Illing Grande, Kelly Named First Team ESAC; Thompson Named ESAC Coach of the Year
Juniors Joshua Illing and Cody Grande, along with senior Joe Kelly, were named to the 2024 First Team Eastern States Athletic Conference, as announced by the conference. In addition, Williamson head coach Doug Thompson was named the 2024 ESAC Coach of the Year.
Along with those three and Thompson, pitchers Ryan Nearey and Jacob Naumann earned Second team ESAC honors for Williamson.
Illing and Grande were First team ESAC selection in 2023 and once again had outstanding seasons for Williamson. Kelly joined the pair as part of Williamson's version of "Murderers Row". Illing batted .522 on the year and had five home runs and 37 RBIs. He added 17 walks and led the team in doubles with 12 and triples with three. His defense in centerfield was spectacular and earned the raves of opposing coaches.
Grande, a USCAA Second Team All-American in 2023, was once again phenomenal in all aspects of his game. He batted .422 and had eight home runs, while adding 37 RBI. He led the team in at bats with 93, striking out just an astounding two times the entire season! Despite opposing teams knowing all about him from his play last year, few could stop him again this year.
Kelly took the season by storm. After a somewhat slow start, no one was more on fire than he was from mid-April on. He led the team in home runs with nine and added 33 RBIs. He was third on the team in average at .393, added a team leading 18 walks and was second on the team in doubles with 11. He had an astounding.893 slugging percentage.
Thompson orchestrated the biggest turnaround by any team in school history in 2024. After going 1-16 in 2023, Williamson finished a remarkable 17-9 in the regular season, a net of 16 more wins than the previous year! In addition, he had the Mechanics in their first ever ESAC championship game. In that game, Williamson had the defending champion and #1 seeded Central Penn College on the ropes before the hosts were able to pull out a ninth inning victory.
"I could not be prouder of what Coach Thompson and our players did this season to turn things around. Josh, Cody and Joe were fantastic and set the baseball world on fire," shared Williamson Director of Athletics Dale Plummer.
"It is no secret we struggled coming out of COVID but Coach never gave up hope and both he and the players kept constantly working to turn things around. You saw the results of that and all of Williamson is proud of them and the entire team. A super job by all of them. They have brought excitement back to Williamson baseball," closed Plummer.
