UMass Lowell River Hawks Place Six on America East All-Conference List

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BOSTON — The UMass Lowell baseball team had six River Hawk student-athletes take home post-season honors as the America East announced its all-conference squads on Wednesday afternoon.

Freshman Jimmy Sullivan (East Hampton, Conn.) marks the second River Hawk in Division I history to pick up an All-Conference First Team nod as well as an All-Rookie honoree. The trio of sophomore Ryan Proto (Centerville, Mass.), senior Vinnie Martin (Lodi, N.J.), and junior Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) earned Second Team accolades. While, left-handed pitcher Cam Seguin (Woburn, Mass.), along with the behind-the-plate duo of Proto and Sullivan, accounted for 30 percent of the All-Rookie Team. Rounding out the accolades, Siracusa and redshirt-senior Collin Duffley (Manchester, N.H.) each earned a spot on the All-Academic Team.

The 2021 season marks the third straight year that UMass Lowell has had representatives on each team, including multiple selections on the All-Conference Second Team.

“Every single one of our All-Conference players has worked hard to achieve their awards,” remarked Head Coach Ken Harring. “All of them are extremely deserving after the time and effort they have put in this season.”

In his inaugural season with the River Hawks, Sullivan appeared in 38 games flipping between DH and catcher. He finishes his campaign ranked first among River Hawks and seventh in the league standings with a .341 batting average. His mid-season tear gave him a team-high 14-game hitting streak as well as being ranked second on the team in slugging percentage (.444), third in hits (43), fourth in doubles (8), and fifth in RBI (18). While he was behind the plate, Sullivan threw out six runners attempting to steal to tie for fifth in the conference. He collared a .988 fielding percentage, only making one error in 85 chances.

Proto appeared in 39 games for the River Hawks, making 30 starts behind the plate, four in the outfield, and three as the designated hitter. Proto’s .337 batting average in league play is good for tenth in the America East as he ranked third on the squad, respectively. The Bay State native tallied nine extra-base hits this season, knocking in 16 runs while scoring 17 of his own, including his first career triple. On the defensive side, Proto caught 11 runners stealing throughout the season to rank first among conference members, while putting together a solid fielding percentage of .988.

An anchor in the River Hawks’ outfield, Martin posted a .451 on-base percentage as he led UMass Lowell and ranked second in the America East while pacing the league with his 30 recorded walks. Martin earns his first All-Conference honor with a brilliant conference slate, slashing .354/.468/.449 with a team-leading 45 hits. On the year, he slugged .430 with 11 total extra-base hits, including the sixth home run tally of his career.

Siracusa slashed a team-leading .370/.395/.546 average with 25 RBIs and 21 runs before an injury sidelined him for the remaining few series of the season. Earning his first post-season honor as well, his nine doubles and two triples ranked third on the squad, while his two home run tallies are tied for fourth. A reliable eye on the base path, he recorded eight stolen bases to place second among all River Hawks.

In his 47.2 innings on the mound, Seguin limited opponents to a .280 batting average, 51 hits, 24 runs, and 18 walks. He ranks second among his league peers in runs allowed (24) and sixth with his five victories on the season. Recording his first collegiate start against Maine, Seguin set and matched his career-high of six strikeouts in back-to-back weekends against the Black Bears and Hartford. His 3.78 ERA ranks fifth among the River Hawk staff, while also registering 36 strikeouts in 12 appearances.

Duffley garnered his second career All-Academic nod boasting a 3.86 GPA while getting his master’s degree in energy engineering. In his final season with the River Hawks, the right-handed pitcher held the opposition to a .264 average, fanning a team-best 51 batters over 66.0 frames in 13 appearances, all but one of them being starts. Siracusa earns his first All-Academic selection after finishing out his junior year with a 3.67 GPA as an exercise science major.