WESTFIELD, Mass. - Worcester State University baseball freshman Andrew Miller (Naples, Fla.) was named Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year on Wednesday, highlighting five All-Conference selections for the Lancers. The announcement came from the conference office on Wednesday.
Miller nabbed a spot on the First Team All-Conference in the designated hitter position, where he was joined by sophomore utility player Jake Breton (Wilbraham, Mass.). Earning spots on the Second Team All-Conference were seniors Ben Palatino (Hudson, Mass.) and Michael Ferrara (Easton, Mass.), and junior Cooper Bigelow (Leominster, Mass.).
Miller's rookie campaign was cut short due to injury, but a dominant beginning of the season was enough to land him Rookie of the Year honors. Miller hit .376 to lead Worcester State as a freshman, hitting six home runs with 27 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 27 games played. He was a two-time MASCAC Rookie of the Week, one-time MASCAC Player of the Week, and a one-time D3baseball.com National Team of the Week selection. It is the second time in the past three years that Worcester State has received the baseball Rookie of the Year award, as Palatino took the title in 2017.
Breton receives his second consecutive MASCAC All-Conference selection, as he was a Second Team selection as a freshman in 2018. Breton was Worcester State's second leading hitting in 2019, batting .364 in 39 games played, with one home run, nine doubles, 22 runs scored, and 18 runs batted. Breton saw time at left field, right field, first base, second base, and designated hitter during his sophomore season.
Palatino claimed All-MASCAC honors for the third straight year, after he was named Rookie of the Year and Second Team in 2017 and First Team in 2018. The senior batted .321 this season with a pair of long balls, 14 doubles, 39 runs scored, and 18 runs batted in. Palatino ranked second on Worcester State with 15 stolen bases, and graduates with a career batting average of .336.
Ferrara earns his first All-Conference selection after a stellar senior season which saw him lead the MASCAC with 17 doubles, while hitting .336 with two home runs, 31 runs batted in, 25 runs scored, and seven stolen bases without a caught stealing. Ferrara finishes his career with 158 games played, 184 hits, and 572 at bats, all ranking in the top five in Worcester State program history.
Rounding out Worcester State's selections is first-time All-Conference recipient Bigelow. The junior was one of three Lancers to play in all 40 games this season, batting .291 with 26 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. Bigelow lead the MASCAC this season with 19 stolen bases, and was caught just twice.
Westfield State's Anthony Crowley was named the MASCAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Framingham's Kyle Hodgson claimed MASCAC Pitcher of the Year. Kevin Barnaby of Fitchburg State was tabbed the MASCAC Coach of the Year.
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