Canisius Standouts Named MAAC Player, Pitcher of the Year
MAAC Sports
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Teammates Conor Panas and Rohn Pierce of Canisius College were named the 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year, as selected in a vote by the MAAC’s head coaches. The awards were presented at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre, on the eve of the 2014 MAAC Baseball Championship, which will be held May 21-24 at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood.
Panas and Pierce have led Canisius to a 38-14 overall mark, including 20-4 in MAAC play, and the league’s regular season championship in 2014.
Panas, a junior third baseman from Toronto, led the MAAC with six home runs, 48 RBI, seven sacrifice flies and a slugging percentage of .590. The hard-hitting third baseman was second in the MAAC in hitting with a .358, one point off the league lead, and was also second with 62 hits, and tied for second with 16 doubles.
Pierce, a junior righty from Lockport, N.Y., led the MAAC in victories and earned run average. He posted a dominating 10-2 record, with a stingy 2.02 ERA, and opposing batters hit just .203 against him. Pierce was fourth in the MAAC in runs allowed, with 26, and fourth with 58 strikeouts in 97.2 innings. He was a two-time recipient of the MAAC’s Pitcher of the Week Award.
The 2014 MAAC Rookie of the Year is Dan Swain of Siena College. Swain, a freshman outfielder from Newton, Mass., stepped into the starting lineup at the beginning of the season and finished the regular season as the Saints’ second leading hitting with a .303 batting average. Swain was also second on the Saints in on-base percentage at .387, and third in slugging percentage at .383, total hits with 53, total bases with 67 and stolen bases with 12.
Sharing Relief Pitcher of the Year honors were senior Neil Fryer of Siena and freshman Ryan Thomas of Marist. Fryer, of Greenwich, N.Y., has been a force out of the bullpen since his freshman season. This year he was tied for second on his team with 21 appearances, and in 27 innings, he recorded 20 strikeouts and allowed just nine walks. He is the all-time school record holder with 24 saves, including a team best seven this season.
Thomas, of Ringoes, N.J., led the Red Foxes with a 3.82 ERA, while making a team-high 24 appearances and contributing a team best seven saves as a freshman. Thomas allowed less than one hit per inning pitched, and struck out 17 while yielding just five walks in 30.2 innings pitched. Opposing batters hit just .234 against him.
The 2014 Anaconda Sports MAAC Coach of the Year is Mike McRae of Canisius. McRae guided the Golden Griffins to the MAAC’s regular season championship, and to the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Baseball Championships and a spot in Collegiate Baseball’s Top 30 for the first time in program history. The Golden Griffins have set a program record for victories in conference play for a season with 20, and concluded the regular season with 16 consecutive wins, the country’s longest active win streak. It is the fourth time that McRae has received the MAAC Coach of the Year Award.
Panas, at third base, and Pierce, a righty pitcher, were both first team All-MAAC selections. Joining them on the first team were catcher Ryan Plourde of Fairfield University, 1B Justin Thomas of Rider University, 2B Jake Gronsky of Monmouth University and shortstop Anthony Massicci of Canisius College.
First team outfielders were Brett Siddall of Canisius, Craig Sweeney of Monmouth and Joe Torres of Iona College. The first-team DH was shared by Jake Salpietro of Fairfield and Christian Santisteban of Manhattan College. The first team utility player was Ronnie Bernick of Canisius College, and first team pitchers were Pierce, Alex Godzak of Canisius and EJ Ashworth of Fairfield.
The All-MAAC Second Team included catcher Christ Conley of Canisius, 1B Vincent Guglietti of Quinnipiac University, 2B Rob Moore of Saint Peter’s University, 3B Nick Richter of Rider University and shortstop Jon Kristoffersen of Saint Peter’s University.
The outfield includes Mike Palladino of Quinnipiac, Swain of Siena, teammates Anthony Firenzi and Taylor Hackett of Niagara University, Jimmy Guiliano of Iona, and Chris Hugg of Saint Peter’s. The second-team DH was Jesse Puscheck of Canisius, and the utility player is Nick Henriquez of Saint Peter’s.
All-MAAC second team pitchers include Jordan Schwartz of Niagara, Chris McKenna of Monmouth and Mike Wallace of Fairfield.
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2014 ALL-MAAC BASEBALL FIRST TEAM
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C – Ryan Plourde
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Fairfield
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1B – Justin Thomas
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Rider
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2B – Jake Gronsky
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Monmouth
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3B – Connor Panas
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Canisius
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SS – Anthony Massicci
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Canisius
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OF – Brett Siddall
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Canisius
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OF – Craig Sweeney
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Monmouth
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OF – Joe Torres
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Iona
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DH – Jake Salpietro
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Fairfield
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DH – Christian Santisteban
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Manhattan
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U – Ronnie Bernick
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Canisius
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P- Rohn Pierce
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Canisius
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P – Alex Godzak
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Canisius
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P – EJ Ashworth
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Fairfield
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2014 ALL-MAAC BASEBALL SECOND TEAM
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C – Christ Conley
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Canisius
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1B – Vincent Guglietti
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Quinnipiac
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2B – Rob Moore
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Saint Peter’s
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3B – Nick Richter
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Rider
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SS - Jon Kristoffersen
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Saint Peter’s
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OF – Mike Palladino
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Quinnipiac
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OF – Anthony Firenzi
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Niagara
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OF – Dan Swain
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Siena
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OF – Taylor Hackett
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Niagara
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OF – Jimmy Guiliano
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Iona
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OF – Chris Hugg
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Saint Peter’s
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DH – Jesse Puscheck
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Canisius
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U - Nick Henriquez
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Saint Peter’s
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P – Jordan Schwartz
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Niagara
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P – Chris McKenna
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Monmouth
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P – Mike Wallace
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Fairfield
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2014 MAAC Major Awards Winners
MAAC Player of the Year: Connor Panas - Canisius
MAAC Pitcher of the Year: Rohn Pierce - Canisius
MAAC Rookie of the Year: Dan Swain – Siena
MAAC Co-Relief Pitcher of the Year: Neil Fryer - Siena
MAAC Co-Relief Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Thomas - Marist
Anaconda Sports MAAC Coach of the Year: Mike McRae – Canisius