ANNVILLE, Pa. - Hood College pitcher Nate Luscombe and head coach Mike Impellittiere earned major awards and Luscombe was joined by five teammates on the All-Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth baseball team.
Luscombe was named the MAC Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year, while Impellittiere repeated at the conference coach of the year.
A senior, Luscombe ranks among the MAC Commonwealth leaders in earned run average (third, 2.29), wins (tied for sixth, five), innings (tied for first, 63.0) and strikeouts (second, 51). He threw complete games against Stevenson, Messiah and Arcadia, including a four-hit shutout against the Knights. He struck out 11 and allowed just two hits against the Falcons, one strikeout short of the school record. He was also voted to the all-conference first team this season. He was 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA in conference games.
Impellittiere led the Blazers to their first No. 1 seed in the program's six-year history. Hood enters the MAC Commonwealth Championships with a 25-11-1 overall record and a 15-6 mark in conference games. The Blazers rank 17th in Division III with a 3.24 team ERA and 21st with 91 stolen bases. The team won 10-straight games down the stretch before a pair of losses on the final weekend of the regular season.
Des Grimes, Jordan Patterson and Brad Sawyer joined Luscombe on the All-MAC Commonwealth First Team, while Nathan Kessler and Dylan Beck earned second team honors. Kessler earns his third all-conference nod, while Luscombe, Patterson and Sawyer make their second appearances.
Grimes, making his first appearance on the all-conference team, pitched 31 innings out of the bullpen for Hood. He saved two games, struck out 25 and turned in a 2.90 ERA. Grimes earned saves against Alvernia and Arcadia, including a four-inning save in which he allowed just two base hits against the Knights. He threw five scoreless innings of relief against McDaniel and 4.1 innings of shutout relief against Maritime (N.Y.).
Patterson made the first team as a utility player based upon his combination of hitting and pitching. He is 12th in Division III with a 0.83 WHIP and 16th in Division III with a 1.29 ERA, tops in the MAC Commonwealth. He also leads the conference in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.79. Patterson threw back-to-back shutouts in conference play against Arcadia and Albright, allowing just six total hits over the two contests. He struck out nine in seven innings of two-hit relief against Penn St.-Behrend. He ranks among the conference leaders as a hitter with a .392 batting average. Among his 11 multi-hit games is a four-hit, four-RBI effort against Albright. He has struck out only eight times in 97 at bats.
Sawyer was voted first team at first base. The junior batted .343 with eight doubles, one triple, a home run, 16 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He hit his first career homer against Alvernia and had two of his five three-hit games against the Golden Wolves. He drew three walks in a game against Albright and scored three times against Alvernia. Sawyer hit .400 in MAC Commonwealth play with eight walks in 45 at bats. has made 10 starts on the mound for Hood, going 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 46 innings.
Kessler is the second team second baseman, batting .336 with a .438 on-base out of the leadoff spot. He team-highs with 31 runs scored and five triples. The senior has stolen 15 bases this season and has 12 extra-base hits with six doubles and a home run. He enters the conference tournament with four-straight multi-hit games and 12 for the season. Kessler scored three runs in a game in back-to-back games last week against Juniata and Widener and stole two bases in both games as well.
Beck made the second team as an outfielder after batting .413 in conference play with a .500 on-base percentage. Overall, he is hitting .352 with nine doubles, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 20 runs scored and 12 steals. He had two doubles and a home run against Juniata, driving in three runs. Beck also homered against Stevenson. He has 15 multi-hit games to his credit, including three-hit efforts against Juniata and Arcadia. Three of his stolen bases came in a game against Alvernia and he swiped a pair against McDaniel.
Hood opens the MAC Commonwealth Championships against Widener at PeoplesBank Park in York, Pa. on May 2 at 3 p.m.
Below is the 2019 All-MAC Commonwealth Baseball Team.
2019 All-MAC Commonwealth Baseball Team | |||
Player of the Year: Nathan Sides (Sr.), Alvernia | |||
Pitcher of the Year: Nate Luscombe (Sr.), Hood | |||
Rookie of the Year: Jarod Bingaman (Fr.), Messiah | |||
Coach of the Year: Michael Impellittiere, Hood | |||
FIRST TEAM | |||
Position | Name | School | Year |
Pitcher | Joel Bartoni | Arcadia | Senior |
Pitcher | Nate Luscombe | Hood | Senior |
Relief Pitcher | Des Grimes | Hood | Junior |
Catcher | Dylan Towey | Arcadia | Junior |
First Base | Matt Briner | Alvernia | Senior |
First Base | Brad Sawyer | Hood | Junior |
Second Base | Mike Cirilli | Alvernia | Junior |
Shortstop | Nathan Sides | Alvernia | Senior |
Third Base | Alex Kidwiler | Stevenson | Junior |
Outfield | Trent Culver | Messiah | Sophomore |
Outfield | Bryan Gillen | Arcadia | Senior |
Outfield | Kevin Murray | Stevenson | Junior |
Designated Hitter | Stephen DeBellis | Widener | Senior |
Utility | Jordan Patterson | Hood | Junior |
SECOND TEAM | |||
Position | Name | School | Year |
Pitcher | Kade Jones | Widener | Sophomore |
Pitcher | Kyle Kingsburg | Lebanon Valley | Sophomore |
Pitcher | James Wiercinski | Stevenson | Senior |
Relief Pitcher | James Dougherty | Widener | Senior |
Catcher | Alex Salesky | Alvernia | Senior |
First Base | Matthew Kerber | Stevenson | Senior |
First Base | Trevor Mattson | Arcadia | Sophomore |
Second Base | Nathan Kessler | Hood | Senior |
Shortstop | Jarod Bingaman | Messiah | Freshman |
Third Base | Zak Thomas | Arcadia | Junior |
Outfield | Dylan Beck | Hood | Junior |
Outfield | Sean Carew | Arcadia | Senior |
Outfield | Matt Samson | Widener | Freshman |
Designated Hitter | TJ Holdredge | Lebanon Valley | Junior |
Utility | Phil Pierfy | Arcadia | Junior |
HONORABLE MENTION | |||
Position | Name | School | Year |
Catcher | Jordan Moore | Stevenson | Senior |
Designated Hitter | Nick Nutile | Alvernia | Freshman |
Second Base | Josh Hayner | Messiah | Senior |
Second Base | Nick Ponente | Arcadia | Senior |
Third Base | Sam Stewart | Messiah | Senior |
Outfield | Logan Pennypacker | Albright | Junior |
Utility | Ian Shaffer | Alvernia | Senior |