WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Westfield State University junior outfielder Anthony Crowley (Bellingham, Mass.) was named the 2018 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball player of the year on Wednesday, while teammate and classmate John Gegetskas (Academy of Sport and Medical Sciences/Windsor, Conn.) was named the league's pitcher of the year.

The duo was joined on the All-Conference first team by sophomore third-baseman Brett Dooley (The Gunnery/Cohasset, Mass.) and senior designated hitter Alex Lafayette (Ludlow, Mass.). Owls' left fielder John Lippincott (Northwestern Regional #7/Barkhamsted, Conn.) was named to the loop's second team.

Westfield State head coach Nathan Bashaw was named the league's coach of the year, leading the Owls to a second-straight MASCAC regular-season title and the top-seed in the conference tournament with a 10-4 mark in league play. Westfield State won the MASCAC post season tournament and has earned the league's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Owls have a 24-16-1 record on the season as they await the announcement of the tournament field on May 13.

Crowley and Gegeteskas have launched an assault on the Owls' record books this season.

Crowley has set school records for home runs in a season (12) and total bases (109). He leads the MASCAC in home runs, rbi (55) and runs scored (41) and slugging percentage (.752) while ranking in the top five in batting average (.359) doubles, triples and on-base percentage while patrolling center field in the Owls' cavernous Bud and Jim Hagan field. Crowley's 12 home runs currently rank fifth in the nation in NCAA Division III. Crowley was named to the All-Conference team for the second straight season. He was an All-New England pick in 2018 as well.

"He's put together another great year, has impressive numbers, and every year he has taken a step forward from a consistency standpoint," said Bashaw. "He has cut down on his swing and miss, and he will punish mistakes, and we'll look for even more improvement next year as well."

Gegetskas, a fire-balling left-handed, has obliterated the school record for strikeouts in a season, fanning 82 men in 67.2 innings. Gegetskas has posted an 8-1 record as a starter, one shy of Bill Weber's 1975 school record for wins in a season, and a 2.00 earned run average. He led the league in wins, strikeouts, and strikeouts per nine innings, and ranked second in the league in ERA while matching up with the opponent's number one starter on a regular basis.

"Johnny has been a workhorse for us," said Bashaw. "He's the anchor of the staff and had a tremendous year. Our guys know any time he's got the ball we're going to compete and have a chance to win a baseball game. Even the last week or two he's come out of the pen for a couple of saves and has affected a lot of games for us this year."

Lafayette has added extra pop to the middle of the Owls batting order. Primarily the Owls designated hitter this season, he ranked third in the league with six home runs and second with 13 doubles while batting .323 with 34 rbi and 30 runs scored.

Dooley has been a bit of a surprise for the Owls this season, stepping in to the starting role at third base as injuries plagued Westfield's infield in the early part of the season. Dooley, who came to Westfield as a catcher, has slotted in at third and finished the regular season with a .328 batting average, 11 doubles and two home runs while scoring 23 runs and driving in 17.

Lippincott has been named to the all-conference team for a second straight season after transferring to Westfield from Division I Central Connecticut State University. He carries a .316 batting average, has hit four home runs, two triples and 11 doubles, and scored 38 runs while driving in 34 alternating between the leadoff spot and the 3-4-5 spots in the batting order. He also plays a stellar defensive left field with just one error, three assists, and a plethora of diving catches for the Owls.