2024 All-NCAC Baseball Team Announced

CLEVELAND, OH - Denison junior Eric Colaco (Richfield, OH/Revere), DePauw senior Michael Vallone (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) and Wabash senior AJ Reid (Highland, IN/Highland) earned Player of the Year honors to headline the 2024 All-North Coast Athletic Conference baseball team following bal-loting by the league coaches.

Colaco has been named the NCAC Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, earning Denison its fifth NCAC Player of the Year award in the last six seasons. He claims his third All-NCAC certificate with first-team honors this season and last spring after elevating from the second team in 2022. Over the course of the Big Red’s 40-game regular season schedule, the junior hit .424 (72-for-170) with seven triples, three home runs and 46 RBI, to go along with a league-leading 23 doubles, 33 stolen bases and 60 scored runs. The 2022 NCAC Newcomer of the Year also drew 24 walks in the regular season. He posted 25 multi-hit games, highlighted by three 3-for-4 performances, two 2-for-3 efforts, one 4-for-5 game and one perfect 5-for-5 showing. Colaco hit safely in 36 of Denison’s 40 regular-season games. Along with five steals in the NCAC postseason, he currently sits with 38 stolen bases this season, which ties the Denison single-season stolen bases record that he broke in 2022 and reset last season.

Vallone, who this season collects DePauw’s first NCAC Pitcher of the Year award, is the only four-time repeat selection to the All-NCAC team after earning a first-team nod this spring as well as in 2022 and 2021, along with second-team laurels in 2023. The senior closed out the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record, which included a perfect 4-0 mark against conference foes. The 2021 NCAC Newcomer of the Year posted a league-low 1.83 ERA after allowing 11 earned runs and 32 hits, while pitching the third most innings, 54.0, in the regular season. In 11 total appearances in the regular season, the southpaw struck out an NCAC-best 76 batters and limited opposing hitters to a .171 batting average. In a conference win over Wooster on April 20, Vallone recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts.

Reid collects the conference’s newest honor this season, the NCAC Gold Glove Award, for his contributions in the field. Playing exclusively at the hot corner, the senior posted 94 assists to go along with 49 putouts on 152 total chances. He also turned 11 double plays and made just nine errors for a .941 fielding percentage. Notably, in a non-conference matchup with Hanover, Reid started the second triple play in the 158-year history of Wabash baseball on a ground ball to third. The senior collects his third All-NCAC first-team certificate this season after also earning the honor in 2023 and 2021.

A trio of seniors join Colaco, Reid and Vallone on the first team as repeat selections to the top team: Denison first baseman Noah Leib (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township), Wittenberg outfielder Conor O’Malley (Avon, OH/St. Edward's) and Wooster shortstop Eli Westrick (Ashland, OR/Ashland). The three all collect their second-consecutive first-team certificate, while Westrick was also named to the second team in 2022.

Denison senior shortstop Owen Wilson (Charlotte, NC/South Mecklenburg), Kenyon sophomore Theo Canning (Yonkers, NY/Fieldston) and Wittenberg senior second baseman Luke Thomas (Tallmadge, OH/Tallmadge) all make the jump to first team from the second team a season ago, while Denison senior pitcher George Viebrock (Bethel, CT/Bethel) and Wittenberg senior catcher Parker Gryskevich (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) elevate to the first team after earning third-team accolades in 2023.

The remaining first-team selections are making their All-NCAC debuts this season: Ohio Wesleyan senior outfielder Edrick Padilla (Salinas, PR/Perkiomen (PA) School), Wittenberg senior pitcher Joe Horoszko (Seven Hills, OH/Saint Edwards) and Wooster junior utility player Alex Gerdenich (Ann Arbor, MI/Skyline) and sophomore designated hitter Ryan Kramer (Chicago, IL/Latin School of Chicago).

After being named to the second team in his rookie season, Denison designated hitter Jack Lutte (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) was selected as the 2024 NCAC Newcomer of the Year as the league's top player in his first year of collegiate competition. Lutte earned Denison its fourth NCAC Newcomer of the Year award and first since teammate Colaco claimed the honor in 2022. In 34 regular-season games, the designated hitter went 53-for-128 for an impressive .414 average, ranking him among the top five in the NCAC. The rookie produced 14 doubles, one triple and 34 RBI while scoring 34 runs. Lutte tallied 16 multi-hit games, which included nine games with three or more hits, highlighted by four 3-for-4 performances and two 4-for-5 efforts.

Finally, the leadership at Denison collected the NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Led by head coach Mike Deegan, the Big Red set a new program record for wins in the regular season (35) and are currently tied for the most wins in a single season in program history (39). After compiling a 13-3 record in NCAC play, Denison collected its fourth-straight conference title. Deegan’s staff, including Associate Head Coach Ryne Romick, Assistant Coach Danny LePera and student assistants Mikey Bednarek and Ian Thompson, earn Denison its sixth overall coaching honor. The Big Red were guided to a .341 batting average (484-for-1421) across 40 regular season contests and posted a league-high 374 runs, 106 doubles, 344 RBI and 105 stolen bases, to go along with a league-low 164 strikeouts. Denison also recorded 21 triples, 14 home runs and drew 195 walks, while the pitching unit posted a 3.70 ERA through 350.0 innings with 367 strikeouts.

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