SALISBURY, Md. – The seventh-ranked Salisbury University baseball team cleaned up with the
announcement of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) postseason awards on Wednesday, taking home four major prizes and placing six on the All-C2C teams.
Outfielder
Nathan Tondreault became the league's first dual Player and Rookie of the Year in 20 years, while right-hander
Aidan Brinsfield powered his way to C2C Pitcher of the Year and righty
Cole Williams garnered C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Tondreault, Brinsfield, Williams, and third baseman
Jackson Inman were each named to the All-C2C First Team, while relievers
Jack Rucker and
Bryce Sterling earned All-C2C Honorable Mention.
Tondreault (Fr. – Oakton, Va.) is just the
second player to be named the conference's Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, joining Ryan Poff of York (Pa.), who accomplished the feat in 2006. He also becomes the sixth straight Sea Gull to win C2C Player of the Year (Meekins, Caster, Sheeler, Kell, Winebrenner) and third straight to take home C2C Rookie of the Year (Williams, Burroughs).
Over his first 39 collegiate starts, Tondreault has already established himself as the C2C's toughest out, slashing .407/.511/.703 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 46 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, and a 1.214 OPS. An even mix of power and contact, he has reached base in 37 of 39 games, including 22 straight from Mar. 4 through Apr. 11, and has homered twice in a game three times. Tondreault ranks first or second in the league in average, homers, RBIs, slugging, and on-base percentage.
Brinsfield [Jr. – Salisbury, Md.] becomes the first Sea Gull hurler to take the conference's top pitching prize since
Jimmy Adkins in 2022. The former state champion at Parkside High School emerged as one of the nation's top arms in 2026, making 13 starts – including a pair of combined no-hitters – and going 8-3 with a 2.33 ERA, one complete game, 19 walks, and 63 strikeouts over 77.1 innings while earning C2C Pitcher of the Week three times. In addition to ranking top-two in the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, Brinsfield ranks third in Division III in starts, 10th in wins, 18th in WHIP (0.97), 43rd in hits allowed per nine innings (6.52), and 51st in ERA.
Williams (Jr. – Silver Spring, Md.) captured his second career major C2C award (2024 Rookie of the Year) after boasting a 3.947 grade-point average as an Exercise Science major on a Physical Therapy track. Away from the dugout, he regularly volunteers alongside teammates at Hope and Life Outreach (HALO) Ministries in Salisbury and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma national honor society for student-athletes.
One of SU's most versatile arms, Williams pitched in 22 games out of the bullpen, racking up a 6-0 record with a conference-best 1.13 ERA, one save, 16 walks, and 35 strikeouts over 40 innings of work. He was the winning pitcher in a Feb. 21 neutral-site victory over Denison, still the top-ranked Big Red's only loss of the season. Williams carries top-10 numbers for Division III in pitching appearances, ERA, WHIP (0.88), and hits per nine (4.28).
Inman (So. – Damascus, Md.) stepped into the heart of the Salisbury batting order from the get-go and flourished, slashing .377/.486/.710 with 12 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 50 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 10 steals, and a 1.196 OPS over 39 starts at the hot corner. The C2C's co-leader in dingers alongside Tondreault, he also leads the conference in RBIs and slugging and ranks top-five in average, doubles, and triples. Inman was eyed for C2C Player of the Week twice and also made a pair of D3baseball.com National Teams of the Week.
Rucker (So. – Arlington, Va.) found his form as the season progressed and emerged as one of the conference's most fearsome lefties. Over 10 appearances (four starts), he posted a 6-0 record with a 1.31 ERA, 15 walks, and 30 strikeouts over 34.1 innings, curbing his free passes to just five over his past 21.2 frames. Rucker has tossed five-plus innings in an outing three times, including a season-long six innings to beat Penn State Harrisburg on Apr. 23.
Sterling (Sr. – New Castle, Del.) built on his reputation as the C2C's top closer, notching a league-leading eight saves – good for eighth nationally – alongside a 1-0 record and 1.59 ERA, three walks, and 16 strikeouts over 11.1 innings across 11 appearances. The right-handed fireballer opened the year with a four-out save to beat now-No. 1 Denison on Feb. 21; one month later he saved both ends of a home doubleheader against Haverford. Sterling has amassed the third-most single-season saves in SU history, and his 14 career saves are just one back of the all-time program mark.
Thanks in no small measure to these six standouts, Salisbury closed the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, improving to 30-9 and rising to eighth in current NCAA Power Index (NPI). SU once again has one of the most well-rounded squads in Division III, ranking top-three nationally in team ERA (2.63), WHIP (1.15), and hits per nine (6.58) while posting top-40 numbers in runs per game (9.5), on-base percentage (.443), and stolen bases (126).
The Sea Gulls will begin postseason play in the C2C Tournament semifinals at home against Christopher Newport on Friday at 3 p.m. with the winner advancing to face either Mary Washington or Regent in Saturday's championship game. The NCAA Division III Tournament Selection Show will be aired on NCAA.com on Monday at 12 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 210 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
