Six Honored As NEWMAC Announces Postseason Baseball Awards

BABSON PARK, Mass. -- After leading their team to its second NEWMAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth, six members of the Babson College baseball team received postseason honors this week. Sophomore pitcher Andrew Aizenstadt (Norwell, Mass.) was named NEWMAC All-Conference First Team, senior co-captain Bryan Evans (Bellaire, Texas) and sophomore Billy Besinger (Milton, Mass.) were named All-NEWMAC Second Team, and sophomores Jeremy Bhatia (Silver Spring, Md.), Corey Highfield (East Hampstead, N.H.), and Jonathan Marcus (Brookline, Mass.) were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.

The 2008 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, Aizenstadt earns his second straight All-Conference First Team selection after yet another outstanding season. The sophomore righthander went 6-1 with one save and a 2.18 ERA, going 53 2/3 innings and striking out 53 batters. Among the program's all-time single-season records, he ranks fifth in winning percentage and strikeouts and fourth in total victories.

Evans and Besinger both garner All-Conference accolades for the first time in their respective careers. One of the team's two senior captains, leftfielder Evans hit .340 with a team-high 13 doubles to go with a triple, two homers, 23 runs scored, and a team-leading 37 RBIs. He also swiped seven bases while starting all 37 of the Beavers' contests.

Now in his second season at Babson, Besinger emerged as one of the program's brightest stars this spring, batting a team-high .410 with 59 hits, 10 doubles, a triple, 29 runs scored, and 31 RBIs. He also started all 37 of the team's games, stealing three bases and committing just seven errors in 163 chances at second base. In 168 plate appearances, Besinger incredibly struck out just four times, or once every 42 plate appearances.

Bhatia, Highfield, and Marcus each earn Academic All-Conference honors for the first time in their respective careers. Highfield played in 21 games at shortstop and hit .323 with six doubles, a homer, 16 runs scored, and 14 RBIs, Bhatia appeared in one contest and drew a walk in his only plate appearance, and Marcus did not appear in a game this spring. All three have excelled in the classroom, as each has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.