Baseball Takes Home Three End of the Season Awards, Places Three on All-CC Teams - Haverford Athletics

Baseball Takes Home Three End of the Season Awards, Places Three on All-CC Teams

(L-R) Mike Rabayda, Harry Genth, and Chuck Norton

Posted: May 09, 2024

HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford College Baseball had quite the presence in the 2024 Centennial Conference baseball postseason awards, collecting three end of the season awards, the conference office announced in a release on Thursday afternoon.

Shortstop Harry Genth earned Centennial Conference Player of the Year, while Haverford ace Mike Rabayda earned Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Year. Behind the plate, Chuck Norton secured the Centennial Conference Gold Glove Award to round out the 2024 accolades.

A menace in the batter's box, as well as on the base paths, the co-captain was instrumental for the Fords in 2024, following up a decorated 2023 season by earning a first-team All-Centennial nod for the second consecutive year as well as earning the Centennial Conference Player of the Year title.

After beginning the year at second base, he shifted positions to shortstop while leading the Fords in batting average (.339), on-base percentage (.510), slugging percentage (.670), home runs (10) runs scored (42), and stolen bases with a whopping 40. The 40 swiped bases tied Genth for first in the Centennial Conference and second in Division III. In the field, the junior paced the Fords in assists with 80, ranking seventh in the Centennial Conference.

At the plate, Genth had 11 multi-hit games, including a season-high four hits against Dickinson on April 6. On the bases, the Baltimore, Md. native stole four bags in three separate games this season (vs. NYU March 3, at Muhlenberg April 16, and at Swarthmore April 26). Among his four stolen bases against Swarthmore, Genth broke the Haverford single-season stolen base record, passing Louis DeRosa '11, who stole 34 bases in the 2011 season.

Genth is Haverford's second-ever Centennial Conference Player of the Year and first since Charlie Carluccio '11 in 2011.

After missing the 2023 season due to injury, Rabayda, who previously earned Second-team All-Centennial Conference and Rawlings/ABCA All-Region 5 Third-team honors in 2022, was purely lights out in his senior campaign, picking up an All-Centennial Conference first-team selection, as well as being named the Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Year.

The co-captain from Richboro, Pa. led the Scarlet and Black in practically every pitching category, compiling a 7-2 record in 11 starts and 66 total innings of work. The seven wins tabbed Rabayda as the wins leader in the Centennial Conference, while the Centennial Conference's strikeout leader fanned 79 batters, slotting the three-time 2024 Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week 28th in the nation in that category. Rabayda had three contests with 10 or more strikeouts, reaching the mark against Skidmore (Mar. 10), then-No. 15 Johns Hopkins (Mar. 30), and Dickinson (Apr. 6).

Rabayda joins the only three-time winner and 2015 MLB draft pick Tommy Bergjans '15 (2013, 14, 15), as Haverford pitchers to earn the CC Pitcher of the Year honor.

Norton, a mainstay behind the dish, had a memorable sophomore season, not only earning a Centennial Conference honorable mention, but taking home the Centennial Conference's Gold Glove Award. Defensively, the catcher recorded 263 putouts (4th in CC) and 22 assists, accumulating a .983 fielding percentage in 37 total games. Feared by all on the base paths, Norton threw out 12 would-be base stealers, throwing out .273 percent of the few runners who decided to test the arm of the sophomore.

On the offensive side of the ball, Norton paced the Fords in hits with 41, after posting a .315 batting average to go along with 27 runs, 20 RBI, one home run, 16 walks, and 10 stolen bases. Norton memorably clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer against NYU back on March 3 at Staten Island Community Hospital Ballpark as the Fords grabbed a 14-8 win over the Violet to set the tone for a strong season.

Norton is the third Gold Glove of the Year award winner from the Fords, as he joins Will Karp '20 who earned the award in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons, playing both second base and shortstop for Haverford.

In addition to the selections, junior Anthony Runfola picked up a spot on the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team. The outfielder/pitcher batted .500 on the year with three runs, four RBIs, six stolen bases, and one double, before sustaining a season-ending injury. The two-way player also notched one win while throwing 1.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits, one walk, and striking out two batters.

In 2024, Haverford again finished with a 20+ win season and returned to the Centennial Conference tournament for a 15th consecutive season. The Fords posted their most wins in a single season since the 2016 team that won the Centennial title. Haverford will figure to be right in contention for a Centennial title in 2024 with a stalwart junior class stepping on the field for their senior seasons, and a big group of young contributors looking to take another step forward.