FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After earning the top spot in the New England through polls throughout the season, the Fairfield University Baseball team was honored with five All New England Baseball Journall selections. The MAAC Player of the Year
Mike Caruso was joined with
Michael Sansone and
Justin Guerrera on the First Team while pitcher
Jake Noviello and outfielder
Mike Handal earned a spot on the Second Team.
"The Fairfield coaching staff are very proud of the players who earned the respect of the New England coaches voting for them to become members of the Division 1 New England All-Star team," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "To have the kind of successful season our program had after such a tumultuous year of Covid uncertainty, our players truly deserve this recognition by showing tremendous grit and consistency of play over a long period of time."
The MAAC Player of the Year,
Mike Caruso, headlined the five selections on a spot on the NEIBA First Team. Caruso led the MAAC and ranked ninth in the nation with a .414 batting average, while also sitting third in the NCAA with a .532 on-base percentage. He launched two game-winning home runs in the season, highlighted by a pivotal walk-off solo shot against Monmouth.
Guerrera was selected as the shortstop on the NEIBA First Team after tying the Stags' single season record with 13 home runs in 2021. His last homer was the most pivotal as his three-run shot proved to be the deciding factor in Fairfield's win over Arizona State, launching them into the Austin Regional Final. He ended the season as the MAAC leader in homers, RBI (45), runs scored (45), doubles (13), and total bases (111).
Sansone also made history as he earned nine wins during the 2021 campaign, tying teammate
Jake Noviello, who also earned nine during the season. The final win was the most memorable for Sansone as he was credited with the win over the Sun Devils to advance the Stags in the Regionals. Sansone ended his season with a 2.58 ERA with a team-high 73 strikeouts.
The two Stags that were selection to the NEIBA Second Team are also coming off All-Region honors last week. Handal led the Stags with 60 hits, the only MAAC player to reach that number in the shortened season. He was the catalyst of the Stags out of the leadoff spot with a .357 average and seven homers, including a leadoff homer in the NCAA Regionals that helped set the tone for the Stags.
Noviello is also coming off one of the best pitching seasons in Fairfield history, posting an unblemished 9-0 record with a 1.47 ERA, the third best in the country. Noviello's ERA is the second best ever by a Stags' starting pitcher and the seventh lowest in single season history. Noviello was credited with Fairfield's first-ever Regional win as he defeated Southern University, leading to his single season record ninth victory.
Fairfield was rewarded after an historical 2021 season that featured 39 victories and the highest regular season winning percentage in NCAA Division I history at 33-1.
