GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2014 Baseball All-Conference Team selections, with first and second team honors being awarded to the top 24 players as selected by the conference coaches, regardless of position.

The NEAC has also announced its individual award winners, as also selected by the conference coaches.  Gallaudet University senior Casey Hicks (Henderson, Nev.) was named the NEAC Player of the Year after an outstanding season for the Bison.   Hicks drove in a NEAC-best 57 runs during the regular season, which currently ranks third across all of NCAA Division III.  That total was helped by his 48 hits that included eight home runs and four doubles, placing him second in the conference in all three of those hitting categories, as does his .519 on-base percentage and a .697 slugging percentage.  He batted .398 on the season and drew a conference-most 25 walks, while also producing five doubles, scoring 34 runs and stealing the second-most bases in the NEAC with 16 swipes. Behind the plate, the catcher recorded a .987 fielding percentage with 198 putouts and 27 assists in 228 chances.  A three-time NEAC Player of the Week selection this season, Hicks also earned the program's first-ever selection as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Division III Hitter of the Week along with two honorable mentions for that same honor, as well as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Upstate Player of the Week award.  Hicks' fine season also landed him on the NEAC All-Conference First Team. 

Hicks' teammate, junior Brandon Holsworth (Beal City, Mich.), earned his second straight NEAC Pitcher of the Year honor after another excellent season on the mound for the Bison.  Holsworth registered a conference-best record of 7-2 with three complete games through 13 starts, while striking out a NEAC-most 72 batters and recording a 2.17 earned run average through a conference-most 87 innings of work.  One of his two shutouts on the year came against nationally ranked Shenandoah back in March, which led to the first of four NEAC Pitcher of the Week selections in addition to a pair of ECAC Division III Upstate Pitcher of the Week honors and a NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honorable mention.  The Bison ace, who also earned a save out of the bullpen to round out his 14 appearances on the season, was also named to the All-Conference First Team for the second straight year.   

Lancaster Bible College freshman Justin Taylor (Greenville, S.C.) was selected as the NEAC Rookie of the Year after a fantastic debut season for the Chargers.  The shortstop led all NEAC rookies and was fifth overall with 50 hits on the year, making him just the fourth player in Charger history to have at least 50 hits in a season.  He also led all first-year players in numerous other categories, including home runs (5), doubles (15), runs scored (37), stolen bases (14), total bases (82) and sacrifice flies (4), which all ranked top-five overall within the conference.  He produced the fifth-best overall batting average in the NEAC at .407 while being third in slugging percentage at .667, with those marks respectively jumping to .464 and .855 in conference play. He also showed his stuff on the mound, converting both of his save opportunities while giving up just one hit and no runs in those appearances.  Taylor's efforts also landed him on the All-Conference Second Team.

Keuka College skipper Rick Ferchen was selected by his peers as the NEAC Coach of the Year after producing a tremendous turnaround season for the Storm. After winning a total of 17 games during the past three seasons, Ferchen led the Storm to a program-best 21-11 overall record this year, which included going 12-6 in NEAC play to share the regular season conference championship along with Gallaudet University.  Keuka will now be the second seed in the upcoming four-team NEAC Championship Tournament, marking the Storm's first trip to the conference postseason since 2009.

The All-Conference Team selections are as follows:

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The North Eastern Athletic Conference has twelve NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Institute of Technology, SUNY Morrisville State College, Wells College, and Wilson College.  Bryn Athyn College and Pennsylvania College of the Technology will both join the conference as full members in 2014-15.  Associate members are: Cedar Crest College (W Swimming), D'Youville College (M Volleyball), Hilbert College (M Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Medaille College (M&W Lacrosse & M Volleyball), Penn State Altoona (M Volleyball) and Rutgers University - Camden (M Golf & M Tennis).  The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men's and women's tennis.