EC Ohio News

The Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released their list of Players to Watch for the upcoming 2023 season. Players were selected by all Division III coaches across the nation. Franciscan had two players recognized in Brendan Burke and Jacob Watson. "Brendan and Jacob are VERY deserving of this honor, and we are extremely proud of them," commented Head Coach Rick Carver. " They are two of our best athletes on and off the diamond, as they continued their academic success in the classroom this fall."

The lone First Team All-PAC player for Franciscan last season was Brendan Burke. He had a breakout year for the Barons, as he was slotted into the cleanup spot in the Franciscan lineup day in and day out. He proved to be up for the challenge, as he batted .417 over 36 games this season to lead the team. He was one of three batters in the PAC to hold a batting average above .400. He also led the Barons with 55 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 46 RBIs. His RBI mark was the best in the conference, and most in a season by a Baron all-time. He is program leader in RBIs with still another year of competition to expand on the record. His slugging percentage of .652 was second best in the conference, and his on base percentage of .474 was in the top five of all players in the conference. Burke had a massive day at Saint Vincent this season, as he hit three home runs and drove in eight runs. It was the first eight-RBI game in PAC history since 2016. Burke played primarily in right field all season after catching the majority of the 2021 season. He held a .983 fielding percentage with two outfield assists, as he flashed his strong arm on numerous occasions.

Earning Second Team All-PAC recognition was Jacob Watson. He set a new program record for wins in a season, as he held a 5-6 record this year. He appeared in 12 games including 10 starts. He pitched a team-high 72.1 innings of work while holding a 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Watson had two complete games one being a seven inning game with the other being nine innings at Waynesburg. Watson had a season high nine strikeouts twice this season, both in just seven innings of work. He was named PAC Pitcher of the Week once this season. Watson also batted .294 while playing the field on his non-pitching days as needed. 

Also representing the PAC on this Players to Watch list were three players from Washington & Jefferson - Tyler Horvat, Evan Sante, and Dante DiMatteo and a pair of players from Allegheny - Conor Deasey and Tyson Dawson. 

Original source can be found here.