LATHAM, N.Y. - The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has announced it's 2021 baseball All-Conference Teams as well as its major award winners. All-Conference is composed of two teams, with 12 players regardless of position making up each team. The conference has also awarded the Player of the Year, the Pitcher of the Year, the Rookie of the Year and the Coach of the Year.

Tabbed the conference's Player of the Year, Bret Williams has been red hot all season. The senior tops not only the conference, but also the country in numerous statistical categories. Williams has been known for his power as his 17 home runs is tied for the Division III lead. This coincides with his 63 RBI, which is the most of any player in the nation. His numbers continue to rank among the nation's best including his total walks (2nd), slugging percentage (3rd), on-base percentage (8th) and total bases (9th). This production has not gone unnoticed either as Williams has been named to the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week three times this season. Perhaps his top outing came against Lancaster Bible on April 10 as he went 4-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI.

Drew Harshbarger has been a crucial member of the Penn State Harrisburg pitching staff, helping him earn Pitcher of the Year honors. The junior has accumulated a perfect 5-0 record across eight mound appearances. Over those 35.2 innings pitched, Harshbarger has fanned 50 opposing batters and has maintained an ERA 2.52 (both second best in the NEAC). The righty has a knack for not allowing hits as well as his 4.54 hits per nine innings ranks 20th least in the country. Harshbarger's top performance came in a complete game against Wells College in which he held the Express hitless while striking out 11.

Fogel has been impressive in his first year at Penn State Abington, earning him the title of Rookie of the Year. One of the toughest to strikeout in all of Division III, the freshman boasts a .434 batting average which ranks fourth best in the conference. Over this season, Fogel has racked up 33 hits, including seven doubles and four homers. He has also driven in 24 runs while crossing the plate himself 23 times. One of his best performances came in a win over Penn State Berks on May 1 as he went 4-for-4 with a home run.

In his third year as the skipper for Penn State Abington, Josh Copskey has been named the NEAC's Coach of the Year. The Nittany Lions have had a tremendous year under the guidance of Copskey, earning the top spot in the Mid-Atlantic Region twice and receiving votes in the d3baseball.com national poll for five-straight weeks. This has been in large part due to Copskey's focus on offense as his squad's 10.1 runs per game ranks 10th in all of Division III. Copskey has forced the issue when it comes to running as well as his team's 81 stolen bags tops the conference. Along the way, he has coached six players to All-Conference spots as well as the Rookie of the Year.

Player of the Year - Bret Williams | Penn State Harrisburg

Pitcher of the Year - Drew Harshbarger | Penn State Harrisburg

Rookie of the Year - Justin Fogel | Penn State Abington

Coach of the Year - Josh Copskey | Penn State Abington

 

All-Conference First Team

Bret Williams | Penn State Harrisburg

Ryan McCarty | Penn State Abington

Brittan Kittle | Penn College

Justin Fogel | Penn State Abington

Drew Harshbarger | Penn State Harrisburg

Stevie Stevenson | Penn State Abington

Trevor High | Lancaster Bible College

Dallas Hite | Penn State Harrisburg

Ethan Varricchione | Lancaster Bible College

Ben Bretzman | Penn College

Jaden Himmelreich | Penn State Abington

Matt Parks | Penn State Harrisburg

 

All-Conference Second Team

Zach Morales | Penn State Abington

Jacob Carles | Penn College

Jared Strait | Wells College

Zach Gettys | Penn State Harrisburg

Bryce Stout | Penn State Berks

Blake Greenly | Lancaster Bible College

Brian Coburn | Lancaster Bible College

Chase Smith | Penn State Harrisburg

Ben Berkel | Penn State Berks

Dylan Nolan | Wells College

Sean Doherty | Penn State Abington

Derek Shea | Wells College

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The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) has eight NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, and Wells College. The NEAC also includes one associate member in Rutgers University – Camden (M Golf). The NEAC has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse and the North Atlantic Conference in men's tennis and women's tennis. For more information, please visit: www.neacsports.com.