Ficocelli & Manzo Earn Major Awards as Nine Baseball Players Land on All-Conference Teams
WINTHROP, Mass. – Mitchell College junior Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) was named Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Co-Player of the Year, while freshman Andrew Manzo (North Haven, Conn.) earned GNAC Rookie of the Year honors, as the league announced its end-of-season baseball awards on Monday afternoon. Additionally, the Mariners had a conference-high nine players selected to one of the three All-Conference Teams.
Ficocelli was joined on the First Team by senior starting pitcher Thai-ler Sestokas (Danbury, Conn.) and junior outfielder Chas Terni Jr. (Montville, Conn.). Representing Mitchell on the All-Conference Second Team were senior relief pitcher Jacob Quiles (Wallkill, N.Y.) and senior catcher Nicholas Bracale (East Haven, Conn.), along with junior second baseman Christopher Piscione (Cranston, R.I.), sophomore outfielder Ryan Dennis (Ellington, Conn.), and freshman third baseman Angel Rodriguez Cruz (Cidra, P.R.). Senior pitcher Dom Yarson (Ewing, N.J.) earned a spot on the All-Conference Third Team.
Ficocelli continued his strong collegiate career, slashing .378/.467/.563 during the regular season while recording 45 hits, including 19 doubles, to go along with 28 RBI and 31 runs scored. Against GNAC competition, Ficocelli elevated his play even further, batting a league-best .493 with a conference-high 35 hits and 13 doubles over 20 league games. He also ranked fourth in conference play in on-base percentage (.540), sixth in slugging percentage (.718), and tied for fourth in RBI (20). Heading into the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Ficocelli is slashing .385/.471/.593 with two home runs, 35 RBI, and 37 runs scored, while his 22 doubles rank fifth in the nation at the Division III level.
Manzo turned in an impressive freshman season in New London, making eight appearances during the regular season and posting a 5-0 record with a 4.10 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched. Against conference competition, Manzo elevated his performance even further, going 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts spanning 30.0 innings. He struck out 20 batters in GNAC play while holding opponents to a .226 batting average and compiling a 1.07 WHIP. Among the conference leaders, Manzo ranked near the top of the GNAC in conference ERA (2.70) and WHIP (1.07), while his four conference victories were tied for first. Heading into the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Manzo is 5-0 in 10 appearances (eight starts), with a 3.80 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts across 47.1 innings of work.
Thai-ler Sestokas emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in the GNAC this spring, finishing the regular season with a 6-1 record and a 2.09 ERA in 38.2 innings. His ERA ranked second best in the GNAC, while he added 31 strikeouts and issued only five walks. He also tossed two complete-game shutouts during the regular season. Across 30.1 innings of conference play, Sestokas was tied for the league lead with four wins, ranked fourth in ERA (2.08), and placed second in WHIP (1.02). Heading into the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Sestokas sports an overall record of 7-1 with a 2.08 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.
It was another big year for Terni Jr., who became the all-time home run leader in Mitchell's Division III era this spring. Terni Jr. batted .350 across 35 regular-season games, adding eight home runs, six doubles, one triple, 39 RBI, and 37 runs scored. Heading into the GNAC Tournament, the right fielder was tied for fourth in the conference in RBI, ranked eighth in slugging percentage (.617), seventh in on-base percentage (.494), and second in home runs (8). Against conference competition, Terni Jr. elevated his production even further, batting .397 with 25 hits, five home runs, 25 RBI, and 23 runs scored across 20 GNAC contests. He also posted a .563 on-base percentage and a .698 slugging percentage while stealing seven bases in league play. Among the conference leaders, Terni Jr. ranked near the top of the GNAC in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, and total bases during conference action. Heading into the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Terni Jr. is slashing .355/.489/.630 with nine home runs, nine doubles, 46 RBI, and 42 runs scored.
Nicholas Bracale became one of the best catchers in the country during his senior season, slashing .368/.520/.484 while ranking second in the GNAC in on-base percentage. Bracale added 35 hits, including four doubles, two triples, and a home run, while driving in 39 runs and scoring 37 times. Against GNAC competition, Bracale continued to produce at a high level, batting .364 with 20 hits, 20 runs scored, and 15 RBI across 20 conference games. He also posted a .478 on-base percentage during league play while contributing two triples and nine walks. Bracale also recorded the 100th hit of his collegiate career and owns the highest caught-stealing percentage of any catcher in program history. Entering the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Bracale is slashing .388/.529/.509 while continuing to provide elite defense behind the plate.
Jacob Quiles established himself as one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the GNAC this spring, posting a 3.86 ERA during the regular season across 28.0 innings of work while compiling a 4-1 record. Across 11.2 innings of GNAC action, the senior averaged 12.34 strikeouts per nine innings and posted a 1.11 WHIP. Opposing hitters batted just .207 against him on the season, and that number dropped to .179 in conference play. Entering the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Quiles has logged 32.0 innings across 16 appearances and sports a 5-1 record with a 3.38 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, 41 strikeouts, and an average of 11.53 strikeouts per nine innings.
During his first spring in New London, Christopher Piscione became one of the premier second basemen in the GNAC, slashing .339/.444/.504 in 35 regular-season games with 41 hits, including five doubles, three triples, and three home runs, to go along with 30 RBI, 27 runs scored, and 21 walks. Against GNAC competition, Piscione continued to produce at a high level, batting .355 across 19 conference games with 22 hits, two triples, two home runs, 17 RBI, and 15 runs scored. He also posted a .419 on-base percentage and a .565 slugging percentage while adding five stolen bases in league play. Entering the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Piscione is slashing .355/.454/.532 with 50 hits, including eight doubles, four triples, and three home runs, to go along with 37 RBI, 32 runs scored, 22 walks, and eight stolen bases.
Ryan Dennis continued to play elite all-around baseball for the Mariners during his sophomore campaign, playing in 30 games while slashing .347/.478/.376 with 35 hits, 39 runs scored, 24 RBI, 24 walks, and 25 stolen bases, good for the second-highest total in the conference during the regular season. In conference play, Dennis elevated his performance even further, batting .379 over 18 GNAC contests with 25 hits, 19 RBI, and 20 runs scored while stealing 16 bases. As he gets set to enter the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Dennis is slashing .350/.471/.392 with 42 hits, including three doubles and a triple, to go along with 28 RBI, 46 runs scored, 25 walks, and 26 stolen bases.
Angel Rodriguez Cruz emerged as one of the top newcomers in the GNAC during his first collegiate season, slashing .370/.455/.630 while adding 10 doubles, three home runs, 23 RBI, and 25 runs scored. Against conference competition, Rodriguez Cruz elevated his production even further, batting .404 with 19 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBI over 14 GNAC games. He posted a .463 on-base percentage and an impressive .766 slugging percentage during league play. Entering the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Rodriguez Cruz is slashing .341/.427/.588 with 29 hits, 12 doubles, three home runs, 27 RBI, and 27 runs scored.
Yarson made his presence felt on the mound during his lone year with the Mariners, logging a team-high 45.2 innings during the regular season across 11 appearances while posting a 5-2 record and a 2.36 ERA. The 2.36 ERA ranked third in the GNAC, and during conference play, Yarson elevated his performance even further, going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings. He allowed just three earned runs on 15 hits while posting a .217 opponent batting average and a 0.91 WHIP against GNAC competition. Entering the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Yarson leads Mitchell with 59.2 innings pitched and sports a 7-2 record, one complete game, a 2.11 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts.
The Mariners (29-12) will open play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday in the Regional Round hosted by Tufts University. Mitchell takes on the Jumbos in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament on Friday, May 15, at 11:00 a.m. The two other teams participating in the Regional at Tufts are Kean University and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
