Boston, MA- The Falcons Baseball team is having one of the most decorated seasons to date, having broke the single-season record for wins, along with several other individual records set along the way. The success continued Friday evening at the A.I.I. Championship Banquet hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College as the All-Conference teams were announced. Fisher baseball racked up six all-conference awards at the ceremony, along with being presented with the Co-Player of the Year award for junior first baseman, Mitchell Lundholm. Lundholm also received First Team All-Conference at first base, along with pitcher Zack Leblanc, and senior third baseman Ismael Perez. Receiving Second-Team All-Conference honors were freshman outfielder John Batista, sophomore utilityman Jacob Deziel, and senior shortstop Ivan Rivera.
Lundholm, a native of Plymouth, MA, had an outstanding season on both sides of the ball, having finished in the top 10 in the NAIA in the following categories; hits per game (1.78), batting average (.459), total hits (96), RBI's (78), at bats (209), putouts (386), chances (415), RBI's per game (1.44), and runs scored (63). He finished first in all of these categories in the A.I.I Conference, earning the recognition from head coaches and opponents across the conference and beyond. The first baseman had two separate 10-game hitting streaks this season, and went hitless in just eight games out of 54 played. He had 31 multiple hit games, including 13 games in which he had three or more hits, and two 5-hit games this season, which ties the Fisher record for hits in a game. Lundholm is now the single-season leader in the Fisher record books in games started, at bats, hits, RBI's, total bases, and runs. He is just four hits shy of a 100-hit season, a feat that less than 50 players in history have done at the NAIA level.
Leblanc, a native of Salem, MA, also had his best season as a Falcon, finishing the regular season with an 11-3 record. The 11 wins puts him second in the NAIA, and atop the A.I.I. Conference. He also leads the conference in innings pitched (85.1), and is second in ERA (2.43) and strikeouts (80). Leblanc has held his opponents to a mere .225 batting average this season and allowed just 23 earned runs in 85 innings pitched. The senior hurler also broke the Fisher record for strikeouts in a career this season. The former record was 205, and Leblanc broke the record in the 13-0 victory over Pine Manor on April 13th when he struck out five Gators for the win. He currently has 218 strikeouts in his career and also now leads the Fisher record books in games started (37), strikeouts (2018) and wins (26).
Perez, a native of Brooklyn, NY, has had a breakout season this spring at the hot corner. The third baseman finished the regular season batting .353 to go along with career highs in hits (49), RBI's (32), runs scored (30) and doubles (7). Perez had 14 multiple hit games this season, including two 3-hit performances. His best game this season was against the College of Saint Joseph Saints when he went 3 for 4 at the plate with three doubles while scoring three runs. The three doubles in a single game ties the Fisher record for doubles in a game, putting him tied for first in that category with four other Falcons. Perez was also solid at third defensively, making just eight errors in 100 chances in 51 games played.
Batista, a native of Lawrence, MA, finished his rookie season on a roll. In his last five games of the regular season Batista batted .533 (8 for 15), with four straight games in which he had two hits. He also tallied nine RBI's, scored three runs, and hit three doubles to lead his team to a 4-1 record over that stretch. Batista finished the regular season third on the team in hits (62) and has brought his season average up to .392, also good for third amongst regular starters. He also leads the team in doubles (20) which puts him 8th in the NAIA in that category and first in the A.I.I. The right fielder is also in the top five in the conference in batting average, hits, and hits per game. Batista had two 4-hit games this season with his best game coming against Rivier when he went 4 for 4 at the plate while tagging three doubles, tying him with Perez for the doubles per game record.
Deziel, a native of Merrimac, MA, was nominated and chosen at the utility position. He has seen time in four different positions this season, playing primarily second base, but also getting innings at shortstop, third base and left field. In 48 games started this season, Deziel finished with a .355 average and an impressive .503 on base percentage, good for second on the team behind Lundholm. He is also tied for the lead on the team in triples (4) and homeruns (3), and third on the team in runs scored (50) and extra base hits (17). Deziel had four games this season in which he had three or more hits, and finished strong in the Talladega series, knocking a pair of home runs in his last three games. Defensively, he was second on the team amongst regular starters as he owned a .970 fielding percentage, making just five errors in 165 chances.
Rivera, a native of Brooklyn, NY, earned Second-Team for his play at the shortstop position. The senior has been consistent all season finishing his year with a .370 average and 61 hits, both good for fourth on the squad, and both career highs for the shortstop. Rivera also contributed to the 40-win season with 12 extra base hits, 40 runs scored, 30 RBI's and 13 stolen bases. He also joined the 100-hit club this season as he tallied three hits in the series versus Talladega, putting him at 100 for his career as a Falcon. He also joined the Falcons record book with a 3 for 4 performance against SUNY-Canton, scoring four runs in the victory, tying him for first for runs in a contest. Defensively, Rivera is one of the best in the game at short, committing only seven errors in 181 chances, giving him a .961 fielding percentage, good for third on the team.
All six players will look to continue their success as they seek their first ever A.I.I. Conference title with the first round matchup against Talladega set to begin Saturday afternoon at 3pm.