PRINCESS ANNE, MD. – The Hawks concluded the 2025 season with a seven-win improvement from the year prior, one HBCU Swingman Classic selection, seven student athletes on the NEC Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll, and 28 student athletes on the NEC Spring Honor Roll.
 

SEASON RECAP

The Maroon and Grey picked up their first victory of the season in game two of a three game series against Towson, 14-7, to highlight the non-conference slate. In addition, the Hawks also came up a run shy of defeating NCAA Regional Participant and SWAC Champion Bethune-Cookman. In conference play, Maryland Eastern Shore earned series wins over Delaware State at home and Norfolk State on the road. The Hawks also tallied wins over Stonehill and Fairleigh Dickinson, totalling six wins in conference.
 

IN SEASON AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Three Maryland Eastern Shore athletes earned weekly awards from the NEC. Diego Aponte became the first Hawk to be named an NEC Player of the Week in 2025. In three games against Towson, Aponte went 7-for-13 at the plate while scoring three runs and driving in six runs. The conference crowned Jonah Stepner NEC Player of the Week for pitching a complete game shutout over Delaware State on March 7. Lastly, Carter Champey was named NEC Rookie of the Week for pitching five scoreless innings on April 12 against NEC Champion and NCAA Regional Participant Central Connecticut State. On top of the weekly award winners, Ansel Carson, Diego Aponte, Jonathan Gonzalez Perez, Joshua Caldwell, Julian Jimenez, Wilfredo Morales, Ryan Davis, and Ryan Howe were each named NEC Prime Performers for at least one week in 2025. 

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Statistically, Jonathan Gonzalez Perez paced UMES with a .331 batting average across 36 starts. Ryan Davis and Diego Aponte also completed the season with above a .300 average at the dish. Ansel Carson led the Maroon and Grey in home runs with six while Ryan Howe, Davis, and Julian Jimenez each recorded four homers. Lastly, Davis led the Hawk offense in RBI with 31 while Carson amassed the most stolen bases on the team with 12.

On the mound, Jonah Stepner posted a team-best 4.66 ERA and tied with Brandon Gomez for the most pitching wins on the team. Justin Spencer and Hunter Allen each tied for the team lead in strikeouts with 31. Gomez ate the most innings on the pitching staff with 40 innings of work on the mound. Tha'Mon McGriff, Cade Williams, and Wilfredo Morales each recorded one save out of the bullpen this season.

ACADEMIC AWARDS

As a team, the Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team recorded a 3.23 team GPA for the spring semester. 28 student athletes on the baseball team were named to the NEC Spring Honor Roll for posting a GPA at 3.0 or above. The full NEC Spring Honor Roll is linked below.

NEC Spring Honor Roll

For earning above a 3.75 GPA, Hunter Allen, Ansel Carson, Sebastian Davila, Brandon Gomez, Jonathan Gonzalez Perez, Ryan Howe, and Elijah Negron were each named to the prestigious NEC Spring Commissioner's Honor Roll.

POSTSEASON RECOGNITIONS

Major League Baseball selected Jonathan Gonzalez Perez to represent Maryland Eastern Shore at the 2025 HBCU Swingman Classic. For Gonzalez's strong season on the field and in the classroom, the junior catcher was named as a top six catcher and top 50 player in HBCU baseball. 

2026 SEASON

The Hawks go into year three of the Danny Acosta era looking to continue their success in the classroom while building on their improvement in the win column from last year.

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