Nine Tigers earn recognition on All-NCAC Baseball Team

| 2024 All-NCAC Baseball Team release |

SPRINGFIELD — Nine Wittenberg student-athletes have earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference recognition in baseball for the 2024 season through balloting by the league's head coaches.

Senior catcher Parker Gryskevich (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), senior second baseman Luke Thomas (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge), senior outfielder Conor O'Malley (Avon, Ohio/St. Edward's) and senior pitcher Joe Horoszko (Seven Hills, Ohio/Saint Edwards) highlight the list as First Team selections.

Freshman first baseman Xander Rodriguez (Salinas, P.R./Franklin County), sophomore third baseman Alex Nemunaitis (Ottawa Hills, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) and senior pitcher Austin Luther (Hughesville, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) were named to the Second Team, and junior outfielder Rocco Royer (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) and senior designated hitter Matt Moore (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) were named to the Third Team.

This marks the third career All-NCAC accolade for Moore and second for Gryskevich, Thomas, O'Malley and Luther.

An All-NCAC Third Team selection last season, Gryskevich played in 35 games this year and posted a .327 batting average with 37 hits, eight doubles, four home runs, 29 RBIs and 23 runs while recording a .991 fielding percentage.

In 85 career games at Wittenberg, Gryskevich has a .333 batting average with 82 hits, 18 doubles, nine home runs, 65 RBIs and 59 runs.

Thomas, an All-NCAC Second Team selection a year ago, played in 32 games in 2024 and posted a .376 batting average with 47 hits, 11 doubles, one home run, 20 RBIs, 38 runs and four stolen bases while recording a .960 fielding percentage. He ranked second on the team and ninth in the NCAC in batting average and tied for third on the team in doubles. After getting off to a hot start to the season, he was named NCAC Player of the Week on Feb. 27 and was recognized on the D3baseball.com Team of the Week on Feb. 28.

In 115 career games at Wittenberg, Thomas has a .369 batting average with 147 hits, 35 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 74 RBIs, 104 runs, 15 steals and a program-record 37 hit-by-pitches.

Now a back-to-back All-NCAC First Team honoree, O'Malley played in 39 games this season and posted a .361 batting average with 57 hits, 11 doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBIs, 45 runs and three steals while recording a .975 fielding percentage. He led the team in hits and runs, ranked second in home runs and was tied for third in doubles. He ranked fifth in the NCAC in runs and tied for fifth in home runs.

In 128 career games at Wittenberg, O'Malley has a .349 batting average with 164 hits, 36 doubles, 18 home runs, 123 RBIs, 125 runs and 14 steals. Wittenberg's 2024 male recipient of the NCAC Scholar-Athlete Award, he ranks fourth in program history in home runs and RBIs, is tied for ninth in doubles and is 10th in runs.

Horoszko appeared in 16 games on the mound this season, making three starts. He posted a 5-1 record with four saves, 35 strikeouts and a 1.09 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched. He led the team in ERA and saves and tied for the team lead in wins. His season highlight came in a 9-1 win at Wabash when he threw a complete-game five-hitter with eight strikeouts.

In five seasons at Wittenberg, Horoszko has appeared in 46 games with 24 starts, posting a 15-6 record with five saves, 124 strikeouts and a 4.26 ERA in 160.2 innings pitched. He is tied for fifth all-time in saves.

Rodriguez earned a Second Team nod this year after posting an impressive freshman season. The only player on the roster to play in all 43 games, he posted a .365 batting average with 54 hits, nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 48 RBIs, 43 runs and two steals while recording a .984 fielding percentage. He led the team in walks with 36 in addition to home runs and RBIs, ranked second in runs and third in batting average. He is tied for third in the NCAC in home runs, tied for fourth in RBIs and tied for seventh in runs. Named NCAC Player of the Week on April 23, Rodriguez capped the year by being named to the All-NCAC Tournament Team.

Nemunaitis played in 41 games in 2024, posting a .386 batting average with 56 hits, 13 doubles, six home runs, 40 RBIs, 41 runs and one steal while recording a .925 fielding percentage. He led the team in batting average and doubles, tied for second in hits and ranked third in home runs, RBIs and runs. He ranks seventh in the NCAC in batting average and tied for 10th in doubles.

In 59 career games at Wittenberg, Nemunaitis has a .374 batting average with 58 hits, 14 doubles, six home runs, 40 RBIs and 45 runs.

An All-NCAC First Team selection in 2022, Luther made 13 appearances on the mound with 12 starts this season. He posted a 4-3 record with one save, 47 strikeouts and a 4.14 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched. He led the team in innings pitched, ranked second in strikeouts and tied for third in wins. He led the NCAC in innings pitched, tied for seventh in strikeouts and was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week on March 12 and May 7. His season highlight came in a 3-0 win at Kenyon when he pitched 8.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.

In four years at Wittenberg, Luther has appeared in 40 games with 28 starts, posting a 14-7 record with two saves, 152 strikeouts and a 3.62 ERA in 176.1 innings pitched. He ranks sixth in program history in ERA and ninth in strikeouts.

Royer played in 42 games in 2024, posting a .361 batting average with 56 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 30 RBIs, 34 runs and one steal while recording a .932 fielding percentage. He tied for second on the team in hits and was a member of the All-NCAC Tournament Team.

In 67 career games at Wittenberg, Royer has a .382 batting average with 87 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 53 RBIs and 58 runs.

A 2022 All-NCAC Honorable Mention and 2023 Third Team honoree, Moore played in 41 games in 2024 and posted a .342 batting average with 53 hits, four doubles, three home runs, 45 RBIs and 26 runs. He ranked second on the team and eighth in the NCAC in RBIs.

In 134 career games at Wittenberg, Moore has a .345 batting average with 164 hits, 24 doubles, seven home runs, 127 RBIs and 71 runs. He ranks third in program history in RBIs.

The Tigers posted a 26-17 overall record this season and won a share of the NCAC regular-season championship with a 13-3 mark in league play under eighth-year head coach Brian McGee. This year marked the team's first NCAC regular-season title in program history and its first conference title since winning the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1968. The Tigers earned the top seed for the NCAC Tournament and went on to finish as the runner-up while breaking the program's all-time single-season home run record with 41.