WESTWOOD, Mass. — Former Wheaton College (Mass.) student-athletes Apolinar De La Cruz '15, Chris Denorfia '02, Adam Gingras '09, Dan Haugh '12, Eric Jensen '13, Adam Laplante '07, Chris McDonough '08, Alec Palioca '14, Sean Ryan '13, Jared Sharkey '19, Jake Studley '22 and Damon Whalen '02 in addition to current Head Coach Eric Podbelski (1998-present) were named to the Baseball 25 Year All-NEWMAC Team in recognition of the historic 25th Anniversary season of the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference.
A total of 28 student-athletes comprised the team and were voted on by the membership announced by the conference office. Wheaton boasts 12 players on the anniversary team for the most of any school in the NEWMAC.
The Baseball 25 Year All-NEWMAC Team was voted on by current baseball coaches and sports information directors at the conference's 11 member institutions. Voters were asked to rank student-athletes and were not allowed to vote for members or coaches from their own institution. To be eligible for the 25th anniversary team, student-athletes must have been recognized on the NEWMAC First-Team All-Conference team at least twice, and/or earned Athlete or Pitcher of the Year honors. Coaches must have coached in the NEWMAC for a minimum of 10 seasons.
Podbelski's record is unmatched in the NEWMAC. The Wheaton mentor has earned NEWMAC Coach of the Year honors a conference-record 12 times in addition to being named the American Baseball Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year four times and the D3baseball.com Region Coach of the Year on two occasions. The Lyons have captured 17 NEWMAC Tournament Championships, while earning 19 regular-season crowns under Podbelski's watch. During his 26-year tenure with Wheaton, Podbelski has put together a 771-309-5 record to rank 19th among active NCAA Division III coaches, while his stunning .713 winning percentage places him eighth among active skippers. The Lyons' field general has been in the dugout for every NEWMAC contest that Wheaton has ever played, compiling a dominant 278-62 (.818) record in league play, while finishing no lower than second in the conference standings. Wheaton has earned four trips to the College World Series, won 40 or more games three times and 30 or more on 14 occasions and has never posted a losing season during Podbelski's time in Norton. He has coached 21 All-Americans, 130 All-Region honorees and 112 NEWMAC All-Conference selections to go with 15 NEWMAC Players of the Year, seven Rookies of the Year and seven Pitchers of the Year under his tutelage. Podbelski has also seen nine of his players sign contracts to play professional baseball.
De La Cruz (2012-15) burst onto the scene as the D3baseball.com National Rookie of the Year in 2012 and later went on to be named the NEWMAC Player of the Year in 2014 in addition to being tapped a First Team All-Conference performer all four seasons with the Lyons. The Providence, R.I. native earned All-America honors and was also a three-time All-Region selection, including two First Team nods. A .352 (243-690) hitter for Wheaton, De La Cruz ranks fourth on the school's all-time list for hits with 243 and is one of the top run-producers in program annals with 156 runs batted in to place sixth on the career list. A stalwart at first base for the Lyons, De La Cruz holds the NCAA career record for putouts with 1,822.
Denorfia (1999-2002) was named the NEWMAC Player of the Year and was a First Team ABCA All-America selection in 2002. In addition, the outfielder was a three-time New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association selection, including two years on the First Team. Denorfia finished his career with a .403 (264-655) batting mark for the third-highest clip in school history, while still holding the school record for runs scored (182) and hits (264) over 20 years later. He also ranks third in lifetime doubles (56), fourth in home runs (20), on-base percentage (.450) and slugging percentage (.617) and fifth in RBI (168), second in total bases (404), stolen bases (73) and triples (12). Following his time at Wheaton, he became the first Lyon to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team as a 19th-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds and went on to play 10 years in the Big Leagues with the Reds, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
Gingras (2006-09) earned NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2008 and received ABCA Second Team All-America and Eastern College Athletic Conference First Team accolades the same year. The right-handed pitcher posted a 2.57 career earned run average to place eighth on Wheaton's career list and turned in one of the best single-season pitcher efforts in school annals with a perfect 8-0 record as a junior to go with a sparkling 1.70 ERA and a pair of shutouts, while holding opposing batters to a .199 (49-246) batting mark. The Woonsocket, R.I. native also struck out 47 batters and issued just 11 walks in 68 ? innings pitched.
Haugh (2009-12) established himself as the NEWMAC Player of the Year in 2010 and was a three-time First Team All-Conference performer for the Lyons. In addition, the Andover, Mass. native was named a Second Team All-America selection by both the ABCA and D3baseball.com in 2011. The third baseman hit .349 (240-686) in four seasons for Wheaton and is still the program's all-time leader with 61 doubles, while placing second with 189 runs batted in, third with 362 total bases, fourth with 157 runs scored, sixth with 240 hits and eighth with a .528 slugging percentage.
Jensen (2010-13) was a three-time All-Conference standout, including a pair of appearances on the First Team and capped his stellar career by being named the 2013 NEWMAC Player of the Year. The shortstop was tabbed First Team All-Region as a senior by D3baseball.com, while being named to the NEIBA and ECAC New England First Team as well. In addition, the Gorham, N.H. native was a star in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team honors to go with a pair of First Team Academic All-District awards. Jensen was a staple in the middle infield because of his bat and glove, ranking third on Wheaton's career list with 247 hits, 164 runs scored and 66 stolen bases, while driving in 136 runs to place seventh and smacking 52 doubles to stand fifth all-time. Jensen is by far and away the program's leader in fielding assists with an NCAA-record 619 during his tenure with the Lyons.
Laplante (2004-07) was one of four Wheaton players in program history to be named NEWMAC Player of the Year twice. The former catcher was also tapped an ECAC New England First Team All-Star and was invited to play in the NEIBA All-Star Game. The Harwich, Mass. native was a key cog in the Lyons' march to the national championship game in 2006 and hit .319 (60-188) with 38 RBI, 42 runs scored, nine home runs and 11 doubles to go with a .383 on-base percentage. The backstop put up outstanding numbers the following year as well with another .319 (52-163) showing at the plate, while driving in 29 runs, collecting 12 doubles and drawing 23 walks to contribute to a gaudy .431 on-base percentage. He also stole 10 bases to give him 18 in two years in a rare display of baserunning prowess for a catcher.
McDonough (2004, 2006-08) became the first Wheaton player to earn NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2008 and was named First Team All-Conference on three occasions in addition to being selected a NEIBA All-New England recipient twice. The left-hander was one of the most durable pitchers in school history, hurling a school-record 11 complete games, while striking out a program-record 233 batters during his career. The Weymouth, Mass. native ranks second on the Lyons' list with 262 ? innings pitched and fourth with 21 victories, including four shutouts. The southpaw recorded a lifetime 2.60 earned run average for the 10th-lowest mark in school annals.
Palioca (2011-14) is the only pitcher in NEWMAC history to be named Pitcher of the Year twice (2012 & 2013) and was also a three-time All-Conference selection. In addition, the righty earned All-Region status twice, including a First Team nod from D3baseball.com as a junior. Palioca also earned National Pitcher of the Week accolades twice from D3baseball.com. The Wrentham, Mass. native finished his career, ranking fifth on Wheaton's career leaderboard with a stingy 2.42 ERA and fanned 168 batters for the seventh-highest mark in school history. Palioca also places fifth in program annals with 245 ? innings pitched and sixth with 20 wins and six complete games.
Ryan (2010-13) was chosen the league's Player of the Year in 2012, while also being named to the ABCA All-America Second Team. The outfielder was also a three-time All-Conference selection, including twice a First Teamer. The hometown Norton native rose to the occasion when it mattered most, being selected the NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in both 2012 and 2013. Ryan was among the best hitters in school history, compiling a .373 (211-565) batting mark for seventh-highest average for a Lyon and proved to be a threat on the bases with 57 career thefts to also stand seventh at Wheaton. He finished his tenure ranking ninth with 211 career hits and 140 runs scored to go with 43 doubles to slot him eighth.
Sharkey (2016-19) was named the 2019 NEWMAC Player of the Year and graduated with the final class of student-athletes, who did not have their respective careers affected by the pandemic. The left fielder was an All-Conference selection twice, in addition to being tabbed Second Team All-Region by D3baseball.com following his senior campaign. The West Bridgewater, Mass. native showed some major power with 21 career home runs to rank third all-time for the Lyons and legged out nine triples for the seventh-most in program history. Sharkey totaled 295 total bases to contribute to an impressive .623 slugging percentage for the third-highest mark in school annals and also knocked in 131 runs to rank eighth in the Wheaton record book.
Despite missing parts of two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Studley (2019-22) still managed to earn Player of the Year honors in both 2021 and 2022, while being named All-Conference and a Second Team All-American as a senior. In addition, he was named the Region 1 Player of the Year by both the ABCA and D3baseball.com in 2022 and was an All-Region First Teamer in each of his final two years at Wheaton. Even with shortened seasons in his sophomore and junior campaigns, the right fielder still etched his memory among the Lyons' all-time best performers with a remarkable .408 (174-426) batting average and .681 slugging percentage to place second, while graduating with a school-record .492 on-base percentage. The Barrington, R.I. native was one of the most feared sluggers on the NEWMAC circuit with 20 homers and 46 doubles for the fourth and sixth-highest totals in program annals, respectively.
Along with Denorfia, Whalen (1999-2002) established himself as one of the first superstars in program history. He has the distinction of becoming the first individual in conference history to be named NEWMAC Player of the Year twice, receiving the award following the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The first baseman earned First Team All-Conference honors three times to go with Second Team All-America designation in both 2001 and 2002. The slugger from Pelham, N.H. hit a school-record 43 home runs and set the program's career mark for batting success with a .411 (241-586) clip. He tops Wheaton's leaderboard with 194 lifetime runs batted in, 430 total bases and an imposing .734 slugging percentage to go with a stellar .488 on-base average. Whalen also ranks second with 60 doubles, fifth with 241 hits and 10th with 138 runs scored.
The NEWMAC was established in 1998, when the former New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) voted to begin sponsoring conference play and championships for men. At this time, the conference expanded its membership to include Springfield College and the United States Coast Guard Academy, while Emerson College became the 11th full-time member of the conference on July 1, 2013. Salve Regina University became the conference's 12th core member on June 1, 2023.
