EAST STROUDSBURG – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced that East Stroudsburg University baseball redshirt senior
Brent Francisco was named the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, and 17th-year head coach
John Kochmansky was tabbed as the NCBWA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
Joining Francisco on the NCBWA All-Region First Team was sophomore outfielder
Shanley Wall and relief pitcher
Caden Parker, while starting pitcher
Ryan Dewees landed on the Second Team. Junior third baseman
Jack Rothenhausler was an NCBWA All-Region Honorable Mention.
Francisco becomes the second straight Warrior and third overall to be selected as the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, joining former teammate
Chase Nowak (2023) and Jeremy Gigliotti (2011). Kochmansky, who was tabbed the PSAC East Coach of the Year for the second time last week, earned NCBWA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career.
Francisco continued to collect the honors in his final season as the redshirt junior has pitched to an impressive 11-1 record, 1.97 ERA and .74 WHIP across 82.1 innings. He has totaled 74 strikeouts, five complete games, three shutouts and was a two-time PSAC East Pitcher of the Week during the year. The Burlington Township, N.J. native fired 26.0 consecutive scoreless innings from March 29 to April 20 and set career school records for strikeouts (313), innings pitched (276.1) and victories (28). In an elimination game last week against IUP in the PSAC Tournament, Francisco tossed 8.0 scoreless innings, surrendering two hits and striking out three Crimson Hawks.
Among all pitchers in NCAA Division II, Francisco leads the nation in WHIP while ranking second in victories, fourth in ERA, fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.57), fifth in complete games, sixth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.09), sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio, (7.40) and 69th in strikeouts.
Kochmansky guided the Warriors to the first PSAC East regular season title in program history as well as a runner-up finish at the PSAC Tournament last weekend. ESU enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 41-12, which is tied for the single season win total, and is serving as the host for the NCAA Atlantic Regional for the first time in school history after earning the No. 2 seed.
Starting all 53 games this season, Wall is flourishing in his sophomore sophomore campaign as he received NCBWA All-Atlantic Region First Team honors after posting team-highs of .409 batting average, .466 on-base and .575 slugging percentage. The Souderton native totaled 74 hits, which ranks tied for fourth all-time in a single season, which includes 16 doubles and four home runs to go with 36 RBI, 50 runs and 11 stolen bases. The sophomore leads ESU with 20 multi hit performances which included going 4-for-5 at Pace (3/19), against Shippensburg (4/6) and versus Slippery Rock (5/8) in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. Selected as the PSAC East Athlete of the Week on March 11, Wall currently ranks 25th in NCAA Division II as toughest to strikeout (15.1) and 44th in batting average.
Parker, who was named to the All-PSAC East First Team last week, garnered NCBWA All-Atlantic First Team honors as a relief pitcher after making 18 appearances out of the bullpen for ESU. In his first season wearing the red and black, Parker set the single-season school record for saves with 10, which ranks sixth in NCAA Division II, to go along with a 2.61 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 20.2 innings pitched.
After being named to the All-PSAC East Second Team a week ago, Dewees earned NCBWA All-Atlantic Region Second Team recognition following a stellar sophomore campaign. He enters the postseason with a perfect 7-0 record in 12 starts, pitching to a 3.09 ERA and 1.03 WHIP to go along with 39 punchouts in 58.1 innings pitched. Dewees was honored as the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week on March 11 and fired 13.0 consecutive scoreless innings between a pair of starts, which included hurling a three-hit shutout against West Chester on April 26.
Rothenhausler, who was named to the All-PSAC East First Team last week, earned NCBWA All-Atlantic Region Honorable Mention after batting .349 (60-for-172) with a .431 on-base and .500 slugging percentage. The junior totaled career-highs with 49 RBI and 46 runs scored, has a team-high 13 multi RBI games and recorded a 14-game hit streak from March 15 to April 5. Honored as the PSAC East Co-Athlete of the Week on April 1, the Bethlehem native leads the conference in RBI and doubles (17).
NCBWA All-Region – Pitchers of the Year
NCBWA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year
NCBWA All-Atlantic Region Major Awards
Player of the Year – Anthony Boccio, West Chester
Pitcher of the Year – Brent Francisco, East Stroudsburg
Coach of the Year – John Kochmansky, East Stroudsburg
First Team
C – Tyler Shinn, Salem
1B – Mike Huber, West Virginia State
2B – Zack Saryeldin, Concord
3B – Jack Oberdorf, Seton Hill
SS – Sean Szestowicki, West Chester
OF – Anthony Boccio, West Chester
OF – Fabian Escalante, Glenville State
OF – Shanley Wall, East Stroudsburg
OF – James Salvatori, West Liberty
DH – Peyton Conte, California (Pa.)
UT – Mackenzie Wainwright, Salem
SP – Brent Francisco, East Stroudsburg
SP – Alex Mykut, Millersville
SP – Chris Morris, West Virginia State
SP – Gage Gillott, Slippery Rock
RP – Jake Kramer, California (Pa.)
RP – Caden Parker, East Stroudsburg
Second Team
C – John DeMucci, West Chester
1B – Ethan Kiple, Frostburg State
2B – Mark McNelly, Millersville
3B – Mikey Guy, Frostburg State
SS – Kyle Waters, West Virginia State
OF – Randy Steen, Frostburg State
OF – Chris Morris, West Virginia State
OF – Jacob Houtz, Mansfield
OF – Chris Juchno, Mercyhurst
DH – JD Armstrong, Charleston
UT – Casey Finck, Charleston
SP – Patrick Bauer, Frostburg State
SP – Jaxon Dalena, Shippensburg
SP – Carson Kulina, Millersville
SP – Ryan Dewees, East Stroudsburg
RP – Ethan Miller, Shippensburg
RP – Jacob Bazala, Mercyhurst
Honorable Mention: C-John Susnik, Mercyhurst 1B-Chris Satcher, Concord 2B-Drew Klaserner, Charleston 3B-Jack Rothenhausler, East Stroudsburg; Braden Killens, Wheeling DH-Mitch Grosch, Mercyhurst
