TROY, N.Y. – Five members of the Union College baseball team earned All-Liberty League recognition, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
Senior
Jono Santos earned a spot on the first-team while sophomore
Chris Suter earned second team honors for the second year in a row. Junior
Kobe Mentzer, sophomore
Dan Sheeran, and first-year
Liam McIlroy were recognized as Liberty League Honorable Mention.
Santos appeared in 32 games this season, primarily at designated hitter and left field, and recorded at least one hit in 21 of those games with 14 multi-hit games. The Foster City, Calif. native batted a career-high .339, with new career numbers in runs (27), hits (37), doubles (10), triples (1), homeruns (8), RBI (28), and stolen bases (10). Santos finishes his career third in Union's career home run list with 15 and holds both the fourth and fifth spot in the single season home run list after the 2023 and 2022 seasons, respectively. The senior ranks third in home runs this season in the Liberty League and seventh in OPS with 1.104.
Suter picked up his second All-Liberty League Second Team honors after another strong season on the mound. The sophomore Started in eight games and compiled a 5-3 record with a 3.98 ERA. The Stamford, Conn. native pitched two complete games against Bowdoin and Skidmore and recorded his first collegiate shutout against Bowdoin. Suter pitched a career-high 52 innings and struck-out a career-high 34 batters, including a new career-high seven batters against Williams.
Mentzer earned All-Liberty League accolades for the second year in a row. Mentzer was the lone player to appear in all 38 games for Union and registered a hit in all but six games. The outfielder was the team leader in runs (31), hits (47), RBI (35), sac fly (6), triples (2), walks (25), and tied for the lead in doubles (10). Mentzer was second on the team in home runs (4) and third in slugging (.598%). The 25 walks rank second in Union's single-season walks record, one away from tying the record Mentzer set the previous season.
Sheeran had a career year as a utility player for Union with 22 starts and 26 games played. The sophomore batted .413 to lead the team and ranks fifth in the conference among qualified batters. Sheeran is fourth on the team in OPS (1.030), runs (22), and hits (33). The Worcester, Mass. native registered multiple hits in 11 games, including a massive 4-for-5 game over SUNY Oneonta, where he fell a triple short of the cycle.
McIlroy earned All-Liberty League Honorable Mention after a solid rookie campaign. The first-year appeared in 23 games with 17 starts, splitting time between third base and designated hitter. McIlroy batted .397 with 25 hits, eight doubles, two homeruns, and 13 RBI. McIlroy led the team in OPS with 1.106 and was second on the team in doubles. The Marblehead, Mass. native was instrumental in Union's come-from-behind win over Skidmore with three doubles and a three-run homerun in the eighth. McIlroy was previously honored as the Liberty League Rookie of the Week on May 1.
Suter, Mentzer, Sheeran, and McIlroy are all slated to return to the lineup next season.
