TROY, N.Y. - The Bard College baseball team placed a program-record five players on the All-Liberty League Team, which was announced on Tuesday.
No more than three Bard players had made the All-Liberty League Team in one season prior to Bard's historic 2022 campaign, which saw the Raptors finish second in the East Division and appear in the NCAA Regional Rankings for the first time.
"I am happy to see some of our players recognized by the league for all their hard work," Bard coach
Andy Salvatore said. "They all played an integral part in our team's success this season."
Bard graduate student
Jordan Myers made the First Team; senior
Alex Luscher and junior
Jared Toby made the second team; and senior
Spencer Checkoway and sophomore
Aidan Risse earned Honorable Mention.
Myers' ability to track down everything in center field, combined with his .383 batting average and team-high 28 runs scored no doubt influenced the voters - the Liberty League coaches. He had 60 putouts and one assist from center field without an error, and he finished Top 10 in conference play in several offensive categories, like runs scored (5th), hits (5th), doubles (4th) and stolen bases (4th). Myers was an All-Liberty League Honorable Mention pick in 2019 and 2021.
Luscher made his last season his best season in 2022. Moved into the leadoff spot, he was constantly on base. He hit .317 and tied Myers for the team lead with 28 runs scored. He was Top 10 in the league in walks and led the league in stolen bases. He stole 21-of-26 bases overall, making him Bard's all-time leader for stolen bases in a season. Luscher is on the national ballot for the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Team, with winners to be announced in June.
Toby had a breakout year in 2022, hitting .402 with 11 doubles, three triples, three homers and 35 RBI. The 200-pound catcher also stole 20 out of 23 bases, unusual not just for catchers, but for one his size. In conference play, his numbers went up. He hit .426 and led the Liberty League with 22 RBI; he was fourth in slugging percentage (.632), fourth in on-base percentage (.518), third in on-base plus slugging (1.150) and third in hits (29). He finished second in the league in stolen bases behind Luscher. He made the Liberty League Weekly Honor Roll three consecutive times during the heart of Bard's conference schedule.
Checkoway took on a different role in his senior year, and it went well. Although he still played third base or was used as a designated hitter occasionally, Checkoway became a starting pitcher and finished 3-4 with a team-best 4.47 ERA. He had seven-inning complete game victories over Mount St. Mary and Union, and after making All-Liberty League Second Team last year as a third baseman, he was named Honorable Mention this year as a utility player. He was named Liberty League Pitcher of the Week after that complete game shutout of Union.
Risse grew into the role of Bard's No. 1 starting pitcher this year, finishing Top 10 in the league in ERA (4.19), innings pitched (38.2) and strikeouts (34). He was given the ball in key conference series down the stretch and provided excellent starts against Skidmore (a 9-8 win) and Vassar (a 6-2 win). He made the Liberty League Weekly Honor Roll after that performance against Vassar.
Click here to see the entire 2022 All-Liberty League Baseball Team.
