HADLEY, MA. – First Year Saahi Jetti (Des Moines, Iowa) was named NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year as five members of the Amherst College baseball team were given All-NESCAC honors when they were announced today.
Jetti earned a First Team selection in addition to his Rookie of the Year award, and he is joined on the First Team by senior infielder Tyler McCord (Langhorne, Pa.) and junior outfielder Charlie LaFreniere (Norwalk, Conn.). Sophomore infielder Aiden Dubetsky (Frederick, Md.) and senior pitcher Naaveen Narayanan (Malvern, Pa.) were tabbed All-NESCAC Second Team.
Jetti was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and got a First Team nod after a breakout first season in the Pioneer Valley. He played his way to two NESCAC Pitcher of the Week honors, as well as a NCBWA Pitcher of the Week award this season, and consistently put in big games in high pressure situations. The first year threw his best game of the year with their season on the line in the NESCAC Quarterfinal series, tossing an eight-strikeout, three walk, complete game no-hitter. That was the first nine-inning no-hitter thrown by an Amherst pitcher since 2000. He finished the season third in the conference in ERA (2.39), second in wins (8), and first in innings pitched (71.2), complete games (5), strikeouts (67), and opponent batting average (.199).
McCord earns his first All-NESCAC selection as a senior, closing his career with his best collegiate season. The Pennsylvania native finished second on the team, and 11th in the NESCAC in batting average with a .360 mark, in addition to a .460 slugging percentage and top-20 on base percentage in the country (.460). But where McCord really shined was as a contact hitter, recording 58 hits (third NESCAC), including 12 doubles (seventh in the NESCAC), and scoring 39 runs (eighth NESCAC). He was a vital piece of the Mammoth defense as well, with a top-25 fielding percentage in the conference this season.
LaFreniere collects his third All-NESCAC selection, and first to the First Team, after his best season as a Mammoth. He finished the season leading the team with a .379 batting average (seventh in the NESCAC), a .975 OPS (15th in the NESCAC), and a .508 slugging percentage. He also did a great job on defense, putting up a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 56 putouts and two assists on the season.
Dubetsky also garners his first All-NESCAC selection with his Second Team nod. The sophomore infielder, who played most of the season at shortstop for the Mammoths, was a consistent presence at the plate, putting up a .325 batting average on 51 hits (hits tied for seventh in the NESCAC), including eight doubles, with 27 RBIs.
Narayanan gets his first All-NESCAC honor after finishing second on the team and seventh in the conference in ERA (3.07) in 44.0 innings pitched. He gave up only 15 earned runs and allowed opponents to hit at just .236 clip, a mark that falls at sixth in the NESCAC. He also finished ninth in the league in strikeouts with 42 on the year, averaging about one per inning pitched.
The Mammoths finished the season 26-14 with a 7-5 record in NESCAC West games, a mark that saw them crowed division champions in the regular season. That gave a top seed in the NESCAC tournament, where they made an advanced to NESCAC Championship Weekend. After a loss in their first game, Amherst fought their way to the final game via the Consolation bracket, where they fell 16-8 to Tufts.
