Baseball | 6/10/2026 12:00:00 PM

TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Three Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) baseball players recently collected All-American laurels and a total of eight gathered All-Region honors from D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings in recognition of their outstanding performances on the diamond this spring.

All three D3baseball.com All-Americans were from Washington & Jefferson College, while the two ABCA/Rawlings honorees were also from the PAC champion Presidents. Junior pitcher Brendan Cruz (Carnegie, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and senior designated hitter Josh Dezenzo (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) were both named D3baseball.com First Team All-Americans and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Americans. Additionally, senior utility Luke Alvarez (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) was selected to the D3baseball.com Second Team.

The W&J standouts also highlighted the bevy of PAC players who earned All-Region accolades from the organizations. All three were First Team All-Region VII selections by D3baseball.com, while Cruz was also recognized as the Region's Pitcher of the Year. Also making the national website's All-Region Second Team were Allegheny College sophomore outfielder Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes) and freshman utility Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) and Westminster College sophomore pitcher Ty Carrier (New Bethlehem, Pa./Redbank Valley) and Thiel College senior catcher Calvin Cackowski (Wickliffe, Ohio/Wickliffe) earned Third Team.

The ABCA/Rawlings teams looked similar, starting with Dezenzo and Cruz earning First Team honors. Alvarez and Cochran picked up Second Team accolades and making Third Team was Cackowski and Chatham University senior pitcher Matt Bamford (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon). 

Cruz makes it a second-straight year that a W&J starting pitcher earned All-American honors from both D3baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings All-American. The junior hurler finished his season with a 1.73 earned run average and a 10-1 record. His 10 wins ranks fourth most among Division III pitchers and Cruz is one of 11 pitchers nationally with at least 10 wins. He also compiled 52 strikeouts while allowing just eight extra-base hits all season. Cruz, the PAC  Pitcher of the Year, was the conference leader in opponent batting average (.140), fewest hits allowed (33), runs allowed (10) and earned runs allowed (7) at the conclusion of the PAC Tournament.

Dezenzo becomes the first W&J designated hitter to be named a D3baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings All-American. The senior finished the season batting .407 from the plate with eight home runs, 23 doubles, two triples, 40 RBIs and 12 steals. His 23 doubles are a single-season program record and rank him sixth in Division III. Dezenzo has 24 career home runs, which put him second in program history. Earlier this month, Dezenzo was named the fifth W&J winner of the PAC Player of the Year award in the last six years. At the conclusion of the PAC Tournament, Dezenzo led the conference in on-base percentage (.532) and doubles while ranking second in the league in batting average (.423), OPS (1.328) and slugging percentage (.796). Dezenzo finished as the team leader in runs scored (49) and total bases (110).  

Alvarez becomes the first utility player to be named a D3baseball.com All-American since Tyler Horvat '23 following the 2023 season. Alvarez, the 2026 PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, tied for sixth in all of Division III with 16 home runs to establish a new single-season school record at W&J. He finished the season with a .365 batting average and 15 walks. Alvarez ranked second in Division III Baseball with a .917 slugging percentage and first in home runs per game (0.46). The senior finished as the team leader with 42 RBI and 1.379 OPS (on base plus slugging). He also made an impact on the mound, compiling a stellar 0.56 earned run average, allowing just one run in 16 innings of work. Alvarez recorded 22 strikeouts, allowed just two walks and limited opponents to a .158 batting average. Alvarez also registered four saves this season.

Cochran's breakout 2026 campaign saw him finish second in single-season program history with 14 home runs, two shy of the team record and the most by a Gator since 1998. A four-time PAC Player of the Week honoree, he slashed .419/.500/.800 and paced the team in hits (65), runs (54), RBIs (47), extra-base hits (30), and doubles (15) in 40 games. Of his 22 multi-hit games, Cochran smashed multiple home runs on three occasions. 

Miner, the 2026 PAC Newcomer of the Year and a three-time Newcomer of the Week, was named the second-best utility player in the region by D3baseball.com. At the plate, he hit .343 with 47 hits and 31 RBIs, and his 14 doubles were tied for the second-most on the team. Miner mostly covered third base when he wasn't on the mound, where he proved to be one of Allegheny's top pitchers. He finished the year with a 4.83 ERA in 50.1 innings while making seven starts. Not only did he toss two complete games, but he also earned two saves out of the bullpen.

Carrier, a right-handed pitcher, earned First Team All-PAC honors as well as Second Team All-Region after he went 5-1 with three saves and a 1.51ERA in 17 appearances. He threw 35.2 innings and allowed nine runs (6 earned) on 32 hits with three walks and 32 strikeouts. Carrier is the first Westminster player to earn All-Region since 2017 when utility player Joseph Salmon was a Third Team All-Mideast pick by D3baseball.com.

An All-PAC First Team member, Bamford was an All-Region Third Team selection as well in becoming the first player in program history to earn All-Region honors. The senior right-hander wrapped up the 2026 season with a 9-3 record, including two complete games, pitching to a 3.88 ERA over 69.2 innings and recording 94 strikeouts, which led the PAC, surpassing the 100-career-strikeout milestone in the process. His nine wins are a single-season best in Cougars' history. Bamford ends his career as one of the most decorated pitchers in program history, setting the program record for career wins (11) and career strikeouts (144).

Contributed by W&J/Allegheny/Westminster/Chatham Athletic Communications