The day before the 2025 SoCon Baseball Tournament kicks off, the Southern Conference announced its annual major award winners and All-Conference teams on Tuesday morning. The ETSU baseball team, which secured the SoCon Regular Season Championship on Saturday, had a strong showing with 12 players recognized, including four major award recipients. Notably, ETSU is the first school since the SoCon introduced the Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards in 1989 to win all four in a single season.
Cooper Torres was named SoCon Player of the Year and made the First Team, while Brady Frederick was honored as SoCon Pitcher of the Year, also on the First Team. Axel Melendez took home Freshman of the Year and made the All-Freshman Team, and Joe Pennucci was recognized as Coach of the Year. Additionally, Carter Fink, Jace Hyde, and Jamie Palmese made the First Team, while Derek McCarley, Cody Miller, Grant Gallagher, Lenny Montesano, and Tristan Curless received Second Team and All-Defensive Team honors.
Torres, the fourth Buccaneer to win SoCon Player of the Year, had a standout season, batting .370 with 22 home runs and 66 RBIs, leading ETSU in several offensive categories. His 22 home runs rank third in Division I baseball and he’s just three short of ETSU’s single-season record.
Frederick has delivered one of the best pitching seasons in ETSU history, finishing with a 7-1 record and a 2.10 ERA over 64.1 innings. He’s the first ETSU pitcher to receive this honor and ranks highly nationally in several pitching metrics.
Pennucci is now the third ETSU coach to be named SoCon Coach of the Year, contributing to the program’s third-most wins in a season with 38. The 2025 squad ranks among the top all-time in several offensive categories.
Melendez, honored as Freshman of the Year, had a productive debut season, posting a .300 batting average with five home runs and 31 RBIs. He excelled particularly in SoCon play with a .348 average.
Fink has made 14 starts and holds a 6-4 record with a 3.68 ERA, performing well against SoCon opponents. Hyde is also a key part of the rotation, remaining undefeated at 7-0 with a 3.72 ERA, setting the school record for most decisions without a loss.
Palmese is one of two players to start every game, hitting .303 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs while stealing 15 bases. McCarley has been a strong reliever, with a 2.95 ERA and a .187 opponent batting average. Miller is contributing both offensively and defensively, leading the team in stolen bases and starting all games at shortstop.
Gallagher has made a notable impact in his first season, hitting .291 with 20 home runs and breaking the school’s single-season walks record with 57. Montesano earned Second Team honors as a designated hitter, hitting .333 with nine home runs.
Curless has been solid defensively, maintaining a .997 fielding percentage and being named to the All-Defensive Team.
The Bucs will start the SoCon Tournament on Friday morning as the top seed, facing either No. 4 seed Mercer, No. 5 seed Western Carolina, or No. 8 seed VMI at 9 a.m. at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
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