All-South Region

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- For the first time since 2008 and just the second time in program history, a Christopher Newport player has been named the American Baseball Coaches Association South Region Player of the Year as senior shortstop Nick DiNapoli hauled in the esteemed honor in a release by the organization on Tuesday afternoon. DiNapoli headlined a record-breaking group of eight All-Region selections by the ABCA, including a quartet of first team All-Region picks for the first time in CNU baseball history. 

DiNapoli joins CNU Athletics Hall of Famer Trae Bailey as the only players in the 38-year history of CNU baseball to be named the top player in the region by the coaches' association. Bailey hauled in the honor in 2008 in the same season that Kenny Moreland became the first Captain to earn Region Pitcher of the Year plaudits, and the duo was joined by Austin Chrismon in 2013 who was also named Region Pitcher of the Year. 

The ABCA All-South Region awards were released on Tuesday afternoon, listing DiNapoli among four Captains on the first team. He was joined by first baseman Nicholas Baham, third baseman Seth Woodard, and outfielder Trey Hicks. Senior second baseman Joseph Cutchins and outfielder Jordan Mason were tabbed as second team selections and senior catcher Ryan Grubbs and sophomore outfielder Conner Clark hauled in third team honors. 

The record-breaking number of All-Region selections comes at the heels of D3baseball.com announcing that nine Captains earned All-Region honors in their postseason awards last week. Cutchins and Woodard were also named All-Americans by the NCBWA/D3baseball.com voters earlier in the day on Tuesday. 

Playing shortstop and hitting third in the dangerous Christopher Newport offense, DiNapoli was one of the most dangerous hitters in the nation during the 2019 season. He hauled in his first career All-Region designation after hitting .374 while slugging .676 and reaching base at a .457 clip. The Beacon, N.Y. native ranked eighth nationally in home runs, 14th in runs scored, and 18th in RBI in the thick of a Captains lineup that put up eye-popping offensive numbers in 2019. 

DiNapoli ranked second on the team in long balls, tying for fifth in program lore with 13 homers on the year. With a penchant for coming up in the clutch, DiNapoli ranked second on the team in multiple-hit performances and third in multiple-RBI efforts. He closed the season having reached base in 27 straight games, the second longest streak of the season for the Captains. In postseason play, DiNapoli stepped up his game as he tried to stave off the end of his collegiate career by hitting six of his 13 home runs in the final eight games of the season. He drove in 17 runs and scored 11 times in the same stretch while wrapping up an exceptional performance at shortstop over the last two years. 

The senior shortstop ranks sixth all-time in career batting average with a .364 mark and fifth in career slugging as one of only six players to finish their careers over .600. His .609 slugging percentage is the highest mark ever by a shortstop at CNU. In addition to his prowess at the plate, he added a perfect 11-for-11 on the basepaths for only the sixth perfect stolen base percentage with at least 10 steals in program history.

Joining DiNapoli on the first team is two-time All-Region selection Seth Woodard, who was named a fourth team D3baseball.com All-American earlier in the day Tuesday. He led the nation in walks this season with 59 and tied the program record for runs scored in a season with 64. Woodard's 26 extra-base hits tied DiNapoli for second on the team with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, and one triple. He drove in 61 runs and registered the third-highest on-base percentage in program history with a .523 mark. For his career, ranks first all-time in career on-base percentage by a wide margin, posting a .517 career mark in 337 at-bats, besting the previous mark of .467 set by Rob Robinson from 1997-2000. 

Also picking up first team All-South honors was the nation's top home run hitter this season in first baseman Nicholas Baham. The Smithfield, Va. native blasted 19 home runs to set new Christopher Newport and Capital Athletic Conference records for HR in a season. He also shattered the league record for career long balls with 36 and wrapped his career ranking fourth all-time at CNU with 140 runs batted in. This season, Baham led the team with 61 RBI, ranking tied for fifth in the nation, and total bases with 127, ranking seventh nationally. He hit a career-best .325 and set personal marks in nearly every statistical category including a team-leading 27 extra-base hits. 

Rounding out the first team All-Region picks was junior transfer Trey Hicks, who earned his recognition as the starting right fielder for CNU this season. Hicks hit .329 with 44 RBI and 49 RBI while smacking 24 extra-base hits. He ranked third on the team in homers with 12 and slugged .658 in his first season wearing a Captains uniform. The Poquoson, Va. product caught fire at the end of the year, hitting five of his 12 home runs in the final 11 games of the season while hitting .341 with 15 RBI and 14 runs scored in that stretch. 

Jordan Mason earned second team All-Region plaudits by both D3baseball.com and the ABCA as he hauled in his first career recognition following a storied career. Mason set the program record for hits and at-bats while ranking second in runs scored, third in games played and started, and fourth in walks. He ranks in the top-ten of several other statistical categories and used another strong campaign in his senior year to help etch his name into the CNU record books. This season, Mason hit a career-best .338 with 47 RBI, 48 runs scored and 30 walks while also setting personal bests with 13 doubles and 3 home runs. 

Joining Mason on the second team was second baseman Joseph Cutchins, on the same day he learned he was named a third team All-American by D3baseball.com. Cutchins logged the ninth-highest batting average in program history with a .406 mark and drove in 50 runs for the Captains' dangerous offense. He blasted nine home runs and tied for second on the team with 13 doubles to finish with a team-best .707 slugging percentage on the season. Cutchins also scored 46 times and was a perfect 10-for-10 on the basepaths. 

Wrapping up the eight players honored by the ABCA in 2019 were third team All-Region picks Ryan Grubbs and Conner Clark. Grubbs led the nation, set a new program record and registered one of the greatest Division III seasons of all-time in terms of on-base percentage as he wrapped up a .607 mark in the category this season. He reached base with 51 hits, 43 walks, and 17 hit-by-pitches, ranking in the top-15 nationally in both walks and HBP. Grubbs led the team with a .418 average and scored 51 times while driving in 50. Clark was the leadoff man and one of only four players to start all 45 games this season for the Captains. He led the team and ranked fifth nationally in stolen bases with 34 and also ranked fourth nationally in runs scored with 62. The starting left fielder, Clark hit .323 and drove in 37 runs with eight doubles. 

The eight CNU All-South picks helped the Captains win the program's first CAC Championship and led the team back to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in history. Christopher Newport went 35-10 and shattered offensive records throughout the season, including topping 500 runs for the first time while averaging the sixth most runs per game in the history of Division III baseball.