SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (May 13, 2026) – The Conference of New England has released the 2026 All-Conference Teams and major award winners for the most recent baseball season, seeing Western New England's Tyler Waterbury highlight the list as the first in program history to be named both CNE Player of the Year and CNE Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Tyler Kornacki, Leo Paragarino, Ryan Montini, Tanner Wall, and Andrew Florek have been recognized by the conference this season. 

Tyler Waterbury had a sensational first season in Blue and Gold that led to Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year accolades. The Danbury, Connecticut, native hit .342 for Western New England in 2026, playing in 38 games, making 38 starts at shortstop. Waterbury led Western New England with a 1.029 OPS and took 146 at-bats on the season, collecting 50 hits, 22 of which went for extra bases, including a team-high 14 doubles, six home runs, and two triples, while adding 34 RBIs for the season, the third-most. Waterbury touched base 86 times overall, also tops among Golden Bears. In Conference of New England play this season, the first-year hit .429 at the plate, collecting 30 hits over 70 at-bats, half of his hits came for extra bases, including nine doubles, five home runs, and a triple. Waterbury led WNE with 20 RBIs in CNE games, while also leading the team in runs scored (28), total bases (56), slugging percentage (.800), and on-base percentage (.500). Waterbury was second overall in the CNE on OPS (1.052), and second in slugging percentage (.605). Waterbury becomes the first in the Conference of New England era to win both Player and Rookie of the Year, and is the first to do so in WNE Baseball program history. Waterbury was also named to the All-Conference First Team at shortstop. 

Tyler Kornacki lands on the All-CNE Second Team at third base. Kornacki had a breakout junior campaign for the Golden Bears, seeing the North Haven, Connecticut, native lead Western New England with a .360 batting average for the season. Kornacki picked up 49 hits over 136 at-bats, playing in 37 games, making 36 starts. Kornacki picked up 17 extra-base hits this season, 13 doubles, three triples, and his first career home run in a midweek non-conference game against Elms College. Kornacki was second among Golden Bears with 35 RBIs for the season and touched base 71 times overall. In conference play, Kornacki hit .383 over 13 games played and 13 starts, coming up with 18 hits, including six extra base hits, and had 15 RBIs. In the field, Kornacki made 146 plays, fielding at a .945 percentage. 

Leo Paragarino lands on the All-Conference second team as an outfielder for the first time in his career. Paragarino was the lone Golden Bear to play in and make starts in all 44 games during the season. Paragarino led Western New England with 66 hits on the season, hitting .355 overall. A contact hitter, the WNE sophomore collected 56 singles and ten doubles, totaling 76 bases, scoring 46 runs, and totaled 29 RBIs for the season. The Danbury, Connecticut, native hit .333 in conference play during the season, collecting 27 hits over 18 games played, picking up 14 RBIs. Paragarino's 66 hits this season lead the Conference of New England, as do his 56 singles. Paragarino has 99 hits through his first 76 games in Blue and Gold in just two seasons overall. In 2026, the sophomore made 78 total plays in the field, making 42 starts in left field and two in center field, with a fielding percentage of .975%.

Outfielder Ryan Montini earns All-Conference honors for the second straight season, being named to the All-CNE Third Team as an outfielder this season. Montini put together another successful season in his final year in Blue and Gold. The Prospect, Connecticut, native hit .356 for the season, a career-best, playing in 35 games, making 34 starts. Montini took 135 at-bats, coming away with 48 hits, including 13 doubles and four home runs, picking up 32 RBIs for the year. Montini's .461% OBS was the best of his career this season, as was his .541 slugging percentage. The Western New England senior wraps up an outstanding four-year career by hitting .330 over 120 games, making 113 starts, collecting 145 hits, 105 runs scored, 34 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, and 95 runs batted in. Montini was perfect in the field in 2026, making all 32 plays for a 1.000 fielding percentage and ending his career with a .988 fielding percentage, making 169 of a possible 171 plays. 

Junior Tanner Wall appears on the All-Conference Third Team as a starting pitcher, earning All-Conference honors for the first time in his career. Wall was a Saturday starter for the Golden Bears this season, appearing in 12 games, making 11 starts overall. The Brookfield, Connecticut, native threw 66.1 innings this season, giving up 74 hits and 40 runs, just 28 earned, walking a career-low 12 batters, and striking out a career-high 60 batters this season. Wall went 5-1 on the season, tossing one complete game as well as a shutout, both coming in a home win over Gordon College. Wall set a career high in a single game for strikeouts in a road win over Curry College when the junior struck out ten batters. Wall threw to a 3.80 ERA for the season, best among Golden Bears. 

Western New England's Andrew Florek has also been honored as WNE's representative on the CNE Community Service Team. The Conference of New England Community Service Team honors one student-athlete per conference institution who demonstrates a commitment to their community. Each student-athlete was nominated and selected by their head coach. Florek has been heavily involved in on-campus activities at Western New England while studying mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace. Florek played in 25 games for WNE this season, making 11 starts, hitting .306 at the plate, collecting 15 hits, including two doubles, and had a walk-off hit in a win over Johnson & Wales University (4/11). 

The Western New England baseball team wrapped up the 2026 season with a 24-20 record, making the conference tournament and advancing to the championship series for the third time over the last five seasons. WNE went 12-6 overall in CNE play during the year.