Bucknell University Athletics
Keys Named PL Baseball Player of Year, Morabito Rookie of Year, Six Bison Earn All-League Honors
5/8/2024 1:58:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team garnered an impressive awards haul as the Patriot League announced its end-of-season honors on Wednesday. Junior third baseman Sean Keys was voted Patriot League Player of the Year, freshman outfielder Chris Morabito was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and Keys and Morabito were joined by four other Bison on the All-Patriot League Team.
Keys, who is Bucknell's first Patriot League Player of the Year since Andrew Brouse in 2010, earned First Team All-Patriot League honors along with senior outfielder Jacob Corson, junior second-baseman Billy Kender, and sophomore designated hitter Michael Trommer.
Morabito and junior pitcher Tyler O'Neill earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors.
Bucknell's six all-conference selections were second-most behind regular-season champion Army West Point with seven. The Black Knights claimed the Pitcher of the Year in junior Justin Lehman, while Navy shortstop Eduardo Diaz was named Defensive Player of the Year. Holy Cross' Ed Kahovec was selected as the Gene Depew Coach of the Year after leading the Crusaders to an eight-win improvement in league play, from 6-19 last year to 14-11 and third place in 2024.
Keys is Bucknell's fifth Patriot League Player of the Year honoree. In addition to Brouse in 2010, other Bison to be so recognized were Kevin Silverman in 1996, Frank Fresconi in 2000, and Jason Buursma in 2008. Likewise, Morabito is Bucknell's fifth Patriot League Rookie of the Year and the first since current assistant coach Brett Smith in 2014. They were preceded by Phil Futrick in 2003, Ben Yoder in 2007, and Andrew Andreychik in 2013.
Keys is now a two-time First Team All-Patriot League honoree, and he enters the postseason with one of the nation's most impressive stat lines. The team co-captain is leading the conference in every percentage category (.416 average, .535 on-base percentage, .825 slugging percentage, 1.360 OPS) as well as hits (64), runs batted in (57), and doubles (18). He ranks second in the league in home runs with 13, and among the NCAA Division I leaders he is sixth in OPS and OBP, 10th in batting average, and 13th in slugging percentage.
Keys was listed as the No. 8 third baseman in D1Baseball.com's mid-season position rankings. He was the only player in the top 12 not from the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference. His .721 career slugging percentage would be a school record, and he also currently ranks third in team history in career homers (27), fourth in OBP (.474), fifth in batting average (.362), and seventh in RBIs (124).
After a bit of a slow start defensively in the cold months of February and March, Keys has been outstanding at the hot corner in the second half of the season. He has only one error in his last 19 games and none in his last 13, and his diving play to end the game and strand the tying run at third in the bottom of the ninth at Lafayette on Apr. 6 was one of the team's plays of the year.
Corson moves up to the All-Patriot League First Team after receiving Second Team honors as a third baseman in 2022 and as an outfielder in 2023. This year he has started every game in left field and is slashing .294/.420/.589 for a 1.009 OPS. He ranks fourth in the league in doubles (13), fifth in slugging, homers (11) and RBIs (43), sixth in runs scored (41), and ninth in OPS.
Corson recently had a memorable afternoon against Lafayette when he became the third player in Patriot League history to homer three times in one game. That was part of a four-homer weekend as Bucknell swept the series and clinched a postseason berth. The local product from Hughesville High School recently became Bucknell's all-time leader in hit-by-pitches with 40, and his 98 career walks are one shy of Ian Joseph's career record. Corson's 22 career home runs and 125 career RBIs are sixth-most in team history, and his 131 runs scored rank seventh.
Kender repeats as the First Team All-Patriot League second baseman, and he is another Bison who enters this weekend's Patriot League Tournament with a red-hot bat. He is fifth in the league batting race with a .357 average, and he also ranks third in OBP (.478), ninth in slugging (.563), and fifth in OPS (1.041).
After missing two weeks with a foot injury in the middle of the season, Kender was inserted into the leadoff spot in the order upon his return and has been outstanding in that role. In the 16 games since his return to the lineup, he has slashed .400/.500/.677 for a 1.177 OPS along with three homers, nine doubles, nine RBIs, 25 runs scored, and only one error in the field. Not coincidentally, Bucknell is 11-5 in that span.
Kender brings a 10-game hitting streak into the postseason, including his first career five-hit game in Bucknell's most recent outing against Lafayette on Apr. 28. In that pivotal three-game sweep of the Leopards, Kender went 9-for-13 with four walks. Earlier that week, he tied team records with four walks and five runs scored in a win over Villanova.
Trommer has been one of the team's breakout stars this season. After appearing in seven games and going 1-for-3 with five walks as a freshman in 2023, Trommer won the starting DH job this season and is now hitting in the cleanup spot in the order. His .360 batting average ranks fourth in the Patriot League while his .461 OBP ranks sixth. Trommer belted his first career home run at Lehigh and recently added two more in back-to-back games against Villanova and Lafayette.
Morabito has taken over as the team's regular right-fielder, and has posted two-hit games in each of his last four starts to raise his season average to .304. In 32 games (20 starts) this season, Morabito has two homers, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored. He was last week's Patriot League Rookie of the Week after going 6-for-10 with a pair of triples in the Lafayette series.
Morabito is the first Bucknell freshman to earn All-Patriot League honors since current junior first-baseman Tyler Dunn in 2022.
Bucknell leads the Patriot League in team batting (.289), OBP (.407), SLG (.461), and runs per game (7.2), so it checks out that the Bison had a league-high five offensive players represented on the All-Patriot League Teams (no other team had more than three).
While the bats have written many of the headlines this spring – the team is currently in the midst of a school-record run of four straight games scoring 12 or more runs – O'Neill has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff. He has been particularly impressive in Patriot League play as the team's No. 1 starter. In his seven league starts, he has worked at least 6.0 innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of them.
O'Neill allowed one run over six innings in a hard-luck 2-0 loss to Navy, and he allowed only one run in a seven-inning complete game win over Lehigh on Apr. 13. He then came back four days later to get the final out in the bottom of the ninth and earn a save in a key 7-4 road win over Navy.
O'Neill's four wins are tied for seventh-most in the Patriot League, and he ranks third in strikeouts (63) and 10th in ERA (5.31). His ERA in league games is 3.43, which is seventh-best in the loop.
A first-time All-Patriot League honoree, O'Neill now has 10 career wins, and his 149 career strikeouts rank 15th in team history.
Bucknell is 21-22 overall and 12-13 in the Patriot League. The Bison are seeded fourth in the Patriot League Tournament and will play top-seeded Army in a best-of-three semifinal series this Saturday and Monday.
2024 Patriot League Baseball Major Awards
Player of the Year – Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr., 3B
Pitcher of the Year – Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr., RHP
Rookie of the Year – Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr., OF
Defensive Player of the Year – Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Sr., SS
Gene Depew Coach of the Year – Ed Kahovec, Holy Cross
2024 First Team All-Patriot League
SP: Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Matthew Ronnebaum, Army West Point, Sr.
SP: Tyler Grenn, Navy, So.
RP: Andrew Berg, Army West Point, So.
C: Derek Berg, Army West Point, Sr.
1B: Ethan Swidler, Lafayette, So.
2B: Billy Kender, Bucknell, Jr.
SS: Tyler Young, Lehigh, Sr.
3B: Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: William Parker, Army West Point, So.
OF: Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Sr.
OF: Jake Whitlinger, Lehigh, Jr.
At-Large – Michael Trommer, Bucknell, So.
2024 Second Team All-Patriot League*
SP: Tyler O'Neill, Bucknell, Jr.
SP: Alex Bryant, Holy Cross, Sr.
SP: Danny Macchiarola, Holy Cross, So.
SP: Cole Leaman, Lehigh, So.
RP: Nolan Jorgenson, Navy, Sr.
C: Colin Brown, Holy Cross, Fr.
1B: Chris Baillargeon, Holy Cross, Jr.
2B: Brock Murtha, Navy, So.
SS: Jimmy King, Holy Cross, Jr.
3B: Sam Ruta, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Braden Golinski, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr.
OF: Jack Toomey, Holy Cross, So.
OF: Blaze Fadio, Lafayette, Sr.
At-Large: Rafe Perich, Lehigh, Jr.
Keys, who is Bucknell's first Patriot League Player of the Year since Andrew Brouse in 2010, earned First Team All-Patriot League honors along with senior outfielder Jacob Corson, junior second-baseman Billy Kender, and sophomore designated hitter Michael Trommer.
Morabito and junior pitcher Tyler O'Neill earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors.
Bucknell's six all-conference selections were second-most behind regular-season champion Army West Point with seven. The Black Knights claimed the Pitcher of the Year in junior Justin Lehman, while Navy shortstop Eduardo Diaz was named Defensive Player of the Year. Holy Cross' Ed Kahovec was selected as the Gene Depew Coach of the Year after leading the Crusaders to an eight-win improvement in league play, from 6-19 last year to 14-11 and third place in 2024.
Keys is Bucknell's fifth Patriot League Player of the Year honoree. In addition to Brouse in 2010, other Bison to be so recognized were Kevin Silverman in 1996, Frank Fresconi in 2000, and Jason Buursma in 2008. Likewise, Morabito is Bucknell's fifth Patriot League Rookie of the Year and the first since current assistant coach Brett Smith in 2014. They were preceded by Phil Futrick in 2003, Ben Yoder in 2007, and Andrew Andreychik in 2013.
Keys is now a two-time First Team All-Patriot League honoree, and he enters the postseason with one of the nation's most impressive stat lines. The team co-captain is leading the conference in every percentage category (.416 average, .535 on-base percentage, .825 slugging percentage, 1.360 OPS) as well as hits (64), runs batted in (57), and doubles (18). He ranks second in the league in home runs with 13, and among the NCAA Division I leaders he is sixth in OPS and OBP, 10th in batting average, and 13th in slugging percentage.
Keys was listed as the No. 8 third baseman in D1Baseball.com's mid-season position rankings. He was the only player in the top 12 not from the Southeastern Conference or Atlantic Coast Conference. His .721 career slugging percentage would be a school record, and he also currently ranks third in team history in career homers (27), fourth in OBP (.474), fifth in batting average (.362), and seventh in RBIs (124).
After a bit of a slow start defensively in the cold months of February and March, Keys has been outstanding at the hot corner in the second half of the season. He has only one error in his last 19 games and none in his last 13, and his diving play to end the game and strand the tying run at third in the bottom of the ninth at Lafayette on Apr. 6 was one of the team's plays of the year.
Corson moves up to the All-Patriot League First Team after receiving Second Team honors as a third baseman in 2022 and as an outfielder in 2023. This year he has started every game in left field and is slashing .294/.420/.589 for a 1.009 OPS. He ranks fourth in the league in doubles (13), fifth in slugging, homers (11) and RBIs (43), sixth in runs scored (41), and ninth in OPS.
Corson recently had a memorable afternoon against Lafayette when he became the third player in Patriot League history to homer three times in one game. That was part of a four-homer weekend as Bucknell swept the series and clinched a postseason berth. The local product from Hughesville High School recently became Bucknell's all-time leader in hit-by-pitches with 40, and his 98 career walks are one shy of Ian Joseph's career record. Corson's 22 career home runs and 125 career RBIs are sixth-most in team history, and his 131 runs scored rank seventh.
Kender repeats as the First Team All-Patriot League second baseman, and he is another Bison who enters this weekend's Patriot League Tournament with a red-hot bat. He is fifth in the league batting race with a .357 average, and he also ranks third in OBP (.478), ninth in slugging (.563), and fifth in OPS (1.041).
After missing two weeks with a foot injury in the middle of the season, Kender was inserted into the leadoff spot in the order upon his return and has been outstanding in that role. In the 16 games since his return to the lineup, he has slashed .400/.500/.677 for a 1.177 OPS along with three homers, nine doubles, nine RBIs, 25 runs scored, and only one error in the field. Not coincidentally, Bucknell is 11-5 in that span.
Kender brings a 10-game hitting streak into the postseason, including his first career five-hit game in Bucknell's most recent outing against Lafayette on Apr. 28. In that pivotal three-game sweep of the Leopards, Kender went 9-for-13 with four walks. Earlier that week, he tied team records with four walks and five runs scored in a win over Villanova.
Trommer has been one of the team's breakout stars this season. After appearing in seven games and going 1-for-3 with five walks as a freshman in 2023, Trommer won the starting DH job this season and is now hitting in the cleanup spot in the order. His .360 batting average ranks fourth in the Patriot League while his .461 OBP ranks sixth. Trommer belted his first career home run at Lehigh and recently added two more in back-to-back games against Villanova and Lafayette.
Morabito has taken over as the team's regular right-fielder, and has posted two-hit games in each of his last four starts to raise his season average to .304. In 32 games (20 starts) this season, Morabito has two homers, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored. He was last week's Patriot League Rookie of the Week after going 6-for-10 with a pair of triples in the Lafayette series.
Morabito is the first Bucknell freshman to earn All-Patriot League honors since current junior first-baseman Tyler Dunn in 2022.
Bucknell leads the Patriot League in team batting (.289), OBP (.407), SLG (.461), and runs per game (7.2), so it checks out that the Bison had a league-high five offensive players represented on the All-Patriot League Teams (no other team had more than three).
While the bats have written many of the headlines this spring – the team is currently in the midst of a school-record run of four straight games scoring 12 or more runs – O'Neill has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff. He has been particularly impressive in Patriot League play as the team's No. 1 starter. In his seven league starts, he has worked at least 6.0 innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of them.
O'Neill allowed one run over six innings in a hard-luck 2-0 loss to Navy, and he allowed only one run in a seven-inning complete game win over Lehigh on Apr. 13. He then came back four days later to get the final out in the bottom of the ninth and earn a save in a key 7-4 road win over Navy.
O'Neill's four wins are tied for seventh-most in the Patriot League, and he ranks third in strikeouts (63) and 10th in ERA (5.31). His ERA in league games is 3.43, which is seventh-best in the loop.
A first-time All-Patriot League honoree, O'Neill now has 10 career wins, and his 149 career strikeouts rank 15th in team history.
Bucknell is 21-22 overall and 12-13 in the Patriot League. The Bison are seeded fourth in the Patriot League Tournament and will play top-seeded Army in a best-of-three semifinal series this Saturday and Monday.
2024 Patriot League Baseball Major Awards
Player of the Year – Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr., 3B
Pitcher of the Year – Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr., RHP
Rookie of the Year – Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr., OF
Defensive Player of the Year – Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Sr., SS
Gene Depew Coach of the Year – Ed Kahovec, Holy Cross
2024 First Team All-Patriot League
SP: Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Matthew Ronnebaum, Army West Point, Sr.
SP: Tyler Grenn, Navy, So.
RP: Andrew Berg, Army West Point, So.
C: Derek Berg, Army West Point, Sr.
1B: Ethan Swidler, Lafayette, So.
2B: Billy Kender, Bucknell, Jr.
SS: Tyler Young, Lehigh, Sr.
3B: Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: William Parker, Army West Point, So.
OF: Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Sr.
OF: Jake Whitlinger, Lehigh, Jr.
At-Large – Michael Trommer, Bucknell, So.
2024 Second Team All-Patriot League*
SP: Tyler O'Neill, Bucknell, Jr.
SP: Alex Bryant, Holy Cross, Sr.
SP: Danny Macchiarola, Holy Cross, So.
SP: Cole Leaman, Lehigh, So.
RP: Nolan Jorgenson, Navy, Sr.
C: Colin Brown, Holy Cross, Fr.
1B: Chris Baillargeon, Holy Cross, Jr.
2B: Brock Murtha, Navy, So.
SS: Jimmy King, Holy Cross, Jr.
3B: Sam Ruta, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Braden Golinski, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr.
OF: Jack Toomey, Holy Cross, So.
OF: Blaze Fadio, Lafayette, Sr.
At-Large: Rafe Perich, Lehigh, Jr.
Players Mentioned
OF
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1B
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IF
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OF
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RHP
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IF/RHP
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