Four Baseball Players Earn USCAA National All-Academic Team Honors

Williamson was once again well represented on the national level, as four Williamson players received the highest academic honor the USCAA offers.  Seniors Joe Kelly and Ryan Nearey joined juniors Joshua Illing and Samuel Coppa as members of the 2024 USCAA National All Academic Baseball Team honors, as announced by the USCAA recently.

In order to be considered for the honor, as student-athlete must have a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50 or higher, as well as be a starter and/or a significant contributor to their team's success.

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. 

Kelly closed out his career with a bang.  He led the team in home runs with nine, good for tied for fourth in the nation, 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.

After not playing his first two season, Nearey decided to come out his senior year.  He instantly asserted himself as the team's number one pitcher and was the workhorse for the staff early on until an injury sidelined him.  He was one of the key reasons for the team's dramatic turnaround from 2023.

Coppa, a first team all Eastern States Athletic Conference in 2023, continued his outstanding play in 2024 as the team's starting leftfielder.  He saved his best performance of the year for the team's ESAC conference championship game, where he went 4 for 4 with two runs scored, as Williamson fell just short of defending champion and number one seed Central Penn.

Williamson finished the regular season at 17-9 and will be looking to build upon that success in the 2025 season.