Baseball All-Conference Teams Released
Amherst's Odenwaelder Repeats as Player of the Year
HADLEY, Mass. - Amherst junior Mike Odenwaelder (Goshen, Conn.) has been chosen by the conference coaches as the NESCAC Player of the Year. He is the first player in league history to be repeat as Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, and is Amherst’s third Player of the Year selection, joining Mike Samela (2011) and Bob Cook (2012). The Jeffs finished second in the NESCAC East standings, compiling a record of 9-3 in divisional play and 26-13 overall record en route to earning a runner-up finish at the NESCAC Championship and their second straight at-large bid into the NCAA Championship.
In addition to being named Player of the Year, Odenwaelder was selected to the All-NESCAC First Team for the third consecutive season. Odenwaelder, the 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, leads the league with 57 hits and 91 total bases. He is among the conference leaders in several other categories with seven home runs (T-3rd), 38 runs (4th), 15 stolen bases (5th), a .373 batting average (6th) and a .595 slugging percentage (8th). Defensively, he recorded 113 putouts and five assists without committing an error.
NESCAC champion Wesleyan landed three members on the First Team. Leading the way is NESCAC Pitcher of the Year, senior Sam Elias (Norwood, N.J.). The first-time all-conference honoree had a breakout season as he paces the league with a 1.53 ERA and 70.2 innings pitched, and ranks third in strikeouts at 60. Elias, who boasts a 7-1 record and has four saves, is the first Cardinal pitcher to receive the accolade. Senior Sam Goodwin-Boyd (Florence, Mass.) earned First Team plaudits for the second time after receiving First Team recognition last season and Second Team honors in 2013. The first baseman leads the Cardinals with 34 RBI, which ranks sixth in the conference, and has hit five home runs to help record a .451 slugging percentage. He has also scored 23 runs for Wesleyan heading into the NCAA Championship. Junior Guy Davidson (New York, N.Y.) was elevated to the First Team after being a Second Team selection last season. The shortstop leads the Cardinals with a .560 slugging percentage and is tied for the team lead with five home runs and nine doubles, while ranking second with a .321 batting average. He has also driven in 29 runs and scored 27.
Tufts, the No. 1 seed in the East Division, matched Wesleyan with three players making the First Team, including the Defensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. First-year third baseman Tommy O’Hara (Glenview, Ill.) paces the NESCAC with a .405 batting average and .518 on-base percentage, and ranks second in hits (53) and doubles (14). He also ranks third among conference players in runs (42) and total bases (79) and is tied for third in RBI (42). For his efforts, O’Hara was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. He is the second consecutive Jumbo and third Tufts player overall to earn the award, joining teammate Tim Superko and Chase Rose (2008) as previous honorees. Tufts center fielder Connor McDavitt (Holden, Mass.) has been selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the first player in conference history to garner the accolade in back-to-back seasons. The senior yielded just one error in 64 opportunities for a .984 fielding percentage, while throwing out four runners on the base paths. He joins Matt Collins (2011) and Alex Perry (2010) as the only Jumbos to receive the recognition. McDavitt, who was named to his first All-NESCAC team, leads the league with 37 walks and is tied for first with 43 runs. He also drove in 31 runs and stole ten bases for Tufts. Senior catcher/designated hitter Bryan Egan (Watervliet, N.Y.) joins the list of first-time All-NESCAC honorees. He ranks second in the NESCAC with a .496 on-base percentage, is tied for third in RBI (42), and is fifth in batting average (.374).
Colby had two First Team selections in senior Jason Buco (Methuen, Mass.) and junior Soren Hanson (Billerica, Mass.). Buco, who was named to the First Team in 2014 and the Second Team in 2012, is tied for the league lead in home runs with eight, and is sixth in the conference with a .605 slugging percentage. The left fielder paced the Mules with 40 hits, and was second on the team with a .351 batting average, 27 runs and 21 RBI. Hanson, who was picked for his first All-NESCAC team, served as Colby’s first baseman when he wasn’t a starting pitcher. At the plate, he posted a .348 batting average, drove in 19 runs and scored 14 runs. On the mound, Hanson went 5-1 in six starts with a 3.08 ERA.
Rounding out the First Team is Bates senior Sam Berry (South Hamilton, Mass.), Bowdoin senior Henry Van Zant (Westport, Conn.) and Amherst sophomore Yanni Thanopoulos (Highland, Calif.). All three players are first-time All-NESCAC selections. Berry is tied for third in the conference with seven home runs. The third baseman was tied for a team-best 31 RBI, and ranked second with a .331 batting average, a .574 slugging percentage, 45 hits, 27 runs and 12 doubles. Van Zant went 7-1 on the mound for Bowdoin this season, while ranking fourth in the NESCAC with a 1.95 ERA and 60.0 innings pitched and fifth with 56 strikeouts. Thanopoulos paces the NESCAC with 49 RBI, while scoring 31 runs, hitting .362 and slugging .546. The left fielder also registered four triples and stole 11 bases for Amherst.
Wesleyan head coach Mark Woodworth was selected as the Coach of the Year by his peers for an unprecedented third straight season. He also earned the honor in 2002. Woodworth guided Wesleyan to its second consecutive conference title after earning the top seed in the NESCAC West Division with a 12-0 mark. The Cardinals became the first team in the West Division to finish divisional play with an unblemished record. Wesleyan defeated Amherst in 12 innings in game seven of the NESCAC Championship to send the Cardinals back to the NCAA Championship with a 28-9 overall record.
Baseball All-Conference Teams
| First Team All-NESCAC |
| Position |
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
| 3B |
Sam Berry |
Bates |
Sr. |
South Hamilton, Mass. |
| LF |
Jason Buco |
Colby |
Sr. |
Methuen, Mass. |
| SS |
Guy Davidson |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
New York, N.Y. |
| C/DH |
Bryan Egan |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Watervliet, N.Y. |
| P |
Sam Elias |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Norwood, N.J. |
| 1B |
Sam Goodwin-Boyd |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Florence, Mass. |
| 1B/P |
Soren Hanson |
Colby |
Jr. |
Billerica, Mass. |
| CF |
Connor McDavitt |
Tufts |
Sr. |
Holden, Mass. |
| OF |
Mike Odenwaelder |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Goshen, Conn. |
| 3B |
Tommy O'Hara |
Tufts |
Fy. |
Glenview, Ill. |
| LF |
Yanni Thanopoulos |
Amherst |
So. |
Highland, Calif. |
| P |
Henry Van Zant |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Westport, Conn. |
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| Second Team All-NESCAC |
| Position |
Name |
Institution |
Class |
Hometown |
| C |
Max Araya |
Middlebury |
Jr. |
Redding, Conn. |
| CF |
Donnie Cimino |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Westwood, N.J. |
| P |
Nick Cooney |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Rehoboth, Mass. |
| SS |
Tommy Forese |
Colby |
Jr. |
New Canaan, Conn. |
| OF |
Joe Jensen |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
West Windsor, N.J. |
| 1B |
Chad Martin |
Bowdoin |
Jr. |
Rowley, Mass. |
| SS |
Matt Moser |
Tufts |
Jr. |
Great Falls, Va. |
| RF |
Nate Pajka |
Bates |
Sr. |
Douglas, Mass. |
| OF |
Brendan Pierce |
Trinity |
Fy. |
Hingham, Mass. |
| P |
Gavin Pittore |
Wesleyan |
Jr. |
Roslindale, Mass. |
| 2B |
Aaron Rosen |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
Morganville, N.J. |
| 2B |
Andrew Vandini |
Amherst |
Jr. |
Walpole, Mass. |
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