BOSTON - All seven #AEBASE teams were honored this year in all-conference selections, which were announced Tuesday afternoon.
Maine first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins was named Len Harlow Player of the Year, while UMBC’s Luke Johnson earned Pitcher of the Year honors. UMBC’s Leewood Molessa was named Rookie of the Year and Maine’s Nick Derba received Coach of the Year honors.
The award winners were determined in a vote by the league's head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Full Awards Listing
2023 #AEBASE Major Award Winners
Len Harlow Player of the Year
Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine - So., First Base, Upper Marlboro, Md.
- Jenkins led the America East in conference play in batting average at .419, slugging percentage with .802, on base percentage (.560), as well as RBI (37).
- Belted a league-best 18 home runs overall and drove in 70.
- His 1.253 OPS ranks in the top 25 nationally.
- Earned a league-high three Player of the Week honors.
- Jenkins is the fifth Black Bear to be named as the Len Harlow Player of the Year .
Pitcher of the Year
Luke Johnson, UMBC, - Jr., Pitcher, Lewes, Del.
- Johnson led the league in strikeouts with 58 during conference play.
- Had the lowest ERA at 2.65 within conference play and a league-best 2.96 mark overall.
- Also second in the league in innings pitched with 51.0 innings pitched and wins (4).
- Just the second Retriever to earn Pitcher of the Year accolades.
- Also a first-team All-Conference selection.
Rookie of the Year
Leewood Molessa, UMBC - Fr., First Base, Pullman WV
- Molessa lead the league in home runs in conference play (9).
- Had a .642 slugging percentage in conference play of his debut season, which ranks fifth on the conference leaderboard.
- Ranks second overall with 65 RBI, a UMBC program record.
- Helped UMBC to a second place seed in the championship. This is the first time UMBC has been ranked second going into postseason play since 2017.
- The six-time Rookie of the Week honoree is the third retriever to earn Rookie of the Year honors and first since 2017.
Coach of the Year
Nick Derba, Maine, 6th season
- Picked fourth in the preseason poll, Derba guided the Black Bears to their first outright regular-season title since 2013.
- In conference play, Black Bear pitching had the lowest ERA in the league (4.49) while ranking second in batting (.311).
- Derba is the third Maine head coach to be named Coach of the Year and fourth coach in the league history to win consecutive Coach of the Year honors
This year all seven programs had All-Conference selections. Maine led all teams with eight honorees.
Of the All Rookie honorees, two were also All-Conference selections and all seven programs were recognized.
Ten student-athletes who excelled both in the classroom and on the diamond were named to the All-Academic Team.
The majority of award-winners will be back in action at Binghamton this week for 2023 #AEBASE championship play. All games will air on ESPN+ domestically and AmericaEast.TV outside of the United States.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links. After each day, visit for box scores, highlights and recaps in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast and @AEGameday on Twitter to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEBASE hashtags to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- Building the Complete Student-Athlete -