D3baseball.com Full Release | ABCA Full Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 27, 2025) – Three members of the Western New England baseball team have been honored by both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com on respective all-region teams, announced on Tuesday afternoon.
John Bova,
Matt Lauria, and
Jack Loftus all pick up honors as seniors this season.
John Bova earns his second straight honors from both ABCA and D3baseball.com. The Trumbull, Connecticut native earns first-team all-region honors on the D3baseball.com all-region list for the first time in his career and ended up on the ABCA's second team. Bova was one of the most consistent hitters in the Western New England starting nine this season, at his mainstay shortstop position. Overall this season, the WNE senior earned a .368 batting average, playing in 36 games, making 34 starts. Bova collected 53 hits, one short of the team high, while producing a team high in doubles with 17, while adding one triple and five home runs for the season. Bova also collected 29 RBIs on the year, adding a .604% slugging percentage and .436% on-base percentage to his overall campaign. In this final game of his luxurious career, Bova came up with three hits in five at-bats, collecting a grand slam, his second of the season, producing four RBIs overall. Over 126 games played, making 120 starts, Bova averaged a .324 batting average with the Golden Bears in his four years, collecting 153 hits, 40 doubles, seven triples, 15 home runs, and 110 RBIs overall.
Matt Lauria was one of the most dominant right-handed pitchers across Division III this season and earned honors on the D3baseball.com All-Region first team as well as ABCA All-Region first team. Lauria's first four starts of the season came with no runs given up, earned or unearned. The East Haddam, Connecticut native tossed four games of 10+ strikeouts on the year, including in the Conference of New England tournament against fourth-ranked Endicott College, coming up with 11 whiffs. Lauria accumulated a 6-2 record over 11 starts, dotting a 2.62 ERA. The right-hander pitched 68.2 innings, giving up 63 hits and just 20 earned runs while walking a career low 13 batters and striking out a career high 81, fifth most in a single season in WNE baseball history. Opponents hit just .240 off Lauria this season while the senior allowed just seven extra base hits overall.
Jack Loftus led Western New England baseball in the batter's box this season across his 39 games played, leading to accolades from D3baseball.com on the all-region second team as well as second-team honors on the ABCA all-region team. Loftus led Western New England in 11 statistical categories during the season. Among those 11 include batting average (.370), OPS (1.195), runs scored (38), hits (54), triples (4), home runs (10), runs batted in (36), total bases (105), slugging percentage (.719), hit by pitch (14), and on base percentage (.477). In his career in blue and gold, Loftis hit .301 overall, playing 130 games, making 127 starts. He will sit in the career record books in triples (16, first) and home runs (19, tied second).
The Western New England baseball team wrapped up their 2025 schedule with a 22-20 record overall for the season, going 8-8 in conference play.