No. 18 Taylor Claims CL Coach, Player and Pitcher of the Year

CL 2024 Baseball Award Winners | TU Honors Page 

JACKSON, Mich. – With the conclusion of the 2024 Crossroads League Baseball Tournament, the CL announced its 2024 Baseball All-League honors on Tuesday, in which championship-winning, No. 18 Taylor (41-14, 30-6 CL) garnered three superlative awards and had seven combined First and Second-Team athletes.

TU's head coach, Kyle Gould, won Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career, making it back-to-back awards for the 20th-year man at the helm. The honor comes on the heels of a second straight, conference-best 30-win Crossroads League regular season.

The Trojans also swept the Player and Pitcher of the Year awards, with junior third baseman Mason David and sophomore starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost being tabbed as the CL's premier players.

David has hit .354 for the Trojans with 48 runs batted in, eight homers, 21 doubles, 36 walks, eight stolen bases and a .591 slugging percentage as a constant force near the top of Taylor's lineup. His batting average, RBIs, extra base hits and slugging percentage all rank in the top 10 among CL qualifying batters, and David's 21 doubles tops the league leaders.

TU's third baseman also won the CL Gold Glove at his position, as the junior started all 55 games and was involved in nine double plays, many of which David helped turn in highlight-reel fashion.

On the mound, Pentecost dominated Crossroads League opponents all season as the Trojans' year-long game one starter. The sophomore opened his season with 13 consecutive starts of at least four innings while allowing three or fewer runs.

Pentecost's season totals to this point include 15 starts with a 7-1 record, 79.1 innings pitched, 92 strikeouts, a 2.72 earned run average and a walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) of 1.22. His ERA, WHIP, strikeout total and strikeout rate are all top-five among CL pitchers.

David and Pentecost were both named to the 2024 All-Crossroads League First-Team, joining outfielders Kaleb Kolpien, Camden Knepp and Brayden Manning.

The trio of outfielders each have had outstanding seasons batting well above .300, with Kolpien's .359 average and .542 slugging percentage leading the crew in those categories. Knepp has served as TU's leadoff man throughout the season, and the senior leads the CL in both walks (58) and on-base percentage (.521) by vast margins. Meanwhile, Manning finished third in the league with 57 runs batted in and second in total hits with 71.

Left-handed pitcher Nick Crabtree and left-handed slugger Sam Gladd garnered All-Crossroads League Second-Team honors to round out TU's awards.

Crabtree showcased his electric stuff as a reliever-turned-starter with an eye-popping 11.77 strikeouts per nine innings, a 1.04 WHIP and 2.77 ERA. All of those numbers would have put the sophomore at or near the top of those pitching categories, but his 52.0 innings were a hair shy of the CL's qualifying standard of one inning pitched per team game played.

At the plate, Gladd led the Trojans in the power department with 10 home runs and finished second with 54 RBIs while getting on base at a .468 clip. The sophomore also came through in the clutch during the final two games of the Crossroads League Tournament with game-tying and game-winning hits after the sixth inning.