NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — VCU freshman Tyler Locklear was named the Atlantic 10 Baseball Player and Rookie of the Year, and Fordham senior Matt Mikulski was selected as A-10 Pitcher of the Year in the league's annual baseball awards, which were released Wednesday. La Salle's David Miller was selected as Coach of the Year.
The Atlantic 10 announced the four major awards along with the All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams ahead of the start of the 2021 A-10 Baseball Championship, which begins Thursday at The Diamon in Richmond, Va. The major awards, All-Conference Teams and All-Rookie Team were voted on by the A-10's head baseball coaches. The All-Academic team was selected by the baseball media relations directors.
Locklear, a third baseman from Abingdon, Md., is the first Rookie of the Year to also win A-10 Player of the Year honors in league history. He has hit a VCU freshman record 16 home runs this year, which leads the Atlantic 10, is tied for 15th nationally, and ranks second all-time in single season school history. Locklear also leads the A-10 in runs (61), RBI (61), on-base percentage (.513), slugging percentage (.727). The freshman has 19 multi-hit games on the season.
A four-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week and two-time national Player of the Week, Mikulski posted a 9-0 record, a 1.45 ERA, with five complete games, just 11 earned runs and school single-season record 124 strikeouts. He was named to Midseason Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award, the NCBWA Dick Howser Award Semifinalist List and the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List. The Mohegan Lake, N.Y., native ranked top five nationally and led the A-10 in ERA, hits allowed/9, strikeouts, strikeouts/9. He also led the conference in wins and complete games.
Miller guided La Salle to a 32-21 overall record and a 15-9 league record. The 32 wins is a school record and the 15 league wins ties a schools record. The Philadelphia native took over a team four years ago that had a .196 win percentage the previous season, and this season Miller led the Explorers to a .604 win percentage.
The All-Conference First and Second Teams are voted on by position, while the All-Rookie and All-Academic teams are selected regardless of position (listed below).
The 2021 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship begins Thursday with the first round at noon ET. The double-elimination championship will conclude on Saturday with the A-10 Championship Final. Every game of the A-10 championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.
| All-Conference First Team |
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
| Andrew Cossetti |
Saint Joseph's |
Catcher |
JR |
| Ryan Guckin |
La Salle |
First Base |
GRAD |
| Noah Levin |
George Washington |
Second Base |
JR |
| Benjamin Blackwell |
Dayton |
Shortstop |
JR |
| Tyler Locklear |
VCU |
Third Base |
FR |
| Marcos Pujols |
Dayton |
Designated Hitter |
JR |
| Domenic Boselli |
George Washington |
Outfield |
SR |
| Trevor Candelaria |
Davidson |
Outfield |
JR |
| Brendan Hueth |
Saint Joseph's |
Outfield |
SR |
| Matt Mikulski |
Fordham |
Starting Pitcher |
SR |
| Jared Lyons |
George Mason |
Starting Pitcher |
JR |
| Nolan Devos |
Davidson |
Relief Pitcher |
SO |
| All-Conference Second Team |
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
| Tatem Levins |
La Salle |
Catcher |
JR |
| Marcos Pujols |
Dayton |
First Base |
JR |
| Michael Haydak |
VCU |
Second Base |
SO |
| Steve DiTomaso |
George Washington |
Shortstop |
SO |
| Riley Tirotta |
Dayton |
Third Base |
SR |
| Ryan Guckin |
La Salle |
Designated Hitter |
GRAD |
| Tyler Kelder |
St. Bonaventure |
Outfield |
SR |
| Brandon Henson |
VCU |
Outfield |
SR |
| Austin White |
Rhode Island |
Outfield |
JR |
| Frank Elissalt |
La Salle |
Starting Pitcher |
FR |
| Mike Webb |
Rhode Island |
Starting Pitcher |
SR |
| Colin Yablonski |
La Salle |
Relief Pitcher |
FR |
| All-Rookie Team |
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
| Parker Bard |
Dayton |
RHP |
FR |
| Steve DiTomaso |
George Washington |
Shortstop |
SO |
| Connor Coolahan |
La Salle |
Infield |
SO |
| Frank Ellisalt |
La Salle |
RHP |
FR |
| Colin Yablonski |
La Salle |
Relief Pitcher |
FR |
| Alden Mathes |
Richmond |
LHP |
FR |
| Jared Sprague-Lott |
Richmond |
Infield |
FR |
| Brett Callahan |
Saint Joseph's |
RHP/Outfield |
FR |
| Tyler Davis |
VCU |
LHP |
FR |
| Mason Delane |
VCU |
RHP |
FR |
| Connor Hujsak |
VCU |
Infield |
FR |
| Tyler Lockler |
VCU |
Third Base |
FR |
| All-Academic Team |
|
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Position |
Year |
Major |
| Mitchell Garrity |
Dayton |
Outfield |
SR |
Aerospace Engineering |
| Ben Olson |
Dayton |
LHP |
GRAD |
Engineering Management |
| Tyler Jones |
Dayton |
RHP |
GRAD |
Public Administration |
| Jared Lyons |
George Mason |
RHP |
JR |
Rehabilitation Science |
| Noah Levin |
George Washington |
Second Base |
JR |
Finance |
| Steve Barmakian |
George Washington |
Utility |
GRAD |
Management Leadership |
| Jaret Edwards |
George Washington |
RHP |
GRAD |
Statistics |
| Josh Brodeur |
Rhode Island |
Infield |
SR |
Biomedical Engineering |
| Drew Blakely |
Richmond |
Catcher |
JR |
Non-Profit Studies |
| Branden Myers |
St. Bonaventure |
Shortstop |
JR |
Sport Studies |
| Donovan Moffat |
St. Bonaventure |
LHP |
GRAD |
Communications |
| Hayden Seig |
Saint Joseph's |
RHP |
GRAD |
Finance |