NO. ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Freshman Zak Whitney (Keene, N.H.) was crowned the NE10 Rookie Pitcher of the Year and head coach Chris Shank was honored as the NE10 Coach of the Year, as the Southern New Hampshire University baseball team had a league-best 14 take home NE10 All-Conference accolades when the league office announced its end-of-the-season honors Wednesday morning.
The Penmen, who had six First Team selections, saw all eight of their every-day fielders and three of the four members of their starting rotation honored.
Whitney is the seventh member of the program, including the second pitcher, to be named Rookie of the Year, but the first Rookie Pitcher of the Year, as the award consistently began being handed out in 2015. Ben Criscuolo (2014) was the only other Penmen pitcher to be tabbed Rookie of the Year. Whitney now joins Nater Wachter (2024) and Jackson Marshall (2025), who both captured NE10 Northeast Division Rookie Hitter of the Year, to make three straight top rookies for SNHU.
Whitney, who was also chosen as an NE10 All-Conference First Team honoree and found a spot on the NE10 All-Rookie Team, has made 12 appearances this season, including 11 starts. Whitney is 6-1 with a 3.59 ERA, striking out 87 and walking 20 over 67-and-two-thirds innings. The May 4 NE10 Pitcher of the Week and three-time NE10 Rookie of the Week (March 9, March 16, May 4) is second in the NE10 in strikeouts, while ranking third in innings pitched, sixth in both wins and ERA, and eighth in opposing batting average (.268).
Shank earns his second Bob Bellizzi Coach of the Year award, after collecting it in his first season at the helm for the Penmen in 2024. Shank has guided SNHU to a 38-10 mark this season, including a stellar 30-6 record in NE10 play. The Penmen captured their eighth NE10 Regular-Season Championship in the last nine seasons and are the No. 1 seed heading into NE10 Championship Weekend. SNHU, ranked 17th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25, 22nd in the D2 Baseball Top 25 and 25th in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division II Baseball Coaches Poll, has won 26 of its last 28.
Offensively, the Penmen lead the NE10 in runs (501), home runs (79), RBI (458), walks (282), on-base percentage (.447), slugging percentage (.556) and stolen bases (103), while ranking second in batting average (.328) and hits (543). On the defensive side of the ball, SNHU is first in ERA (4.89), shutouts (6), hits allowed (402), runs allowed (251), opponent batting average (.263) and fielding percentage (.971), and second in strikeouts (430).
Junior Casey Cumiskey (Milltown, N.J.) joined Whitney on the First Team and also received an All-Defensive Team nod at shortstop. He is batting .359 (60-167) with 17 home runs, 58 RBI, 58 runs scored and 14 stolen bases, while slashing .447/.743/1.190. Cumiskey has made nine errors in 201 chances at short for a .955 fielding percentage. The two-time NE10 Player of the Week (March 9, April 6) ranks second in the league in home runs, slugging and OPS, fifth in RBI, eighth in steals and ninth in runs. Cumiskey's 17 long-balls are the second most in a single season for the Penmen, while the 58 RBI are 10th.
Graduate student Jake Pisano (Hamden, Conn.) is in the midst of the best season of his four-year Penmen career and has his first First Team selection to show for it. He is hitting .397 (71-179) with four home runs, 69 RBI, 59 runs scored and 10 stolen bases, while getting on base at a .500 clip and slugging .609 for a 1.109 OPS. Pisano leads the league in doubles and triples, while ranking third in RBI, fifth in hits and OBP, seventh in batting and runs scored, and ninth in OPS. Pisano, who was a Third Teamer last season and an All-Rookie selection back in 2023, is currently sitting second in RBI in the program's single-season record book, fifth in doubles and ninth in hit by pitches. Pisano only needs three RBI to break the record.
Fellow grad outfielder Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) joined Pisano on the First Team. McNamara is slashing .349/.443/.697/1.140, as he is 53-for-152 on the season with 13 home runs, 58 RBI, 53 runs scored and nine steals. McNamara, who was named the NE10 Player of the Week on April 13 and then chosen as the NCBWA National Hitter of the Week three days later, ranks fourth in the conference in slugging, and fifth in home runs, RBI and OPS. He is one of eight players in the NE10 with a 1.000 fielding percentage, as he has handled all 72 of his chances in center. McNamara currently sits 10th in the SNHU single-season record book in RBI.
Junior Joel Valera (Boston, Mass.) joins Cumiskey as a First Team and All-Defensive Team choice on the left side of the Penmen infield. Valera checks in at .326 (47-144) with 10 homers, 42 RBI and 30 runs scored, while producing a slash line of .383/.618/1.001. He has made five errors in 94 chances at the hot corner for a .947 fielding mark. The April 20 NE10 Player of the Week is ninth in the NE10 in home runs and slugging.
Junior Jack Davis (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) rounds out the Penmen First Teamers. In 21 appearances – all out of the bullpen – Davis is 9-3 with a 2.38 ERA, striking out 60 and walking 27 over 56-and-two-thirds innings, while limiting opponents to a .227 batting average. The April 6 NE10 Pitcher of the Week leads the league in ERA and wins, while ranking third in opponent batting average and eighth in strikeouts. In the SNHU single-season record book, Davis is currently fourth in appearances and fifth in victories.
Senior Dakota Britt (Rockwall, Texas) capped the recognition for the Penmen outfield with Second Team and All-Defensive Team nods. Britt is batting .402 (72-179) with five home runs, 46 RBI an 60 runs scored. He has crafted a slash line of .513/.598/1.111, while swiping 24 bases and racking up five outfield assists. He hit for the cycle in just five at bats over six innings in a 19-6 win over American International College on March 30. Britt leads the league in triples, while placing second in OBP and stolen bases, third in hits, fourth in runs scored, fifth in batting, eighth in walks and OPS, and ninth in RBI. In the Penmen single-season record book, he is currently eighth in home runs and 10th in runs scored.
Grad student Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) also received a Second Team accolade. He is 57-for-171 (.333) on the season, hitting six home runs, driving in 38 runs and scoring 57 times, while using a team-high 42 walks to bolster a .484 OBP. Cisco has stolen 15 bases and made just two errors in 288 chances at first base for a .993 fielding percentage. He sits second in the NE10 in walks, sixth in steals and ninth in OBP. His 42 walks currently rank fifth all-time at SNHU.
Senior JR Bozek (Danville, N.H.) is another Second Team selection for the Penmen, batting .310 (57-184) with four home runs, 31 RBI, 59 runs scored and 12 steals. He ranks sixth in the NE10 in walks and seventh in runs. In the program's single-season record book, he is ninth in both walks and hit by pitches (14).
Senior Jake Lapham (Lansingburgh, N.Y.) is the final Second Team choice for the Penmen. Lapham has made 11 starts this season, going 5-1 with a 5.01 ERA, punching out 58 and walking 25 in 64-and-two-thirds innings. He ranks fifth in the NE10 in innings pitched, eighth in wins and 10th in strikeouts.
Senior Kyle Lavigne (Bedford, N.H.) collected Third Team and All-Defensive Team honors. The catcher is batting .297 (38-128) with six long-balls, 27 RBI and 25 runs scored. He ranks third in the NE10 in runners caught stealing (11) and has only made two errors in 291 chances behind the dish for a .993 fielding percentage. Lavigne made the All-Rookie Team in 2023.
Senior Parker Lendrum (Exeter, N.H.) joined Lavigne on both the Third Team and All-Defensive Team. He has made 14 appearances, including 11 starts, going 5-1 with a 5.31 ERA, striking out 48 and walking only 18 in 59-and-a-third innings. The March 2 NE10 Pitcher of the Week ranks eighth in the league in both wins and innings pitched. Lendrum was also a Third Teamer in 2024, while this marks his third straight All-Defensive Team selection in the starting pitcher spot.
Freshman Christian Cepin (Woodside, N.Y.) joined Whitney on the All-Rookie Team. He has made a big impact in limited at bats, going 8-for-17 (.471) with four extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs scored. Despite the limited sample size, Cepin is slashing .609/1.000/1.609. He knocked in all three runs, including the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth, in a 3-2 win at Pace University on May 1 that ultimately helped the Penmen clinch the regular season title the next day. In the game that did clinch the crown May 2, Cepin set the tone in the top of the first with a three-run blast.
The top-seeded Penmen are hosting NE10 Championship Weekend at Penmen Field on May 7-9. They open the tournament Thursday (May 7) against fourth-seeded Adelphi University at noon.
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2026 NE10 Baseball All-Conference
Major Awards
Zak Whitney – NE10 Rookie Pitcher of the Year
Chris Shank – Bob Bellizzi Coach of the Year
First Team
Casey Cumiskey (SS)
Joel Valera (3B)
Shane McNamara (OF)
Jake Pisano (OF)
Zak Whitney (SP)
Jack Davis (RP)
Second Team
Marc Cisco (1B)
JR Bozek (2B)
Dakota Britt (OF)
Jake Lapham (SP)
Third Team
Kyle Lavigne (C)
Parker Lendrum (SP)
All-Defensive Team
Kyle Lavigne (C)
Casey Cumiskey (SS)
Joel Valera (3B)
Dakota Britt (OF)
Parker Lendrum (SP)
All-Rookie Team
Zak Whitney
Christian Cepin
