Ayers’ Co-Rookie of the Year Nod Headlines Baseball’s All-League Laurels

The Middlebury baseball team garnered four all-conference honors when the NESCAC announced its postseason awards on Thursday.

Henry Ayers was tabbed the Co-Rookie of the Year, while three Panthers - Ayers,

Sam Gersch and

Christian Zebrowski - earned all-league praise.

HONOREE HIGHLIGHTS

Ayers (Co-Rookie of the Year & First Team)

• Ayers becomes the first player in program history to secure the first-year accolade.

• The rookie showcased a stellar introduction to the college game, logging a .476 batting average that paced the NESCAC and ranks fourth across Division III.

• He also led the conference in hits (69), slugging percentage (.676) and on-base plus slugging (OPS - 1.182). His base knock total established a single-season program record.

• Ayers struck out just five times across 145 at-bats, making him the most difficult batter to strike out in the NESCAC and the 10th toughest nationally.

• The Panther hit safely in each of the final 13 contests and 31 of his 34 starts. He closed the campaign with a five-game multi-hit streak, representing all five of the team's NESCAC Tournament tilts.

Gersch (First Team)

• In his first year donning the Middlebury uniform, Gersch's .418 batting average trailed only Ayers and Tufts' Jack Kamin in the conference.

• The rookie ranked in the top 10 across numerous categories leaguewide, including on-base percentage (.503 - fourth), OPS (1.085 - fourth), stolen bases (23 - fourth), hits (51 - tied for sixth) and slugging percentage (.582 - eighth).

• Gersch hit safely in all five NESCAC postseason bouts, including multi-hit efforts in four games. He crossed home plate eight times during the tournament.

• He was the lone Panther to appear in all 36 matchups this season.

Zebrowski (Second Team)

• The sophomore pitcher secures his initial conference recognition.

• Across 14 appearances on the hill, Zebrowski logged 34.1 frames of work. He posted a 2.36 earned run average (ERA) and a 6-0 record.

• He walked just 10 batters while striking out 42.

• Zebrowski closed his second campaign in strong form, tossing 7.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts during the conference tournament.

The Panthers concluded the season with a 21-15 record, finishing 7-5 in NESCAC play and advancing to the championship weekend for the ninth time.