Nine Knights earn All-Region XXI honors for baseball in 2023

All-Region XXI Second Team selection Jacob San Antonio

05/23/2023

After a tremendous season in which they more than doubled their win total from 2022, the Community College of Rhode Island baseball team is well-represented on this year’s Region XXI honor roll.

Eight Knights earned all-Region XXI honors in 2023 and four won Region XXI gold gloves, highlighted by freshmen Sam Laurie (Narragansett, RI), Sean Gallagher (Warwick, RI) and sophomores Caleb Harris (Cranston, RI) and Zak Thomas (North Providence, RI) as First Team selections.

Freshmen Josh Lincourt (North Kingstown, RI) and Nate Kelly (Lincoln, RI) and sophomore Jacob San Antonio (Cranston, RI) were Second Team selections while freshman Calvin Battersby (West Warwick, RI) was an Honorable Mention. Gallagher, Thomas, and San Antonio also won Gold Gloves in addition to freshman shortstop Avery Acuna (Providence, RI).

CCRI finished 26-17 this season, including an 18-3 mark in region play, and earned the No. 2 seed in this year’s Region XXI Tournament, where they ultimately lost to top-seeded Northern Essex in the finals.

The Knights ranked among the top 20 in the nation in batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.449), and slugging percentage (.502), led by Laurie, who led the team with a .452 batting average, a team-best eight triples, and 39 RBI. Gallagher slugged .531 over 35 games with three home runs, 12 doubles, and 36 RBI and Harris drove in 36 with a .336 batting average, including a critical grand slam in the Knights’ quarterfinal playoff win over No. 2 seed Massasoit. Thomas started 38 games with a solid slash line of .317/.428/.463 with 26 runs driven in.

Lincourt, a Second Team selection, batted .410 with four home runs and 35 RBI while San Antonio posted a strong .418/.477/.673 slash line over 32 games with a team-high six home runs and 26 runs driven in. Kelly anchored the pitching staff, finishing with a team-best 3.81 ERA in eight starts with a 3-2 record and a team-high 48 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings pitched. Battersby, the team’s only all-region Honorable Mention, finished 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA and an impressive 7.80 strikeouts per nine innings.

Gallagher earned Gold Glove honors for his work behind the plate as the Knights’ starting catcher and caught eight runners stealing in 2023. Acuna played 39 games at shortstop – second only to Lincourt in games played – while first baseman/infielder Thomas turned a team-high 11 double plays. Starting 32 of the team’s 41 games at third base, San Antonio posted a .934 fielding percentage in 2023.

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