CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Navy captured the regular-season title for the third-consecutive season and were rewarded in the 2017 Patriot League baseball awards, with senior shortstop Travis Blue being named the Player of the Year and senior starting pitcher Kyle Condry earning Pitcher of the Year honors.
 
Blue, also a unanimous All-Patriot League First Team second baseman, batted .354, leading the Patriot League with 73 hits, while reaching base at a .428 clip and slugging .515. The senior shortstop was also among the League leaders in runs scored (50), doubles (16), total bases (106) and stolen bases (15). He also led all League fielders with 143 assists and fielding double plays (29). Teammate Kyle Condry, also a first team all-League selection, was voted as the League’s top pitcher, finishing the regular season with a League-leading seven wins, while carrying a 2.86 earned run average (ERA) over 66.0 innings pitched.
 
Holy Cross freshman outfielder Austin Masel, a second team all-League selection, was named the Rookie of the Year. He led the Crusaders, batting .321 during his freshman campaign. The rookie outfielder finished with four home runs and 25 RBIs to help Holy Cross finish second in the League.
 
Bucknell senior outfielder Brett Smith, a unanimous first team all-League selection, is the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award winner after patrolling centerfield for the Bison in all 45 of their games.
 
First-year head coach Jim Foster of Army West Point earns Coach of the Year. Foster helped the Black Knights improve by nine games, including four in League-play, to take Army West Point to its first Patriot League Tournament since 2014.
 
Navy led all Patriot League programs with seven different all-League honorees, including a League-high five on the first team. The Mids seven selections is the most since Army West Point had seven in 2009.
 
Army West Point, Bucknell, Holy Cross and Lehigh each had four different players selected to the two all-League teams, while Lafayette had two players. Lehigh senior Connor Donovan was selected twice, as a first team designated hitter and a second team pitcher.
 
The major awards and All-Patriot League honors were voted on by Patriot League head coaches, who could not select their own student-athletes or themselves.
 
Beyond Blue and Smith, two more players were unanimous First Team All-Patriot League selections, including Army West Point junior catcher Jon Rosoff and Bucknell junior starting pitcher Connor Van Hoose. Rosoff led the League with a .378 batting average and a .478 on-base percentage. He also scored 43 runs and drove in 35 on the season, while earning his second all-League honor. Van Hoose finished the season with a 2.43 ERA over 66.2 innings, while winning five games for the Bison. He held opposing hitters to a .233 batting average, while leading the League with 84 strikeouts.
 
Navy senior relief pitcher Jett Meenach, senior outfielder Leland Saile and junior outfielder Logan Knowles all join Condry and Blue on the first team. Meenach, a two-time leads the League with eight saves, while Knowles leads the League in runs scored (55) and is second with 16 stolen bases. Saile is among the nation’s leaders with 58 RBIs. Sophomore starting pitcher Noah Song and senior catcher Adrian Chinnery were both selected to the second team.
 
Holy Cross senior first baseman Anthony Critelli makes the first team for the third-consecutive season after hitting six homers and slugging .482 for the Crusaders. Masel makes the second team, along with senior relief pitcher George Capen and junior third baseman Thomas Russo.
 
The Black Knights featured two first teamers with Rosoff and second baseman Kris Lindner, who batted .282 with three home runs and 32 RBIs. Sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Giovinco and junior outfielder John McCarthy both made the second team.
 
Bucknell junior third baseman Sam Clark was the third Bison selected to the first team, joining Van Hoose and Smith. Clark batted .299 with six home runs and 31 RBIs for Bucknell. Junior shortstop Luke Johnson was selected to the second team.
 
Lehigh senior outfielder Jacen Nalesnik earns his second all-League nod after leading the League and tying a Lehigh program record with 13 home runs. Nalesnik also drove in 39 runs for the Mountain Hawks. Senior Connor Donovan also made the first team as a designated hitter, after hitting eight home runs and driving in 29 runs. He also was selected as a second team pitcher after holding a 2.11 ERA and carrying a 4-2 record. Freshman starting pitcher Levi Stoudt earned a spot on the second team after leading the League with a 2.34 ERA, while senior first baseman David Young was also named to the second team.
 
Lafayette junior designated hitter John Selsor was the lone Leopard earning a spot on the first team after batting .301 with four home runs and a team-leading 35 RBIs. Junior second baseman Steven Cohen earns second team honors for the second season after batting .331.
 
The Patriot League Baseball Tournament begins with the semifinal round on Saturday. No. 1 Navy hosts No. 4 Bucknell, while No. 2 Holy Cross hosts No. 3 Army West Point in a pair of best-of-three series’s. The Mids and Bison will play one game on Saturday and two on Sunday, with the Crusaders playing two games on Saturday and one on Sunday. Each game will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
 
 
2017 Baseball All-Patriot League Team
Major Awards
Player of the Year:  Travis Blue, Navy, SS, (Sr.)
Pitcher of the Year: Kyle Condry, Navy, RHP, (Sr.)
Rookie of the Year: Austin Masel, Holy Cross, OF (Fr.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Brett Smith, Bucknell, OF (Sr.)
Coach of the Year: Jim Foster, Army West Point
 
First-Team All-Patriot League% 
SP: Connor Van Hoose, Bucknell (Jr.)*
SP: Kyle Condry, Navy (Sr.)
RP: Jett Meenach, Navy (Sr.)
C: Jon Rosoff, Army West Point (Jr.)*
1B: Anthony Critelli, Holy Cross (Sr.)
2B: Kris Lindner, Army West Point (Sr.)
SS:  Travis Blue, Navy (Sr.)*
3B: Sam Clark, Bucknell (Jr.)
OF: Brett Smith, Bucknell (Sr.)*
OF: Jacen Nalesnik, Lehigh (Sr.)
OF: Leland Saile, Navy (Sr.)
OF: Logan Knowles, Navy (Jr.)
DH: Connor Donovan, Lehigh (Sr.)
DH: John Selsor, Lafayette (Jr.)
 
Second-Team All-Patriot League&
SP: Connor Donovan, Lehigh (Sr.)
SP: Noah Song, Navy (So.)
SP: Levi Stoudt, Lehigh (Fr.)
SP: Tyler Giovinco, Army West Point (So.)
RP: George Capen, Holy Cross (Sr.)
C: Adrian Chinnery, Navy (Sr.)
1B: Dave Young, Lehigh (Sr.)
2B: Steven Cohen, Lafayette (Jr.)
SS: Luke Johnson, Bucknell (Jr.)
3B: Thomas Russo, Holy Cross (Jr.)
OF: John McCarthy, Army West Point (Jr.)
OF: Austin Masel, Holy Cross (Fr.)
% - 14 players on first team due to tie in voting
& - Four starting pitchers on the second team due to a tie in voting
*- Unanimous first-team selection