United States Coast Guard Academy - Department of Athletics - Baseball

NEW LONDON, CONN.--(4/27/10)--Coast Guard freshman Tyler Babkiewich was named to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Baseball All-conference first team in voting by the leagues seven head coaches.

Babkiewich becomes the first Coast Guard player since 2007 to earn NEWMAC first team honors.

Coast Guard made a magical run all the way to the NEWMAC tournament championship game this past weekend as the fifth-seeded Bears, after losing their first game of the tournament, won three straight elimination games before falling to top-seeded Wheaton in the championship game. It was the Bears fourth appearance in the NEWMAC championship game and first since 2003.

Babkiewich, who was the only freshman named to the first team, had the biggest hit of the season, a walkoff two-run homer, in a 13-12 win over Springfield in the final conference game of the season which put the Bears into the conference tournament for the first time since 2007.

The freshman shortstop, who is the Bears leadoff hitter, is hitting .363 with a team-high 27 runs scored to go with 10 doubles and 12 RBI’s. He has set a single-season school record as he has been hit by a pitch 18 times and he leads the team with a .516 on base percentage.

Coast Guard, which is 12-18 overall, plays its final game of the season on Wednesday when the Bears host Mitchell at 3:30 p.m.