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Four members of the Northern Essex Community College baseball team were named Monday by the NJCAA Baseball Committee as NJCAA All-Americans.
The quartet of sophomores named All-Americans were highlighted by the First Team selections of pitcher Jairo Vasquez of Lawrence and Anthony Marcano of Boston as they were joined by third team selections pitcher Tristan Ciampa of Wilmington and first baseman/designated hitter Richard Matos of Boston.
Vasquez, who was named the Pitcher of the Tournament at the World Series, led the nation in earned run average 0.93 and was tied for first in strikeouts with 121 over 68 innings pitched. In 14 appearances, he was 8-0 on the season with one save. His 16.01 strikeouts per nine innings also ranked second in the country.
Marcano, a World Series All-Tournament Team selection, was among the national leaders in several offensive categories, including leading the nation in on base percentage at .637, while his 1.000 slugging percentage ranked second in the country to go along with a .482 batting average. 30 of his 55 hits on the season were of the extra base variety including 13 home runs. His two home runs in the World Series both proved to be game winning hits.
Ciampa, who teamed with Vasquez to form one of the nation’s top starting rotations, finished third in the country with 10 wins. He finished the season with a 2.48 earned run average and 11.93 strikeouts per nine innings. In advance of the World Series, Ciampa moved to the bullpen where he picked up a pair of wins and a save in helping the Knights advance to the World Series.
Matos, who batted .394 on the season finished ranked seventh in the country with 73 RBIs. He recorded a .752 slugging percentage to go along with 11 home runs and totaled 24 extra base hits on the season.
Northern Essex Community College finished the season with a 38-8 overall record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA World Series in their ninth all-time appearance on the national stage. It was the third top three finish for the program and best since 2016 when they finished as World Series runner-up.