NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Davidson sophomore Michael Carico earned recognition as the Atlantic 10 Baseball Player of the Year while senior teammate Blake Hely secured Pitcher of the Year honors. Additionally, Davidson redshirt freshman Ryan Feczko collected the league’s Rookie of the Year distinction and fourth-year head coach Rucker Taylor completed the major awards sweep for the Wildcats behind Coach of the Year laurels.

The Atlantic 10 released the four superlative awards along with the All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams Wednesday prior to the Second Round of 2022 A-10 Baseball Championship, which began Tuesday at Wilson Field in Davidson, N.C. The major honors, All-Conference teams and All-Rookie team were voted on by the A-10 baseball head coaches while the All-Academic team was selected by the baseball communications directors.

Carico, a product of Kernersville, N.C., served as the catalyst for Davidson throughout the 2022 campaign, leading the A-10 across multiple offensive categories including batting average (.411), home runs (19), runs scored (68), hit-by-pitches (25), on-base percentage (.561), slugging percentage (.838) and OPS (1.399). The sophomore catcher also reached notable national acclaim for his on-base percentage (first), batting average (second) and slugging percentage (third), earning a pair of league Player of the Week honors along the way as well.

Hailing from Coral Springs, Fla., Hely excelled in his third year as a weekend starter for the ‘Cats, registering a stellar 9-1 record behind a 2.93 ERA with 93 strikeouts across 79.1 innings of action. In conference competition, the senior held hitters to a .170 batting average, logging a league-second best 51 strikeouts while surrendering a total seven extra base hits overall.

A redshirt freshman starting pitcher out of Wexford, Pa., Feczko exploded onto the A-10 scene just a year after an injury derailed his 2021 campaign. Acting as Davidson’s consistent Sunday starter, the southpaw closed out the year with a perfect 10-0 record on 14 total appearances, posting a 2.90 ERA across 68.1 frames of work while setting down 58 batters on strikes.
 
Taylor, a 10-year veteran at Davidson with four seasons under his belt as head coach, successfully managed a well-balanced Wildcats squad en route to the program’s first-ever Atlantic 10 regular-season title and top regular-season win total (42) in school history. Nationally, Davidson concluded the season ranked ninth nationally in team ERA with a final 3.55 mark not to mention fourth in hits allowed per nine innings at a 7.23 average and eighth in total shutouts (6). The Wildcats also notched high placement in multiple offensive categories, including third nationally in on-base percentage (.426) and 13th overall in scoring (8.6).

Joining Carico (catcher) and Hely (pitcher) on the All-Conference First Team are fellow Davidson teammates Trevor Candelaria (outfield), Parker Nolan (outfield), Nolan DeVos (pitcher) and Bennett Flynn (relief pitcher), George Washington’s Cade Fergus (outfield), Rhode Island’s Addison Kopack (shortstop), Richmond’s Dominic Toso (third base), Saint Louis’ Cam Redding (designated hitter) and VCU’s Tyler Locklear (first base) and Ben Nippolt (second base).

The All-Conference Second Team features Feczko along with Davidson teammates Jacob Hinderleider (shortstop) and Ryan Wilson (first base), George Washington’s Harrison Cohen (pitcher), Massachusetts’ Drew DeMartino (second base), Richmond’s Alden Mathes (outfield), Saint Joseph’s Brett Callahan (outfield), Andrew Cossetti (first base), Brendan Hueth (outfield) and Nate Thomas (third base), Saint Louis’ Cameron Pferrer (relief pitcher) and VCU’s Will Carlone (designated hitter).

The All-Rookie team stars second-team selection Feczko in addition to George Mason’s Brett Ahalt and Chad Gartland, George Washington’s Ty Acker and Logan Koester, Massachusetts’ Will MacLean, Rhode Island’s Anthony DePino and Eric Genther, Richmond’s Jake Elbeery and D.J. Pacheco, Saint Joseph’s Matt McShane and VCU’s Marcus O’Malley.

The All-Academic team includes Kopack as well as Dayton’s Nick Meyer and Henry Strmecki, George Mason’s Danny Hosley and Kamron Smith, Massachusetts’ Cole Hebble, Richmond’s Brenden Argomaniz, St. Bonaventure’s Branden Myers, Saint Joseph’s Tim Cavanaugh and Ryan Devine, Saint Louis’ Logan Schmitt and VCU’s Maddison Furman.
 
The 2022 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship continues with Second Round contests Wednesday between top-seeded Davidson and No. 5 George Mason at noon ET and No. 2 overall VCU and sixth-seeded Saint Joseph’s at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Wednesday tripleheader concludes with the tournament’s first elimination game between fourth-seeded Rhode Island and No. 7 Richmond in the nightcap, first pitch slated for 7 p.m. ET.
 
The entirety of the A-10 Baseball Championship will be streamed live via ESPN+.