LANCASTER, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the Baseball All-Conference teams and major award winners on Tuesday as five teams earned major recognition.

Player of the Year honors went to Centenary’s Nick Payne. The catcher had an incredible season batting .458 and slugging .712 in conference play. The ---  was first in the league with 10 doubles, second with 27 hits and fourth with 42 total bases. Payne added a conference leading seven stolen bases. The catcher had 10 walks on the season to go with an on base percentage of .543.

Frank Ebling of Gwynedd Mercy was named Atlantic East Pitcher of the Year. Ebling pitched 44 innings in conference play helping Gwynedd Mercy return to the conference tournament. The junior had a 2.86 ERA with 25 strikeouts across six starts and two complete games in conference series. Across the full season Ebling pitched 74.1 innings with a 2.42 ERA with 53 strikeouts.

Marywood’s Joel Ayers earned Rookie of the Year honors. Ayers finished his first year campaign with a batting average of .392, including 15 RBIs in conference games, with three doubles, a triple, and a homerun. The outfielder also added eight walks for an on base percentage of .500 in the 18 games. Ayers was also perfect defensively in the outfield for the Pacers for all of conference play.

Marymount was awarded Coaching Staff of the Year after earning the top seed to host the 2024 Atlantic East Baseball Playoffs finishing with a 14-4 conference record and an overall record of 31-11. The Saints record setting season had the most regular season wins and the most wins in program history. Marymount had two separate 10 game win streaks during the season. The coaching staff is led by Mike Cassidy, and assisted by Shane Halley, Sam Bender. Volunteer assistants on the staff include Daniel Raley, Conner Hall, Tyler Womer, Brett Kelley, and Ryan Maylie.

Lastly, the Atlantic East Elite 20 award winner for baseball, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at the finals site at each of the Atlantic East's 20 team championships, was awarded to Immaculata’s Joseph Chesnik. The junior education major has a cumulative GPA of 3.89. The pitcher was a part of the Mighty Macs title winning squad this season. For the entire selection criteria and process, click here.

For the full list of All-Conference teams, check out below...
 
Player of the Year: Nick Payne, Centenary
Pitcher of the Year: Frank Ebling, Gwynedd Mercy
Rookie of the Year: Joel Ayers, Marywood
Elite 20 Winner: Joseph Chesnik, Immaculata
Coaching Staff of the Year: Marymount
 
First Team
Catcher: Nick Payne, Centenary
Designated Hitter: Quincy Via, Marymount
First Base: Jonathan McMath, Marymount
Infield: Jaden Dickerson, Cabrini
Bobby Leitzel, Marymount
            Joey Sacco, Immaculata
Outfield: Jordan Dickson, Marymount
Sam Junker, Gwynedd Mercy
            Alec Reilly, Marymount
            Dustin Sutton, Cabrini
Starting Pitcher: Stephen DiBattista, Immaculata
            Frank Ebling, Gwynedd Mercy
            David Muirhead, Marymount
Utility: Cooper Root, Gwynedd Mercy
Relief Pitcher: Kyle Lewis, Marymount
 
Second Team:
Catcher: Josh Crowding, Immaculata
Designated Hitter: Jay Lawrence, Immaculata
First Base: Joey Wright, Immaculata
Infield: Ryan Cuadros, Marymount
            Shawn Haut, Immaculata
            Colton Narciso, Cabrini
Outfield: Joel Ayers, Marywood
            Kevin Knoess, Marymount
            Hunter Weitzel, Immaculata
Starting Pitcher: Kai Cummings, Cabrini
            Jason Hughes, Immaculata
Braeden Lencz, Marymount
Utility: Jake Keenan,  Centenary
            Nick Turnage, Immaculata
Relief Pitcher: Josh Colon, Cabrini