Liponis, Mulready, And Stephenson Earn ABCA Region II All-Defensive Team Honors

ABCA RELEASE

BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott baseball junior shortstop TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Mass.), graduate catcher John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.), and senior outfielder Zach Stephenson (Mansfield, Mass.) were each named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Region II All-Defensive Team, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.

The three were an integral part of a Gulls defense that ranked 20th in the nation in fielding percentage (.970) and seventh in the nation in putouts (1,302). They combined for a fielding percentage of .984 amongst themselves.

Stephenson featured a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000. He joins Tad Gold '14 (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) as the only student-athletes in program history to record a flawless season defensively (minimum 90 putouts). Additionally, he has featured a perfect fielding percentage throughout his only two seasons at Endicott, having never committed an error in his 65 career games with the team.

Meanwhile, Mulready picked up his second career Region II All-Defensive Team Appearance (2023) following another stellar season behind the dish for the Gulls. The backstop posted a .994 fielding percentage on 345 total chances. He cut down base stealers at a 39% clip, which negated the opponents' run game throughout another deep postseason run for the Gulls. Last week, he also received his second career ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his lockdown defensive efforts.

Liponis produced another sure-handed season for the Blue and Green at the shortstop position. He led the squad in assists (157) and double plays turned (30) while also posting a steady fielding percentage of .960 from up the middle of the infield. His 157 assists were the fourth-most ever for the Gulls in a single season, and his 400 career assists place him fourth all-time in program history. His ability to turn potential hits into outs was a big reason as to why the Gulls' pitching staff featured the fourth lowest earned run average (3.13) and WHIP (1.21) in the nation. This is Liponis' second straight appearance on the Region II All-Defensive Team, as he was also named to the 2024 squad.

YEAR IN REVIEW

The Gulls posted a 45-6 overall record with a perfect 16-0 record in league play.

Endicott also recorded its second consecutive unbeaten season at home, extending the winning streak to 55 games.

Coach Haley's squad also appeared in its third consecutive College World Series, which is the longest active streak in Division III.

The Gulls reached the NCAA Semifinal round for the first time in program history, and became the second program to do so in Endicott Athletics team varsity history. 

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(Photo Credit - Endicott Athletics)