Baseball takes home three major awards, seven named All-NEC

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – For just the second time in Northeast Conference history the three individual major award winners come from the same school as the Bryant University baseball team took home player, pitcher and rookie of the year honors and landed seven on the all-conference teams that were announced at Wednesday's pre-tournament banquet.

Junior Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) was named the NEC Player of the Year, sophomore Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) was named the NEC Pitcher of the Year and freshman Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) became the sixth-straight Bulldog to earn NEC Rookie of the Year honors. Bryant is the only school in league history to accomplish the feat, becoming the first team to do so last season.

In addition to the major awards, Gasper and Theetge were joined on the All-NEC First Team by sophomore outfielder Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.). Titus earned Second Team All-NEC honors and is joined by senior second baseman Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.), junior starting pitcher James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) and sophomore reliever Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.).

Gasper becomes the program's third player of the year honoree, joining Kevin Brown (2013) and Robby Rinn (2016). The backstop finished the regular season ranked fifth in the league in average (.348), first in RBI (53), fifth in total bases (101), tied for fourth in hits (65), sixth in runs scored (44), tied for fifth in home runs (7) and first in OBP (.471). Gasper was outstanding in league play, hitting .376 with 28 RBI, 24 walks and just six strikeouts in 26 games. His .529 OBP against NEC opponents was the best in the league. 

Theetge is the fourth-straight Bulldog to win NEC Pitcher of the Year honors and the sixth in program history. Bryant's crafty lefty bounced back from a rough start to the year to win each of his last seven decisions, finishing the regular season with an NEC-leading eight wins. Theetge posted a 3.70 ERA, allowed 65 hits, walked 35 and struck out 55 in 75 1/3 innings. He was dominant in league play, going 7-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 43 1/3 innings. Theetge tossed three complete games in six league starts, posting shutouts against Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary's. He walked just 13 and struck out 31 against league opponents.

Titus continues Bryant's historic run of rookies of the year as he keeps the award in Smithfield for the sixth-straight year and for the seventh time in eight years. He earns the honor after putting together one of the best rookie seasons in DI program history. Titus finished the regular season ranked fourth in home runs (8), third in total bases (105), fourth in doubles (15) and fifth in RBI (41). The eight home runs are the most by a rookie in DI program history, while he is just the second freshman to drive in 40+ runs. Titus was even better in league play, hitting a team-best .380 with 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 22 RBI and 25 runs scored.

Angelini earns First Team All-NEC honors for the second-straight season after hitting .322 with 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 34 RBI, 46 runs scored, 34 walks and 17 stolen bases. He ranked second in the NEC in total bases (106), tied for second in runs scored and tied for fourth in stolen bases. Angelini hit .337 with a .463 OBP and scored 30 runs against NEC opponents.

Fabio earns All-NEC honors at second base for the second time in his career. He's hitting .281 with 20 RBI, 52 runs scored, 43 walks and a .415 OBP. Fabio leads the league in runs scored, is third in walks and is tied for second with a career-high 19 stolen bases. He is just the second player in DI program history to draw 40+ walks in a season and his 52 runs scored are tied for his career high.

Karinchak earns All-NEC honors for the third-straight year and is making his first appearance on the second team. He is 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA and a league-leading 76 strikeouts in only 50 1/3 innings. Karinchak has posted 10+ strikeouts on three occasions, including 11 in a one-hit, complete-game shutout of Wagner in early April. His 13.59 strikeouts per nine innings would rank third nationally with three more innings.

Wrighter earns his first all-conference nod after emerging as one of the Bulldogs' top arms out of the bullpen this spring. He has appeared in 25 games, going 2-0 with one save and a 1.93 ERA. Wrighter has allowed 33 hits, walked 11 and struck out 27 in 37 1/3 innings. He enjoyed a stretch early in the year in which he didn't allow a run. Wrighter surrendered just six hits and four walks in 13 scoreless innings. He also displayed his durability, pitching in six-straight games and eight of 10 at one point during the year.

The Bulldogs face Sacred Heart in the first game of the NEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Dodd Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.