VESTAL, N.Y. - Freshman catcher and designated hitter Evin Sullivan was named America East Rookie of the Year and first team all-conference, highlighting Binghamton baseball's haul of awards announced by the America East Tuesday afternoon. Joining Sullivan on the first team was junior closer Jack Collins, who also was recognized on the All-Academic Team for the third straight year. Juniors Thomas Babalis and Connor Aoki were named second team all-conference and freshmen Nick Roselli and Logan Haskell joined Sullivan on the All-Rookie Team, giving BU its highest number of freshman selections in 17 years.  

The six honorees played key roles in BU's 15 conference wins and its highest tournament seed (No. 2) since 2017. The Bearcats begin their quest for a fifth America East championship crown Thursday afternoon in Orono, Maine. Owning a first-round bye, BU will await its opponent until Wednesday's games are complete. 

"I'm very happy and proud of the players who were recognized by the coaches in the conference," head coach Tim Sinicki said. "Each of them is very deserving of the honor and played integral roles in the team earning the No. 2 seed for the tournament."

Sullivan was the lone freshman on the 15-player first team and becomes BU's first-ever freshman to be named to the top all-conference team. He also becomes the fifth Bearcat to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining former MLB player Scott Diamond (2005), Peter Bregartner (2008), Dave Ciocchi (2009) and teammate Thomas Babalis (2019). Sullivan hit .337 with seven home runs, 20 extra-base hits and a team-high 34 RBI during the regular season. He played DH and catcher and hit from the clean-up position - the first Bearcat freshman to do that in 21 years of Division I play. 

Collins produced a dominant season in the closer role. He has seven saves (2nd in AE) and a 2.33 ERA. Collins has 55 strikeouts in 38.2 innings for a per-game average of 12.8. His ERA against conference foes was 1.80 and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was more than 5-to-1. Off the field, he holds a 3.77 grade-point average in biological sciences and earned a repeat place on the All-Academic Team. 

Babalis was named all-conference for the third time in three years. He ranks third in the America East with 76 strikeouts and he has three wins and a 4.98 ERA. Babalis was a second team selection in 2019 and a first team choice last spring. He is the team's No. 1 starter and will take the hill for BU's conference opener Thursday afternoon. 

Aoki earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career after a strong spring. He hit .288 with team-highs of 14 doubles and eight home runs. Aoki drove in 27 runs, had 16 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI outings. He converted from catcher to first base to fill a void and hit third in the lineup. In conference play, Aoki batted .320 with 16 extra-base hits. 

Roselli batted .267 with five home runs and 17 RBI. He had six multi-hit and four multi-RBI games and made 31 starts at second base, helping turn 24 double plays. 

Haskell earned a starting role in center field and responded by hitting .294 and playing outstanding defense. He had a team-high nine stolen bases.