PAC Release

TRAFFORD, Pa. -- Allegheny College baseball was well represented on the 2026 All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Teams with eight All-PAC selections and one major year-end award winner.

After posting a 26-win campaign and reaching the PAC Championship Tournament for a third consecutive season, Allegheny finished second in the conference with eight All-PAC honorees, tying the 2011 team for the most all-conference selections over the last 25 years. In addition, Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) became only the third Gator in program history to receive the Newcomer of the Year award and the first since Joe Killian '16 was recognized in 2013.

Miner was one of two Gators elected to the All-PAC First Team alongside Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes). Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) and Ben Shields (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi Area) were both included on the All-PAC Second Team. Additionally, Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale), Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area), Michael Alspaugh (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), and Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood) were named honorable mentions.

One of several impact freshmen on this year's squad, Miner made his presence known at the plate and on the mound. He was the only Gator to appear in all 42 games while making 40 starts, mostly at third base or as the team's starting pitcher. He batted .343 with 47 hits, 31 RBIs, and 26 runs scored, and his 14 doubles were tied for the second-most on the team. As a right-handed pitcher, Miner went 3-2 with a 4.83 ERA and two saves across 11 appearances. He ranked second on the team in innings pitched (50.1), highlighted by a complete 9.0 innings in a victory against Saint Vincent College on April 22.

One of the most feared hitters in the PAC all spring, Cochran was recognized for a breakout sophomore campaign. The Pittsburgh native was a four-time PAC Player of the Week, was twice named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week, and was picked as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division III Hitter of the Week after smashing six home runs in sweeps against Bethany College and Franciscan University. His 14 homers were two shy of the team's single-season record and the most by a Gator since 1998. Cochran finished the year second in the PAC in hits (65) and was third in both batting average (.417) and slugging percentage (.795).

Another breakout candidate this spring was Philson, who mostly occupied first base and right field for Allegheny in his sophomore year. He batted .356 and was third among the team's potent lineup in hits (52) and RBIs (32). Philson also clubbed five home runs, including a multi-homer effort against Grove City College on April 11. It was one of 21 multi-hit games for Philson and started a 12-game hit streak that extended into the PAC tournament.

Allegheny's ace, Shields, joined Philson on the All-PAC Second Team following the best year of his career. He toed the rubber 12 times with 11 starts and earned a save in his lone appearance out of the bullpen. Shields ranked inside the top 10 in the conference in innings pitched (63.1), ERA (4.12), batting average against (.261), and wins (5). He kicked off the spring with a brilliant outing against Regent University on February 21, as he struck out a career-high 10 in a complete-game victory.

The starting middle infield and Allegheny's double-play combo, Banez and Kunkle, were both named All-PAC Honorable Mentions. As the team's second baseman, Banez logged career highs across the board: hits (41), RBIs (37), runs scored (35), doubles (12), stolen bases (10), home runs (4), and fielding percentage (.988). Kunkle started all but one game at shortstop as a freshman. He batted .290 with 40 hits, including 14 doubles and three home runs, highlighted by a two-run homer in the PAC tournament against Chatham University.

Alspaugh and Irving rounded out Allegheny's All-PAC picks for the 2026 campaign. Another outstanding freshman, Alspaugh, forced his way into the lineup by the end of March. Starting with a doubleheader against Chatham on March 29, he recorded a hit in all but one of his contests with at least one at-bat. He was second among qualified batters with a .391 average, in addition to making 10 appearances with a pair of saves on the mound. Irving ended his sophomore year second on the team in hits (57) and runs (43), both of which ranked among the top 10 in the PAC. He led the Gators to a 15-2 home win over Saint Vincent with his second career 4-for-4 showing.

In addition to Allegheny's eight All-PAC honorees, Tyler Skaggs (Champion Heights, Ohio/Champion) represented Allegheny on the 2026 PAC Sportsmanship Team. The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior, and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams. Skaggs, who is graduating a year early, managed to hit a career-high six homers this spring despite being limited to 26 games due to injury.