Five Pioneers Honored by AD3I, Franz Named Player of the Year

Five members of the Alfred State baseball team have earned All-Independent baseball team honors in an announcement recently made by the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I). Senior Cullen Franz was named the Player of the Year and was joined on the 1st team by Garrett Mack (Avon), and Thomas Shofi (Carmel). David Zuber (Honeoye Falls Lima) and Lucas Cornell (Alfred Almond) were 2nd team selections.

Franz had a monster season finishing with a .395 batting average and nine homers. He also collected 11 doubles, five triples, drove in 25 runs, and scored a team high 45 times. Franz finished the season with a .519 on-base percentage and a .782 slugging percentage. Earlier he was named 1st team USCAA All-American.

Mack, a sophomore, appeared in 10 games and made seven starts on the mound for the Pioneers. He finished the season 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 41 innings of work. He held opponents to a .232 batting average and struck out 27 batters.

Shofi, a junior outfielder, was second on the team with a .350 batting average. He collected 10 doubles, three homers, and drove in 25 runs. He scored 23 times, had a .438 on-base percentage, and a .513 slugging percentage. Shofi was named a honorable mention USCAA All-American this season.

Zuber, a junior first basemen, appeared in 32 games and made 26 starts this season. He hit .273 (27 for 99) with four doubles, a homer, and 17 RBI.

Cornell, a sophomore, was the Pioneers top two-way player. He hit .289 (26 for 90) with 10 doubles, two homers, and 20 RBI while playing 1B, 3B, and DH. On the mound he was 2-3, including throwing a no-hitter vs. Fisher College, with a 3.83 ERA in 40 innings of work. 

The Pioneers won six of their final eight games and finished the season 10-30.