FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference All-Conference awards were announced on Thursday morning with seven Christopher Newport Captains collecting the honor for their performances in 2022. Five CNU players were named to the All-C2C First Team and two more earned Honorable Mention plaudits this season. 

In an impressive sign for the future, four of the All-Conference Captains are in their first or second year with the team. Sophomore Jay Cassady picked up his second career All-Conference certificate with a first-team selection and fifth-year senior Conner Clark also earned his second All-League honor. Joining them on the first team with their first career All-Conference selections were juniors Dylan Weber, Justin Bowers, and sophomore Daniel Elliott. The two honorable mention picks were senior Michael Martorano and sophomore Kyle Lewis. 

 It marks the ninth time in CNU baseball history that at least seven players have earned All-Conference honors in a single year. It is the third consecutive season as the Captains also had ten picks in 2019 and seven in 2021. This season also marks the first time since 2013 and only the third time in program history that three pitchers garnered the postseason honor. 

Cassady has had a standout season on the mound for the Captains with a 6-3 record and one save in 11 appearances during his second year. In 59.0 innings pitched, Cassady has struck out 85 batters with a 2.44 ERA while holding opponents to a .228 batting average against. He ranks 30th nationally in total strikeouts and has helped CNU rank second nationally in strikeouts per game (12.1) this season. Weber has been an exceptional option on the bump as well, picking up three wins in a team-high 10 starts with a 3.16 ERA. The junior southpaw has struck out 69 in 51.1 innings pitched including a pair of 10-strikeout games this year. 

Out of the bullpen, Kyle Lewis earned honorable mention All-League honors after ranking second on the team in total appearances with 15 this season. He has 40 K's in 26.1 innings pitched and has posted a 2.73 ERA in the setup role for the Captains. He has pitched ahead of Daniel Elliott, who earned first team All-Conference honors at second base but has also been a dominant reliever for the Captains this season. Elliott has 8 saves with a 1.62 ERA and a 2-0 record in 18 appearances. He ranks second nationally in K/BB ratio with 58 strikeouts paired against just three walks this year. 

Elliott has been a factor both on the mound and offensively for the Captains as he ranks second on the team with a .352 average. In his second year, Elliott has started 29 games and racked up 37 hits -- tied for third on the team. One of the most difficult Captains to strike out, the sophomore at the keystone has been punched out just 12 times in 130 plate appearances in 2022. 

Joining the Captains for his first year as a transfer from N.C. Central, Justin Bowers stepped right into a starting role and made a huge impact offensively for CNU this season. The team's leading hitter with a .378 average has been one of the nation's elite sluggers in 2022, blasting 13 home runs and posting 26 extra-base hits for a .929 slugging percentage. That mark ranks fourth in the country and stands as the finest mark in program history by well over 100 percentage points. At this point in the season, he also ranks third all-time with a .540 on-base percentage. Bowers has played multiple positions for the Captains this season, offering flexibility in the outfield, at third base, and at his primary position at first base.

In the outfield, Conner Clark has been the mark of consistency in the Captains' lineup over the last five seasons. The team's all-time leader in hits, stolen bases, sacrifice bunts, and games played sits just five runs shy of the record for career runs scored. This season, Clark is hitting .312 with a team-high 44 hits and 28 runs scored. He is 17-for-17 on the basepaths and is the active leader in stolen bases. 

Rounding out the All-Conference nods for CNU this season is senior designated hitter Michael Martorano. In 24 games this season, Martorano hit .313 with six extra-base hits. He has 20 RBI and 17 runs scored and ranks second on the team with three home runs. 

Christopher Newport will open play in the conference tournament this weekend at Salisbury University. The Captains will face Mary Washington in the first game at Noon on Friday.


2022 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Baseball All-League Honors
2022 C2C Player of the Year: Kavi Caster, Salisbury
2022 C2C Pitcher of the Year: Jimmy Adkins, Salisbury
2022 C2C Rookie of the Year: Jason Christenbury, Mary Washington
2022 C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sky Rahill, Salisbury
2022 C2C Coaching Staff of the Year: Troy Brohawn, Salisbury

2022 All-C2C Baseball First Team

NAME	YR.	POS.	TEAM	HOMETOWN	PREVIOUS ALL-C2C HONORS
Jimmy Adkins	Sr.	SP	Salisbury	Delmar, Md.	2nd in '21, 1st in '19
Jackson Balzan	Jr.	SP	Salisbury	Medford, N.J.	2nd in '21
Jay Cassady	So.	SP	Christopher Newport	Burke, Va.	Rookie & 2nd in '21
Alex Kobersteen	So.	SP	Mary Washington	Spotsylvania, Va.
Dylan Weber	Jr.	SP	Christopher Newport	Sterling, Va.
Owen Reilly	So.	C	Mary Washington	Fredericksburg, Va.
Justin Bowers	Jr.	1B	Christopher Newport	Yorktown, Va.
Sky Rahill	Sr.	1B	Salisbury	Burlington, Vt.	1st in '21
Daniel Elliott	So.	2B	Christopher Newport	Fulton, Md.
Stephen Rice	Sr.	SS	Salisbury	Woodbine, Md.	1st in '21
Luke Weddell	Sr.	3B	Salisbury	Centreville, Md.	2nd in '21
Kavi Caster	Jr.	OF	Salisbury	Crofton, Md.	2nd in '21
Cam Hyder	Sr.	OF	Salisbury	Laurel, Md.	2nd in '21
Conner Clark	5th	OF	Christopher Newport	Chesapeake, Va.	Scholar in '21, 2nd in '19
Bobby Ayscue	So.	OF	Mary Washington	Midlothian, Va.
Ty Lowe	So.	DH	Mary Washington	Fredericksburg, Va.	1st in '21

2022 All-C2C Baseball Honorable Mention

NAME	YR.	POS.	TEAM	HOMETOWN	PREVIOUS ALL-C2C HONORS
Brendan McComber	So.	SP	Mary Washington	Hopewell, Va.	1st in '21
Benji Thalheimer	So.	SP	Salisbury	Columbia, Md.
Xavier Marmol	Sr.	RP	Salisbury	Clarksburg, Md.	2nd in '21, 2nd in '19
Kyle Lewis	So.	RP	Christopher Newport	Leesburg, Va.
Noah Roots	So.	1B	Mary Washington	Carrollton, Va.
Jonathan Sedmak	Jr.	2B/OF	Mary Washington	Purcellville, Va.
Michael Martorano	Sr.	DH	Christopher Newport	Marlboro, N.J.
Jacob Ference	Jr.	C	Salisbury	Mt. Airy, Md.