Baseball Trio Named ABCA/Rawlings All-New England First-Team

Baseball Trio Named ABCA/Rawlings All-New England First-Team

ABCA/Rawlings All-Region

BOSTON – For the first time in Suffolk baseball history, three Rams garnered all-region first-team accolades as the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) in conjunction with the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and Rawlings honored Matt Brenner, Brady Chant and Chuck Gibson for their stand up 2017 seasons. 

The trio of upperclassmen led the Rams to a historic run at the NCAA New England Regionals over the weekend after helping the blue-and-gold hoist their third consecutive GNAC Trophy on May 7 that punched Suffolk's third consecutive ticket to the NCAA Division III Championship and the program's seventh overall. 

Brenner, Chant and Gibson were crucial ingredients to push the Rams' into the NCAA regional winner's bracket for the first time in seven trips with a 4-0 shutout over #22/17 St. John Fisher May 18. The triumph also went down as the first NCAA tournament win under three-year head coach Anthony Del Prete, the first shutout by Suffolk in the Big Dance and the first time the Rams found themselves in the win column at the regionals since 2005. The threesome continued to excel the next night in a thrilling 1-0, 11-inning walk-off win over #25 Arcadia to secure its spot in Championship Sunday. Suffolk ended up falling to eventual regional winner, #17/19 UMass Boston and was eliminated by fifth-seeded Babson to complete its electrifying season 28-17 overall. 

A total of 49 players from 27 different schools were recognized on the first, second and third teams. Chant took home his second first-team nod in as many years, while Brenner and Gibson received the recognition for the first time in their careers.

Earlier today, the triad was named to D3Baseball.com All-New England team with Brenner and Chant on the first team and Gibson representing the Rams on the second team.

Brenner, a senior captain from Eliot, Maine, is the third-ever Suffolk player behind the plate to be named to the region's top team. The All-GNAC First-Teamer and GNAC All-Tournament Team member made the most of his senior season, sitting among Suffolk's top three in every offensive category, hitting .333 (53-for-159) on the year to go along with 10 doubles, four triples and a pair of jacks. The clean-up hitter, who played the most games in a single-season behind the plate in Suffolk history (45), scored 39 runs on the season, while driving in 36. His offense correlated to defense with the 6-foot-1 catcher owning a team-best .993 fielding percentage with 238 putouts, 37 assists and 12 runners caught stealing. Brenner is the fourth Rams' catcher to pick up first-team all-region accolades joining Bobby Barrett (2009), Nick Martinho (2008) and Joe Duca (2003). The Finance and Global Business major was also recognized for his success in the classroom this year with a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. 

 

Chant takes home his second all-region first-team nod, joining Mike Maguire and Tamayo Manzanillo as the only Rams to earn a pair of all-region first-team honors. The 6-foot-3 outfielder continued to have unparalleled success in center for the Rams, rewriting Suffolk's record books as he became the all-time leader in triples at Rhode Island College May 17 in the third inning as he placed his then-10th triple of the season in right center to bring in one run. The hit good for three bags brought his career total to 20, putting him ahead of Suffolk Hall of Famer Maguire on the all-time annals. Along his record-setting path, Chant has added multiple firsts to his resume; first player in blue-and-gold to record two triples in one inning in Suffolk history and across NCAA DIII since 2010, accomplishing the feat in the home half of the third in a 30-8 win over Anna Maria April 15. The righty is just the 12th player in NCAA DIII history to contribute three or more triples in a single game and the only Suffolk player to do so. The first-team All-GNAC and GNAC All-Tournament Team member leads the nation in triples and triples per game this season with 12 in 2017 and sits atop the NCAA DIII in career triples with 22, four more than the student-athlete in second-place. Chant's 69 hits, 118 total bases and 191 at bats not only lead the team and conference, but land among the top three in New England and the country. His 69 hits sit third in the region and 35th in the country, while his total bases lead the way in New England and land 10th in the nation. The numbers are also scattered on Suffolk's singles season list with his hits and total bases coming in second thanks to the most at-bats by a Ram in a single season. The Warwick, Rhode Island, product also holds the team's top numbers in runs (47), batting average (.361), slugging percentage (.618), doubles (13) and stolen bases (17). 

 

Gibson had a standup senior season and add more hardware to his growing resume with his first regional recognition, becoming the first member of Suffolk's staff to find a spot on the first squad since the very first Ram regional selection Max Nunez in 2000. After leading Suffolk to its third straight conference crown, with a 1-0 win over Johnson & Wales that saw Gibson deal a complete-game, three-hit, no-walk, eight-strikeout outing. The GNAC Tournament MVP continued to shove in the regional tournament. He earned a spot on the NCAA New England Regional All-Tournament team thanks to an impressive, complete-game, five-hit, three-walk, nine-strikeout, 4-0 shutout over #22/18 St. John Fisher May 18. The GNAC Pitcher of the Year and all-conference first-team member produced an 8-1 ledger on the hill this season in nine starts and 12 appearances with victories over nationally ranked St. Joseph's (Maine) and a pair of wins over Cardinal of St. John Fisher. His five complete games rank 10th in the region and are tied for 20th in the country, with his eight victories, which land on Suffolk's single-season list in fourth, are good for third in the region. The righty captain boasts a 1.77 ERA, good for seventh on the Rams' single-season list, and eighth in New England. In 71.1 innings pitched, Gibson sat down 51 hitters.
 

2017 New England-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Teams

NCAA Div. III New England All-Region First Team

Pos.

Player

Cl.

School

State

C

Matt Brenner

Sr.

Suffolk

MA

1B

Chris Fowler

Jr.

UMass Boston

MA

2B

Kyle Hartenstein

Jr.

Mitchell

CT

3B

Taylor Black

Sr.

St. Joseph's

ME

SS

Austin Filiere

Jr.

MIT

MA

SS

Kyle Bonicki

Jr.

Clark

MA

OF

Alex Zachary

Sr.

Eastern Connecticut State

CT

OF

Brady Chant

Jr.

Suffolk

MA

OF

Ryan Tropeano

So.

WPI

MA

DH

Ryan Arena

Jr.

Babson

MA

UT

Jake Dexter

So.

Southern Maine

ME

P

Speros Varinos

Sr.

Tufts

MA

P

Devin Hayes

Sr.

Castleton State

VT

P

Patrick Maybach

Fr.

Salve Regina

RI

P

Chuck Gibson

Sr.

Suffolk

MA

 

NCAA Div. III New England All-Region Second Team

Pos.

Player

Cl.

School

State

C

Christian Vargas

Jr.

Salve Regina

RI

1B

Matt Howard

Jr.

WPI

MA

1B

Taylor Cacciola

Sr.

UMass Dartmouth

MA

2B

Cam Cook

Jr.

Nichols

MA

3B

Alex Parkos

So.

Eastern Connecticut State

CT

3B

Tom O'Hara

Jr.

Tufts

MA

SS

Garrett Griffin

Jr.

Mitchell

CT

OF

Dylan Hapworth

Fr.

Southern Maine

ME

OF

Evan Delaney

So.

New England College

NH

OF

Yanni Thanopoulos

Sr.

Amherst

MA

OF

Anthony Crowley

So.

Westfield State

MA

DH

Adam Barry

Sr.

Worcester State

MA

UT

Davis Mikell

Fr.

Castleton State

VT

P

Ethan Forrest

Sr.

Newbury

MA

P

Jimmy Fitzgerald

Jr.

Salve Regina

RI

P

Matt Nunes

Sr.

Westfield State

MA

RP

Josh Partridge

Jr.

St. Joseph's

ME