McGill, Mattison, Klosterman win NEC major awards; 8 All-NEC

SOMERSET, N.J. -- The Bryant University baseball team claimed three major awards and eight Bulldogs earned all-league honors as the Northeast Conference announced its annual awards on Wednesday afternoon. 

Graduate student Liam McGill was named the NEC Player of the Year, senior Tyler Mattison earned NEC Player of the Year honors and head coach Ryan Klosterman was named NEC Coach of the Year. Bryant has now won 29 major awards in 11 seasons of NEC play. The Bulldogs also claimed their ninth-straight regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed in this week's NEC Tournament.

In addition to the major awards, Bryant placed five on the All-NEC First Team and three on the All-NEC Second Team. McGill and Mattison are joined on the first team by junior second baseman Jake Gustin, sophomore outfielder Derek Smith and graduate outfielder James Ciliento. Senior pitcher Tyler Schoff, graduate pitcher Vito Morgese and freshman catcher Damaurys Rodriguez earned second-team honors. 

The national leader in batting average and OBP, McGill becomes the fifth Bulldog in DI program history to earn player of the year honors. McGill enters the NEC Tournament hitting .467 with a .542 OBP, eight home runs and 44 RBI. He's also ranked fifth in hits per game (1.73) and seventh in RBI per game (1.33). McGill also hit a robust .465 with 30 RBI and 27 runs scored in 20 NEC games. He has reached safely in all 33 games he's played this year and has 16 multi-hit games and three multi-homer games. 

Mattison brings the NEC Pitcher of the Year honor back to Smithfield for the seventh-straight year after going 9-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 73.1 innings. A Bryant pitcher has won the award every year since 2014. This spring, Mattison had both power and command, striking out 86 while issuing just 12 walks. Mattison was even better in NEC play, going 8-1 with a 1.20 ERA, 75 strikeouts and just nine walks in 60.0 innings. He averaged nearly 7.0 innings per start in league play, the best in the NEC, tossing at least six in all but one. Mattison set Bryant's single-game strikeout record with 15 against FDU. 

Klosterman picks up his first coach of the year honor after guiding the Bulldogs to a 25-12-1 overall record and a 21-4 league mark in just his second season. The Bulldogs won their ninth-straight regular-season title and enter the NEC Tournament ranked 15th nationally in batting average, 12th in scoring, eighth in ERA and fifth in shutouts. After a 2-7 start, Klosterman steered the Black and Gold to a 23-5-1 finish. In NEC play, Bryant outscored its opponents 227-84 and stole 37 bases. 

Gustin has enjoyed one of the best seasons for a second baseman in DI program history this spring, hitting .377 with 12 doubles, six home runs, 31 RBI and 43 runs scored. He's also stolen a team-high 10 bases. Gustin finished the regular season ranked first in the NEC in runs scored and total bases, and second in hits and doubles. He collected a team-high 18 multi-hit games on the year and has reached safely in 28-straight games entering the NEC Tournament. 

Smith earns first-team honors following a very productive season as Bryant's cleanup hitter. He enters the NEC Tournament hitting .311 with nine doubles, four home runs, 33 RBI and 32 runs scored. Smith posted 11 multi-RBI games, finishing the year with eight RBI in his final five games. He collected his first-career multi-homer game against Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Ciliento picks up All-NEC First Team honors for the second time in his career after hitting .343 with six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 32 RBI and 33 runs scored. One of the most accomplished players in DI program history, Thursday's NEC Tournament opener will be Ciliento's 200th career game as a Bulldog. He currently ranks second in DI program history in both RBI and runs scored. 

Schoff earns All-NEC laurels for the first time in his career after putting together his best season on the mound. He finished the regular season with a 6-1 record and a 3.52 ERA in 61.1 innings. Schoff struck out 62 and walked just 12 on the year. In NEC play, Schoff walked just 10 and struck out 44 in eight starts. He ranks fourth in the NEC in wins, sixth in strikeouts and seventh in innings pitched. Schoff enjoyed the best outing of his career in his last start, striking out a career-high nine over a career-high 7.0 shutout innings. 

Morgese also picks up All-NEC honors for the first time in his career after posting a 4-2 record and a 3.15 ERA in 54.1 innings. He was even better in league play, going 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 48.2 innings. Morgese struck out 50 and walked just 14. He's been lights out down the stretch, posting at least six strikeouts in each of his last six starts and allowing one earned run or less in five of those six outings. Morgese tossed a complete-game shutout, the first of his career, to help Bryant earn a series victory over LIU at the beginning of May. 

Rodriguez has enjoyed an outstanding rookie season with the Black and Gold, entering the NEC Tournament with a .339 average, three home runs and 29 RBI. He hit .385 in league play, third-best on the team, and struck out just seven times in 99 plate appearances. Rodriguez also produced one of the longest hitting streaks in DI program history during the year, collecting a knock in 19-straight games. The streak is the third-longest and the longest for a true freshmen in DI program history.