CANISIUS COLLEGE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former Canisius baseball players Ryan Stekl, J.P. Stevenson and Liam Wilson were all recognized on Wednesday as the American Baseball Coaches Association announced its all-region teams for the 2018 season.
Stekl and Wilson were both first-team selections for the Northeast Region while Stevenson was a second-team pick.
The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America Committee. ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Americans will be announced on Saturday, June 16.
The announcement marked the third time in the past six seasons that Canisius has had three or more players earn ABCA/Rawlings All-Region distinction and fourth time in that span that the Golden Griffins have had multiple players recognized.
The program’s leader in career games played, Stekl was named All-MAAC First Team this season after posting a league-leading 63 RBI while also ranking among the league leaders in hits (64/8th), home runs (10/T-4th), doubles (15/T-7th), runs scored (46/T-4th), total bases (113/5th), walks (36/4th) and slugging percentage (.521/6th).
Wilson, meanwhile, was a Collegiate Baseball All-American Third Team selection after pacing the Griffs in batting average (.353), runs scored (52), hits (78), doubles (27), total bases (138) and slugging percentage (.624). The Ayr, Ontario, native earned All-MAAC First Team honors after pacing the league in runs scored, doubles and total bases while ranking in the top 10 in five other statistical categories.
Stevenson, a fellow Collegiate Baseball All-American Third Team pick, paced the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in wins (10), innings (99.0) and strikeouts (93). The New Glasgow, P.E.I., product led all conference starters with a 2.73 earned run average during the 2018 campaign.
The MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player and All-MAAC First Team selection, Stevenson was also selected as the MAAC Pitcher of the Year, becoming just the third starting pitcher in program history to receive the honor.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Matt Mazurek, Canisius finished the 2018 season with a 35-22 overall mark, recording 30 or more wins for the seventh consecutive season as it captured the program’s third MAAC Championship since 2012.
