BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army West Point senior third baseman Anthony Giachin was named Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was one of 12 student-athletes selected to the Academic All-Patriot League Team when the League office announced baseball academic honors on Friday.
Giachin (mechanical engineering, 3.949 GPA), a two-time Academic All-Patriot League selection and three-time First-Team All-Patriot League honoree, is the 10th Army West Point baseball student-athlete to claim baseball scholar-athlete of the year honors. He is joined by Holy Cross senior right-handed pitcher Liam Dvorak (physics, 3.68 GPA) and Navy senior right-handed pitcher Jared Leins (mechanical engineering, 3.88 GPA) as two-time academic All-League selections.
Two of the Patriot League Baseball Major Award winners were selected to the Academic All-League Team. Lehigh junior right-handed pitcher Mason Black (bioengineering, 3.80 GPA), the 2021 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, made the squad. Army West Point second baseman Tim Simoes (human geography, 3.56 GPA), the defensive player of the year, also made the all-academic team.
The Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Team honors student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
Voting for the Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Patriot League Teams are conducted by the League’s baseball sports information directors.
2021 Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Anthony Giachin, Army West Point, Sr., 3B, Livingston, N.J./Newark Academy
*Giachin, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.949 cumulative GPA, is a two-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree, garnering first-team honors in 2020.
*The three-time First-Team All-Patriot League selection batted a League-best .371 (33-for-89) and finished second in slugging percentage (.584) with two home runs and 16 RBIs in League play to lead the Black Knights to the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Championship.
*The 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and Tournament MVP is a career .304 hitter with 45 doubles, 11 HRs and 131 RBIs during his four-year career.
*He will be attending Oxford University in Cambridge, England in the fall to pursue his master’s degree. Upon graduation, he will begin his career as an aviation office in the Army.
Six All-League Honorees Make Academic Squad
Giachin and Black were among four First-Team All-Patriot League selections named to the Academic All-League squad. Lafayette junior shortstop Justin Johnson (mathematics and economics, 3.66 GPA) and senior outfielder Eric Cichocki (mechanical engineering and IBE Finance, 3.94 GPA) both earned academic honors after being named to the first team. Lehigh sophomore catcher Adam Retzbach (arts and sciences, 3.92 GPA) and Navy junior first baseman Zach Stevens (operations research, 3.82 GPA) garnered Academic All-League accolades after being named to the second team earlier in the week.
Nine Student-Athletes Collect Academic Honors for the First Time
The 2021 Academic All-Patriot League Baseball Team recognized nine first-time honorees, including Black, Cichocki, Johnson, Retzbach, Simoes and Stevens. Bucknell senior third baseman Peter Marren (accounting and financial management, 3.49 GPA), Holy Cross senior right-handed pitcher Garret Keough (economics and political science, 3.80 GPA), Lafayette junior catcher Dylan Minghini (mechanical engineering, 3.85 GPA) are also first-time all-academic honorees.
2021 Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Anthony Giachin, Army West Point, Sr., 3B
2021 Academic All-Patriot League Baseball Team
Anthony Giachin, Army West Point, Sr., 3B
Tim Simoes, Army West Point, Sr., 2B
Peter Marren, Bucknell, Sr., 3B
Liam Dvorak, Holy Cross, Sr., RHP
Garret Keough, Holy Cross, Sr., RHP
Justin Johnson, Lafayette, Jr., SS
Dylan Minghini, Lafayette, Jr., C
Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP
Eric Cichocki, Lehigh, Sr., OF
Adam Retzbach, Lehigh, So., C
Jared Leins, Navy, Sr., RHP
Zach Stevens, Navy, Jr., 1B
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.