Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: Alisa Mitchell
Baseball Named Coaching Staff of the Year; Five Players Make All-Patriot League Teams
5/6/2026 12:59:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team collected a major award and five players were named to the All-Patriot League teams announced by the league office on Wednesday. Hadley Maxwell and Michael Trommer were named to the First Team, and Lleyton Coupe, Billy Fluharty and Brady Hoar were named to the Second Team.
Bucknell received the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year led by head coach Scott Heather and assistant coaches Jason Neitz, Brett Smith and Josh Kieffer. The last time a Bucknell coach received a Coach of the Year honor was Heather back in 2014. After being picked fifth in the preseason polls, the Bison won a share of the regular season title in the Patriot League and secured the two-seed to host a semifinal series.
Maxwell earned his first All-Patriot League selection and has been one the best closing pitchers in the Patriot League and the NCAA. The Nashville, Tennessee native has 10 saves on the year to rank eighth in the nation. The senior is second in program history for single-season saves and is tied for third in career saves (13) with Phill Futrick '06. With his most recent save against Lehigh, he surpassed former Major League player Eric Junge '99. He is one of 61 pitchers to be named to the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Maxwell's 10 saves coincide with a remarkable 2.05 ERA in 26.1 innings on the mound. He has allowed six earned runs on 23 hits with 29 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .232 off of the right-hander, who has a 1-0 record on the year. Of his 10 saves, six have come in league play where he has a 1.89 ERA. He has allowed just four earned runs and struck out 21 batters in 19.0 innings.
Trommer, a senior, earns his second First Team All-Patriot League honor after being named to the team back in 2024. The Trevose, Pennsylvania native was second on the team with a .295 batting average and 51 hits for the Bison. His batting average ranks 10th in the Patriot League and he ranks fourth with a .935 OPS. His .526 slugging percentage ranks fourth while he ranks sixth with 11 doubles and third with nine home runs. His 51 hits rank second to Fluharty.
The left-fielder had 16 multi-hit games including four three-hit games. He drew 26 walks and eight hit-by-pitches with a 17.7 percent strikeout rate. He finished the year with a .946 fielding percentage and a two outfield assists.
Trommer has put together an impressive career for the Bison, slashing .294/.412/.478 in 136 games in Orange and Blue. He notched his 100th hit against Saint Joseph's early in the season. He has 136 hits, 83 runs scored, 88 home runs and 17 home runs.
Hoar, a freshman, earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors in his debut season for Bucknell. Hoar was thrown into the fire early in the season with a weekend starter role, and the Tampa, Florida native solidified that role early in the season. After a rough debut against Charleston Southern, Hoar went on to lead the Bison in ERA and innings pitched as he became one of the top pitchers in the Patriot League.
Hoar posted a 6-3 record on the mound in 12 starts with a 4.60 ERA. He ranks sixth in the Patriot League with 62.2 innings pitched and a .230 opponent batting average. His ERA ranks ninth while his six wins are second-most.
The right-hander gave the Bison six quality starts. He punched out a career-high seven batters in wins over Lafayette and Holy Cross. He has allowed just two earned runs on nine hits over his last two outings that spanned 12.0 innings heading into the Patriot League tournament.
Fluharty earns his first All-Patriot League selection on the second team as he led the team and the Patriot League with 52 hits. The center fielder hit .291/.358/.369 with 14 multi-hit games. He had six games with three or more hits and four games with four hits.
The Fredericksburg, Virginia native drove in 18 runs and scored 33 runs. He hit four sacrifice flies and had five stolen bases. In just conference play, Fluharty ranked third with a .339 batting average and led the league with 37 hits. In the field, he posted a .972 fielding percentage.
The junior already has 115 games under his belt for the Bison with 267 at-bats. He is a career .272 hitter who just notched his 100th hit against Lehigh last weekend. He has 42 RBIs and 77 runs scored.
Coupe is an All-Patriot League honoree for the first time in his career. The sophomore did not see any action last season at first base, playing behind an all-league player in Tyler Dunn. Coupe hit .290/.406/.369 becoming the everyday first baseman midway through the season.
After getting just one hit in his first five games, the Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native homered against Saint Joseph's and took off to be one of the team's best hitters. He hit .310 in conference play with 22 hits and nine RBIs. He posted a .986 fielding percentage at first base.
Bucknell hosts Navy for a best-of-three Patriot League semifinal series beginning on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The series continues with a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday with game three at the same time if necessary on Monday.
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Bucknell received the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year led by head coach Scott Heather and assistant coaches Jason Neitz, Brett Smith and Josh Kieffer. The last time a Bucknell coach received a Coach of the Year honor was Heather back in 2014. After being picked fifth in the preseason polls, the Bison won a share of the regular season title in the Patriot League and secured the two-seed to host a semifinal series.
Maxwell earned his first All-Patriot League selection and has been one the best closing pitchers in the Patriot League and the NCAA. The Nashville, Tennessee native has 10 saves on the year to rank eighth in the nation. The senior is second in program history for single-season saves and is tied for third in career saves (13) with Phill Futrick '06. With his most recent save against Lehigh, he surpassed former Major League player Eric Junge '99. He is one of 61 pitchers to be named to the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Maxwell's 10 saves coincide with a remarkable 2.05 ERA in 26.1 innings on the mound. He has allowed six earned runs on 23 hits with 29 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .232 off of the right-hander, who has a 1-0 record on the year. Of his 10 saves, six have come in league play where he has a 1.89 ERA. He has allowed just four earned runs and struck out 21 batters in 19.0 innings.
Trommer, a senior, earns his second First Team All-Patriot League honor after being named to the team back in 2024. The Trevose, Pennsylvania native was second on the team with a .295 batting average and 51 hits for the Bison. His batting average ranks 10th in the Patriot League and he ranks fourth with a .935 OPS. His .526 slugging percentage ranks fourth while he ranks sixth with 11 doubles and third with nine home runs. His 51 hits rank second to Fluharty.
The left-fielder had 16 multi-hit games including four three-hit games. He drew 26 walks and eight hit-by-pitches with a 17.7 percent strikeout rate. He finished the year with a .946 fielding percentage and a two outfield assists.
Trommer has put together an impressive career for the Bison, slashing .294/.412/.478 in 136 games in Orange and Blue. He notched his 100th hit against Saint Joseph's early in the season. He has 136 hits, 83 runs scored, 88 home runs and 17 home runs.
Hoar, a freshman, earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors in his debut season for Bucknell. Hoar was thrown into the fire early in the season with a weekend starter role, and the Tampa, Florida native solidified that role early in the season. After a rough debut against Charleston Southern, Hoar went on to lead the Bison in ERA and innings pitched as he became one of the top pitchers in the Patriot League.
Hoar posted a 6-3 record on the mound in 12 starts with a 4.60 ERA. He ranks sixth in the Patriot League with 62.2 innings pitched and a .230 opponent batting average. His ERA ranks ninth while his six wins are second-most.
The right-hander gave the Bison six quality starts. He punched out a career-high seven batters in wins over Lafayette and Holy Cross. He has allowed just two earned runs on nine hits over his last two outings that spanned 12.0 innings heading into the Patriot League tournament.
Fluharty earns his first All-Patriot League selection on the second team as he led the team and the Patriot League with 52 hits. The center fielder hit .291/.358/.369 with 14 multi-hit games. He had six games with three or more hits and four games with four hits.
The Fredericksburg, Virginia native drove in 18 runs and scored 33 runs. He hit four sacrifice flies and had five stolen bases. In just conference play, Fluharty ranked third with a .339 batting average and led the league with 37 hits. In the field, he posted a .972 fielding percentage.
The junior already has 115 games under his belt for the Bison with 267 at-bats. He is a career .272 hitter who just notched his 100th hit against Lehigh last weekend. He has 42 RBIs and 77 runs scored.
Coupe is an All-Patriot League honoree for the first time in his career. The sophomore did not see any action last season at first base, playing behind an all-league player in Tyler Dunn. Coupe hit .290/.406/.369 becoming the everyday first baseman midway through the season.
After getting just one hit in his first five games, the Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native homered against Saint Joseph's and took off to be one of the team's best hitters. He hit .310 in conference play with 22 hits and nine RBIs. He posted a .986 fielding percentage at first base.
Bucknell hosts Navy for a best-of-three Patriot League semifinal series beginning on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The series continues with a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday with game three at the same time if necessary on Monday.
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