CLEVELAND, Ohio—The Mid-American Conference released its 2025 Baseball Specialty Award Winners and All-Conference Teams this morning. Among the Specialty Award winners were Head Coach
Brian Smiley, who was named MAC Coach of the Year, and
Cooper Katskee, who received the MAC Pitcher of the Year title. Additionally, seven RedHawks earned All-MAC recognitions:
Evan Appelwick,
Dillon Baker,
Ty Batusich,
Carson Byers,
Cooper Katskee,
Ryan Novak and
Anthony Zarlingo. Zarlingo was also named to the All-Defensive team.
Brian Smiley was named the 2025 MAC Coach of the Year after leading the RedHawks to 23 regular season conference wins, the most in Red and White history. After a 27-27 record in 2024, the 2025 squad improved to 32-21 under the second-year coach. Additionally, Miami went undefeated in conference series, taking at least two games from every conference opponent this season. Smiley is the first head coach to receive MAC Coach of the Year since Tracy Smith in 2005. The RedHawks also won a share of the regular season MAC title for the first time since 2005 under Smiley's coaching and will head to Avon as the number one seed this week.
Appelwick, a First Team All-MAC selection at first base, is hitting .317 entering the MAC Tournament and is second in the conference in home runs (19) and tied for second in RBIs (69). He's also fourth in the MAC in runs scored (59) and leads the conference in walks (44). Appelwick's offensive dominance includes becoming the all-time single-season RBI leader in Miami history. Defensively, the redshirt junior from Madison, S.D. boasts a .995 fielding percentage and has turned 16 double plays for Miami this season while incurring more than 350 putouts.
Shortstop Baker was selected First Team All-MAC as an at-large selection. Baker has tied Miami's single-season record for doubles (22) and leads the RedHawks in total hits with 70. He scored 52 runs and hit 13 home runs this season. The senior from Tampa, Fla. also leads Miami in at-bats (205) and ranks fourth in stolen bases (6). In three games against Ohio, Baker went 12-for-19, including a 5-for-5 performance in game two, to boost Miami to a series win over the rival Bobcats.
Batusich was named to the All-MAC Second Team at the designated hitter spot after hitting .298 and accumulating 59 hits throughout the regular season. Batusich was third on the RedHawks in RBIs (49) and had the lowest strikeout percentage among Miami's regular starters, going down on strikes just 18 times on 198 at-bats. The senior from Joliet, Ill., started all 53 games for the RedHawks and came around to score 47 times.
Byers, a Second-Team All-MAC selection as a relief pitcher, finished the regular season with five saves and a 2.81 ERA, the lowest in the MAC. The junior from Mattawan, Mich., pitched 67.1 innings in 20 appearances, including two starts, and struck out 67 batters to lead the RedHawk pitching staff. Byers walked just 21 batters and gave up 54 hits and 21 earned runs this season. He finished second in the MAC in opponent batting average (.220) behind Miami's Katskee.
Katskee was named the MAC Pitcher of the Year and selected to the All-MAC First Team as a starting pitcher after making eight starts and 14 total appearances for the RedHawks. He is the first RedHawk to be recognized as the MAC Pitcher of the Year since Seth Varner in 2014. The redshirt sophomore from Greenwood Village, Colo., is tied for the fourth-most wins across Division I baseball with a 10-1 record and leads the MAC in wins by three. Katskee boasts the second-lowest ERA in the MAC (2.86) behind Byers and the sixth-most innings pitched with 72.1. He earned MAC Pitcher of the Week honors twice this season and pitched two complete games, including a 4-1 nine-inning win against Central Michigan.
Novak was selected as an outfielder for the All-MAC Second Team after hitting .318 during the regular season. The sophomore from Canton, Ga. started 51 games for the RedHawks and ranks seventh in the MAC in both OPS and runs scored. Novak batted in 47 runs this season and racked up 101 total bases. Defensively, he put up a .980 fielding percentage. During game one against Ohio, Novak homered twice and drove in six runs for Miami.
Zarlingo was named to both the All-MAC Second Team as an outfielder and the All-MAC Defensive Team. He hit .337 this season in 51 starts with the RedHawks and ranked second on the team in hits with 68 (10th in the MAC) and third in walks with 43 (third in the MAC). The senior from Olive Branch, Miss., led the team with eight stolen bases and had a .994 fielding percentage.
2025 MAC Baseball Postseason Awards & All-MAC Teams
Coach of the Year: Brian Smiley, Miami
Player of the Year: Hayden Jatczak, Kent State
Pitcher of the Year: Cooper Katskee, Miami
Freshman of the Year: Sawyer Solitaria, Kent State
Freshman Pitcher of the Year: Brady Sasse, Toledo
Defensive Player of the Year: Garrett Wright, Bowling Green
All-MAC First Team
C– Garrett Wright, Bowling Green
1B– Evan Appelwick, Miami
2B– Nick Husovsky, Ball State
3B– Hayden Jatczak, Kent State
SS– Dylan Grego, Ball State
OF– Jack Casey, Kent State
OF– Ben Slanker, Ohio
OF– Blake Bevis, Ball State
DH– Sawyer Solitaria, Kent State
SP– Cooper Katskee, Miami
SP– Jacob Bean, Kent State
SP– Jacob Tabor, Toledo
SP– Keegan Johnson, Ball State
RP– Connar Penrod, Bowling Green
At-Large- Dillon Baker, Miami
All-MAC Second Team
C– Logan Gregorio, Northern Illinois
1B– Gavin Baldwin, Northern Illinois
2B– Matt Ineich, Ohio
3B– Alex Richter, Ball State
SS– Luke Matthews, Kent State
OF– Anthony Zarlingo, Miami
OF– Logan Hugo, Eastern Michigan
OF– Ryan Novak, Miami
OF– Caden Konczak, Toledo
DH– Ty Batusich, Miami
SP– Jacob Hartlaub, Ball State
SP– Jared Schaeffer, Akron
SP– Brady Sasse, Toledo
SP– Drew Beckner, Eastern Michigan
RP– Carson Byers, Miami
All-MAC Defensive Team
C– Garrett Wright, Bowling Green
1B– Hunter Klotz, Kent State
2B– Charlie Schebler, Akron
3B– Alex Richter, Ball State
SS– Dylan Grego, Ball State
OF– Anthony Zarlingo, Miami
OF– Zach Knowlton, Central Michigan
OF– Tanner Mally, Western Michigan
P– Jared Schaeffer, Akron
