GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced its 2015-16 Baseball All-Conference 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 baseball individual award winners, which were also chosen by the conference coaches. 

Lancaster Bible College junior Justin Taylor (Greenville, S.C.) was chosen as the NEAC Player of the Year following an extraordinary season for the Chargers.  Taylor was a terror at the plate, leading the conference with a .449 batting average and a .919 slugging percentage while being second in on-base percentage at .497.  His 61 hits, 56 RBIs, 45 runs scored and 125 total bases were also all the top marks in the conference, as were his 17 home runs and 0.52 home runs per game average that both currently lead all of NCAA Division III. Taylor’s slugging percentage ranks top-five across the country as well, as nearly half of his hits went for extra bases after he also smacked 13 doubles, second-most in the conference.  His scorching bat garnered him numerous accolades, including three NEAC Player of the Week honors along with a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Hitter of the Week selection.  The shortstop was also named to the NEAC All-Conference First Team after helping the Chargers clinch a playoff spot in this weekend’s NEAC Tournament.   

 

Penn State Berks sophomore Sean Pavlik (Boyertown, Pa.) was named the NEAC Pitcher of the Year after a fantastic season on the mound for the Nittany Lions.  The righty led all NEAC pitchers in wins (7), complete games (4), strikeouts (69), and ERA (1.93) in 10 appearances and 65.1 innings of work. Pavlik held opponents to a .198 batting average and recorded eight or more strikeouts in his final six starts of the season, including two games with a career-best 11 strikeouts.  The innings-eater made eight starts in total on the season, with all of his conference starts being the nine-inning game of each doubleheader.  His performance on the hill earned him four NEAC Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including one two weeks ago after he took a perfect game into the top of the seventh inning before going 8.2 innings with a no-hitter in a conference win over SUNY Poly.  The ace also notched a spot on the All-Conference First Team.

 

 

Pavlik was joined by teammate Toby Welk (Downingtown, Pa.) as an individual award winner after the Berks freshman was named NEAC Rookie of the Year.  Welk made a strong debut for the Nittany Lions, posting a .358 batting average (38-for-106) with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 23 runs scored. His RBI total led all rookies and placed him second overall in the conference, while his home runs were fifth-most and his .528 slugging percentage was the fourth-best clip.   Welk had a team-most 13 multi-hit games this season, while his seven games with two or more runs batted in are the second most on the team to go along with two separate five-game hitting streaks. A NEAC Player of the Week selection after a tremendous single-game outing with three home runs and 10 RBIs early in the season, Welk also emerged as Berks’ everyday third baseman where he recorded 15 put outs and 40 assists for a fielding percentage of .932.  Welk’s fine play landed him on the All-Conference Second Team, while he and Pavlik helped the Nittany Lions secure a spot in the upcoming conference championship tournament.

 

Penn State Abington head coach Joe Pavlow was named the NEAC Coach of the Year following an excellent campaign guiding the Nittany Lions.  The skipper helped Abington claim the NEAC regular season title outright this season after sharing the crown a year ago, as his squad went 12-2 in conference play while finishing 22-18 overall.  Pavlow, who also earned his 150th career victory this season, saw his balanced team lead the conference in doubles, stolen bases, earned run average and opponent batting average.  He also helped four players land on the All-Conference Team. 

 

 

The 2015-16 Baseball All-Conference selections are as follows:

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The North Eastern Athletic Conference has fourteen NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Bryn Athyn College, Cazenovia College, College of St. Elizabeth, Gallaudet University, Keuka College, Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Pennsylvania State University - Abington, Pennsylvania State University - Berks, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville State College, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Wells College, and Wilson College.  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).  The North Eastern Athletic Conference has partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in the sports of men’s and women’s tennis.