Baseball’s Mazurek Named 2019 MAAC Coach of the Year

After leading the Canisius baseball team to a 17-7 record in conference play, a share of the 2019 MAAC regular-season championship and the top-seed in this week's MAAC Baseball Championship, Golden Griffin head coach Matt Mazurek was been named the 2019 MAAC Baseball Coach of the Year, the conference office announced Tuesday night at its annual postseason awards banquet in Staten Island, N.Y.

Mazurek is the third head coach in program history to be named the MAAC Coach of the Year, joining Don Colpoys (1994) and Mike McRae (2008 and 2010). A member of the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018, Mazurek was a two-time All-MAAC First Team honoree during his playing career on Main Street. In his first two seasons as head coach of the program, the Silver Creek, N.Y., native has led the Blue and Gold to the 2018 MAAC Championship and he has posted 59 total victories, with 33 of those wins coming in MAAC play.

Additionally, seniors Mark McKenna, Conner Morro and Andrew Sipowicz and junior Stephen Bennett were named All-MAAC Second Team, while freshman pitcher Andrew Fron earned MAAC All-Rookie Team honors. All MAAC postseason awards are voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches.

McKenna, a 2019 Preseason All-MAAC selection and a member of the 2018 MAAC All-Tournament Team, hit .301 with seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, 21 runs scored and 17 RBI in his senior campaign. A perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base chances during the regular season, McKenna matched a career-high with four hits against Monmouth, one of his eight multi-hit games this season. The native of Grand Island, N.Y., matched a career-high with three runs scored in a home victory over Kent State. He enters the MAAC Championship with 40 total hits this season, giving him 40-or-more hits in each of the last three seasons.

Morro, a 2019 Preseason All-MAAC selection, hit .273 with five doubles, three triples and a team-high five homers in 49 games. The Cheltenham, Ontario native recorded multiple hits in 13 games this season and enters the conference tournament ranked second on the roster with his 33 runs scored to go with 21 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases. He also leads the Griffs with 36 walks, and his .405 on-base percentage is ninth-best in the conference.

Sipowicz ended the regular-season with a 6-1 record and a team-best 66 strikeouts in 81.0 innings of work. In his 14 appearances (12 starts), the Orchard Park, N.Y., native posted a 4.00 ERA and held opposing batters to a .259 batting average. Tied for third in the MAAC with six wins on the hill this season, Sipowicz ranks 37th nationally in walks per nine innings (1.56) and 61st in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.71).

Bennett earned All-MAAC accolades for the first time in his career after he hit .253 with 10 doubles, five triples, four home runs, 20 RBI and 26 runs scored in 50 regular-season games as the team's primary third baseman. The Auburn, N.Y., native leads the team and ranks second in the MAAC with his five triples this season, which places him 28th nationally. The junior enters the MAAC Championship with nine career three-base hits, making him one of eight players in program history to record nine-or more triples in a Canisius uniform.

Fron earned a place on the MAAC's All-Rookie Team after he posted a 4-1 record with 34 strikeouts in 40.2 innings of work on the hill. Nine of the freshman's 11 appearances in the regular season were starting assignments, and four of those starts came against league rivals. The Buffalo, N.Y., native earned his first career win on the mound March 19 after he allowed three runs (one earned) and fanned seven in five innings of work at Kansas State. He posted his first MAAC victory April 19 in the Blue and Gold's home win over Saint Peter's where he struck out seven batters, one of his eight multi-strikeout performances in 2019.

The MAAC also announced its 2019 All-Academic Team on Tuesday night, and Canisius led the way with 18 student-athletes being honored for their work in the classroom. Bennett, McKenna and Sipowicz were recognized to the MAAC All-Academic Team, where they were joined by teammates Jake Burlingame, Jeff DeStefano, Will Frank, Cole Hollins, Jared Kennedy, Andrew Kneussle, Billy Krull, Andy Leader, Mike Mazzara, Joe Preziuso, Michael Ssemanda, Mike Steffan, Jacob Victor, Jake Woodrich and Jake Zurat. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of a 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.

The Griffs open defense of their MAAC Championship title on Wednesday night when the Blue and Gold play the lowest-seeded winning team from earlier in that day at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, N.Y. First pitch is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

#30 Stephen Bennett: INF; 6' 0"; Junior

#2 Jake Burlingame: OF; 5' 10"; Junior

#23 Jeff DeStefano: LHP; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#26 Will Frank: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior

#9 Cole Hollins: OF; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#34 Jared Kennedy: LHP; 6' 1"; Senior

#27 Andrew Kneussle: RHP; 6' 1"; Senior

#28 Billy Krull: C; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#10 Mike Mazzara: INF; 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

#25 Mark McKenna: OF; 5' 10"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#30 Stephen Bennett
: 6' 0"; Junior
: INF

#2 Jake Burlingame
: 5' 10"; Junior
: OF

#23 Jeff DeStefano
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: LHP

#26 Will Frank
: 6' 0"; Junior
: RHP

#9 Cole Hollins
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: OF

#34 Jared Kennedy
: 6' 1"; Senior
: LHP

#27 Andrew Kneussle
: 6' 1"; Senior
: RHP

#28 Billy Krull
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: C

#10 Mike Mazzara
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman
: INF

#25 Mark McKenna
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OF