Duffy Earns Major MAAC Baseball Award

Junior Matt Duffy was tabbed MAAC Pitcher of the Year as he and two other players were recognized as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced its end-of-year awards Tuesday.

Duffy became just the fourth Canisius hurler in program history to earn the honor and the first since J.P. Stevenson earned the award in 2018.

Duffy was also a unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First team, joining teammates Jackson Strong and Dylan Vincent.

A native of Burlington, Ontario, Duffy was named the MAAC Pitcher of the Year and an All-MAAC First Team selection following another outstanding season on the mound. The right-hander has struck out six-or-more batters in 11 of his 13 starts, including a 14 punchouts versus Saint Peter's on April 28. Duffy has also fanned 10-or-more batters in seven of his appearances, aiding in his league-leading 113 strikeouts. In league play, the hurler posted a 6-1 record with a 2.25 ERA across eight starts while striking out a conference-best 77 batters. In his start versus Manhattan on May 12, Duffy recorded his 100th strikeout of the season, becoming the first pitcher in MAAC history to have multiple 100-strikeout campaigns. Duffy also enters postseason play with 267 career punch outs, which is tied with Stevenson for the program record. His 113 strikeouts this season currently ranks fifth in the country while his 13.27 strikeouts-per-nine innings is the ninth-best in the nation.

Strong and Vincent were both named All-MAAC First Team honorees for the first time in their respective careers. Strong had a breakout campaign with Canisius, pacing the team in batting average (.374), home runs (12), RBI (46), total bases (110) and slugging percentage (.710). During league play, the outfielder hit .394 across 24 contests, recording nine doubles, three triples and eight home runs on a team-best 41 hits. Strong also led the team with 33 RBI and 10 stolen bases against league opponents. Throughout the regular season, the West Seneca, N.Y., native recorded 18 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI contests, highlighted by eight consecutive multi-hit games earlier in the month. Strong was also one of just six players in the MAAC to have at least 10 doubles, home runs and stolen bases during the regular season.

Vincent picked up an All-MAAC First Team honor in a season that saw him lead the team with 12 hit-by-pitches and a .470 on-base percentage. The Eldred, Pa., native also finished second on the squad with a .368 batting average, 10 home runs, 96 total bases and a .667 slugging percentage. Vincent also finished in the top-three in runs (40), hits (53) and RBI (37). Against league opponents, the fifth year hit a team-best .422 (35-for-83) with seven doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 29 RBI. Vincent recorded 16 multi-hit performances and seven multi-RBI games throughout the season, highlighted by a pair of two-homer games against Mount St. Mary's and Saint Peter's.

Canisius (24-23-1, 16-8 MAAC) has earned the three-seed in the MAAC Baseball Championship for the second straight season. The tournament is scheduled for May 24-27 at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y. The Griffs will open the championship Wednesday against No. 6 Manhattan in the 11 a.m. contest. The game will air live on ESPN+.

For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @griffsbaseball on Instagram and Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#14 Matt Duffy: RHP; 6' 2"; Junior; L/R

#22 Jackson Strong: OF; 6' 1"; Sophomore; L/L

#29 Dylan Vincent: OF/INF; 6' 0"; Graduate Student; L/R

Players Mentioned

#14 Matt Duffy
: 6' 2"; Junior; L/R
: RHP

#22 Jackson Strong
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; L/L
: OF

#29 Dylan Vincent
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student; L/R
: OF/INF

Players Mentioned

#14 Matt Duffy

#22 Jackson Strong

#29 Dylan Vincent

Players Mentioned

#14 Matt Duffy

#22 Jackson Strong

#29 Dylan Vincent