Baseball 5/9/2024 4:34:00 PM John Jay Sports Information

Jaxen Gangwish Named Rookie of the Year; Anthony Agosta Wins Sportsmanship Award; Three Bloodhounds Named CUNYAC All-Stars

Flushing, NY - The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) announced the 2024 baseball all-conference team on Thursday afternoon.

Freshman infielder Jaxen Gangwish was named the 2024 CUNYAC Rookie of the Year while junior infielder Anthony Agosta collected the Sportsmanship Award. Additionally, three Bloodhounds earned All-Star honors as Quentin Bowman, Michael Mauro, and David Michalski received the accolade.

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Gangwish is the second straight Bloodhound to win the honor, joining John Spallin, who earned the award a season ago. The Hastings, NE native finished fourth in the conference in hitting (.376) and was first in hits with 46. The first-year Bloodhound infielder was among the top 15 in slugging percentage at .467 while rounding out the top ten in on-base percentage at .450. He produced 14 multi-hit games, highlighted by a career-high four hits in the second game at Lehman back on April 15. Gangwish had six games of driving in multi-RBIs, as he drove in three twice, the last coming in the Bloodhounds' come-from-behind playoff opener win against Baruch on Tuesday.

Agosta improved in all facets of his game. Playing in 39 games, primarily serving as John Jah's second baseman, he batted .281 for the season, as he collected 34 hits in 121 at-bats. The Middle Village, NY native had five multi-hit and in four of those five games, he recorded three hits. The junior infielder was among the top ten in round-trippers with three and finished the regular season sixth in the conference with 23 RBIs.

Bowman was one of the most consistent hitters in the Bloodhounds lineup this season. The Wappingers Falls, NY native batted .314 during the regular season, which was among the top 20 in CUNYAC. His .959 OPS was eighth-highest in the league, sparked by a .586 slugging percentage, which ranked fourth in the league. The senior outfielder paced CUNYAC with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Bowman had 15 games in which he multi-hits, as he produced a season-high four on the road at Yeshiva back on March 10. He drove in a career-high five RBIs against Rivier to conclude the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Mauro earned his third straight CUNYAC All-Star honoree, this year he was selected as a Utility, as the Yorktown Heights, NY served as the No. 1 starter while continuing to be a key cog in the Bloodhound lineup. On the bump, Mauro made 12 starts and one epic relief appearance that propelled John Jay to Saturday's championship game. This season, Mauro went 5-8 with a 5.58 ERA as he struck out 45 batters in 61.1 innings. In the come-from-behind win over Baruch, Mauro kept the Bearcats off the board, working five scoreless innings in earning the win, scattering four hits, yielding two walks, and striking out seven batters. At the plate, he batted .307, good for tenth in the conference. His 20 runs scored this year were among the top 15 in the league while he ranked third in hits (42), trailing only teammates Gangwish and Bowman. His three home runs were fourth in the conference.

Michalski proved to be a key cog in the Bloodhounds bullpen. The Flushing, NY native had three saves on the season. Against Lehman in game two on April 15, Michalski fanned eight batters, a career-high.
The Bloodhounds will battle for the 2024 CUNYAC Baseball Championship on Saturday as they square off against the top-seed CCNY.

Both games will be nine innings with the first-pitch slated for noon.

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