Matthew Johnson recored a .286 batting average with seven doubles, a triple, 13 RBI and 23 runs scored (tied for 4th with Donnelly) in 26 games.
2021 ECC Baseball All-Conference
First Team
C - Thomas Brady, Molloy
1B - Anthony Murphy, Mercy
2B - Sean Hogan, Molloy
3B - Andrew Jemison, St. Thomas Aquinas
SS - Miguel Ortiz-Sanchez, Mercy
OF - Elias Beltre, Lincoln
OF - Matt Overton, Molloy
OF - James Versage, St. Thomas Aquinas
DH - Thomas Marten, Staten Island
UTL - Reed Hoskins, Queens
SP - Charlie Cucchiara, Molloy
SP - Alex Mack, St. Thomas Aquinas
SP - Justin Nyarady, Bridgeport
SP - Timothy Panetta, Molloy
RP - James Reilly, St. Thomas Aquinas
Second Team
C - Jeremy Glinski, D'Youville
1B - Jake McCarthy, Molloy
2B - Craig Leonard, Bridgeport
3B - David Franchi, Molloy
SS - James Messina, Molloy
OF - Charles Lebron, Mercy
OF - Garrett Scavelli, Molloy
OF - Peter Theodorellis, Molloy
DH - Gregory DiGiaro, St. Thomas Aquinas
DH - Andrew Smith, Queens
UTL - Matthew Johnson, St. Thomas Aquinas
UTL - Francisco Paulino, Mercy
SP - Anthony Burgio, Mercy
SP - Aaron Dona, St. Thomas Aquinas
SP - Liam Pulsipher, Queens
SP - Ryan Rozinski, Mercy
RP - Dean Fazah, Queens
Player of the Year: Sean Hogan, Gr., 2B, Molloy
Pitcher of the Year: Alex Mack, Gr., St. Thomas Aquinas
Rookie of the Year: Nolan Giblin, So., 3B, Mercy
Coach of the Year: Joe Fucarino, Molloy