2026 Knightly News Baseball Awards
By Paul Miller
Knightly News Co-Adviser and Knights Play-by-Play Commentator
As another season has come to a close, I have the opportunity to do one of my favorite things each year, relive Central Penn College Knights baseball. I do not ever take for granted the immense quality of our baseball program over the past half-decade, as 2026 brought several extremely high points for our program.
But before we talk about the tremendous progress, we have to talk about one of the largest hardships this season, the weather. Playing spring baseball in southcentral Pennsylvania is always full of challenges and this year illustrated those challenges more than any I can recall. The Jan. 25 record-setting snowstorm produced not only snow, but also a significant amount of ice, bringing the term “snowcrete” into the modern lexicon. During the storm, the snow transitioned to sleet and created a thick, impenetrable layer of frozen precipitation.
Unfortunately, the “snowcrete,” coupled with the sheer amount of precipitation we received, meant that baseball would not be played on schedule. Early-season games in February versus Mid-Atlantic Christian University were postponed. And, while the Knights did get two games in on Feb. 14 versus Clarion, it would be over a month until they played their next game on March 18 versus Patrick Henry College. In total, seven games in February and March were postponed, not to be made up.
But, even with the schedule that took away some of the most important games of the season for Central Penn, the team stayed poised to make another postseason run. And make a run they did. The Knights, with their final 25-6 regular-season record, set an all-time program record for winning percentage (.806), falling just one win short of last year’s record despite playing five fewer games. Let’s take a look at some of the high points for the Knights in 2026.
First, and most importantly, the Knights made it back to the USCAA Small College World Series. And while the experience did not quite go the way that the Knights had hoped, the fact that they were one of only 10 teams in the nation to even make the postseason tournament says something about the quality of play they had this season and the impact they have made on the conference over the last five seasons.
Secondly, the Knights were able to secure a fourth consecutive ESAC Conference title, taking down arch rival Bucks County Community College earlier this month. Even with an unorthodox doubleheader on the final day of the season (in order to address scheduling issues due to weather), the Knights were able to win their final regular-season game and dominate the championship game to take home the ESAC crown.
Last but not least, the Knights reigned in several honors announced at the Small College World Series Banquet on May 10, including Tanner McCoy taking home first-team honors, while Gabe Kaufman and Nic Joseph took home honorable mention honors. Another interesting facet of the Knights’ season, while not signified by an award specifically, was the fact that the Knights had not one but two no-hitters this season from Anthony Garcia, on April 14 versus Manor College and on April 22 versus Williamson Trade.
With that said, the Knightly News would like to offer our annual awards, a column that I have written since 2022. The Knightly News recognizes five players with special awards. The categories are as follows:
- Gold Glove — Best defensive player
- Rookie of the Year — Best freshman player
- Cy Young Award — Best pitcher
- Silver Slugger Award — Best offensive player
- Most Valuable Player — Best all-around player
Award #1 — Gold Glove — Best Defensive Player — Tanner Boyd
Boyd arguably made the biggest year-over-year jump on the Knights squad, taking on the lion’s share of the catching duties in the 2026 season, catching in 25 of 32 contests this season. Boyd was a master behind the plate, with only one error on the entire season, sporting a .994 fielding percentage with only six passed balls.
Truly, the Knights’ defense was led by Boyd, who set the stage for the way he worked with the Central Penn pitching staff. For instance, in one of the biggest games of the season, the final regular-season game against Bucks County Community College on May 2, Boyd threw out two runners in the first inning to set the tone for the game.
Additionally, Boyd’s on-base prowess was an added element to his game, notching a .535 on-base percentage thanks to 25 walks in 25 games.
Honorable Mention – Terrell Smith-Cole
Award #2 — Rookie of the Year — Best freshman player — JaMarcus Wilson
Of all of the awards this year, Rookie of the Year was the most challenging to determine, thanks to an incredible recruiting class from coach Chaz Stevens. In addition to Wilson being the everyday starter at third base, Jordon McCahan was a stalwart at shortstop throughout the season, both making their early mark on the Central Penn College program for years to come.
Wilson was everything the Knights could have imagined and more. A fixture in the lead-off spot for the Knights, Wilson brought an energy and enthusiasm that seemed to be infectious throughout the team. His on-base prowess was nearly unmatched, and his defense at the hot corner was gold-glove caliber. Truly, Wilson offered the total package, with great on-base skills, dynamic speed, tremendous contact ability and a team-player mentality.
Here are his team rankings for statistics this season (Rankings of those with 20+ at bats):
- Average – .364 (5th)
- Runs – 39 (tied for 1st)
- Doubles – 7 (tied for 2nd)
- RBI – 32 (tied for 3rd)
- Steals – 32 (1st)
Honorable Mention – Jordon McCahan
Award #3 — Cy Young — Best Pitcher — Cameron Smiley
Cameron Smiley was truly the heart of the Knights’ pitching staff, especially after an off-season injury to Wyatt Koser and a mid-season injury to Jowan Morales. Smiley took his turn every time this season, leading the way for the Knights when the lights shined the brightest. Smiley, last year’s Cy Young winner, makes it two in a row for this award. And honestly, the Knights would not have made the progress they did without knowing they had an ace in Smiley every time out.
Smiley was a steadying presence all season, including victories in crucial conference games at Christendom (April 15), versus Penn State York on Senior Night (April 28), and in the ESAC Conference Championship Game versus Bucks County Community College (May 2).
Here are his team rankings for statistics this season (Rankings of those with 10+ inning pitched):
- Wins – 7 (1st)
- Game Started – 9 (1st)
- Innings – 43 (1st)
- Strikeouts – 48 (1st)
- Average Against – .217 (1st)
Honorable Mention – Anthony Garcia
Award #4 — Silver Slugger Award — Best offensive player — Gabe Kaufman
Kaufman is no stranger to Knightly News postseason awards, receiving an honorable mention in this category in 2025 for his terrific campaign. But the 2026 season saw Kaufman continue to develop his offensive prowess, becoming a force in the Knights’ lineup throughout the season.
Down the stretch, when the Knights were still battling for a chance to go to the Small College World Series, Kaufman brought his A game, homering in Game 1 against Penn State York on his Senior Night, as well as launching an estimated 450-foot homerun in the ESAC Championship Game to swing the momentum the Knights’ way.
But it was more than just the raw power that Kaufman possesses that put him over the top on this award; it was about his all-around play. Not only did he play a stellar outfield this season, only making two errors all season, but he was also fleet of foot on the basepaths as well, swiping 10 bags on the season, including three in a single game on April 20 versus ESAC foe Manor College.
Here are his team rankings for statistics this season (Rankings of those with 20+ at bats):
- Average – .414 (2nd)
- Hits – 36 (tied for 2nd)
- Doubles – 7 (tied for 2nd)
- Home Runs – 7 (1st)
- RBI – 38 (2nd)
- Total Bases – 66 (2nd)
Honorable Mention – Nic Joseph
Award #5 — Most Valuable Player — Best all-around player — Tanner McCoy
I’ll be honest, in all of the seasons I’ve seen since we started broadcasting Knights’ baseball back in 2018, McCoy certainly ranks up there as one of the best campaigns in Central Penn College baseball history. His numbers were absolutely ridiculous, managing to finish the season with a .478 average, just .001 behind the leader at the national level.
Leading the Knights in almost every offensive category, McCoy showed a significant improvement in his approach in 2026 as the centerpiece of one of the most dynamic offenses in the entire USCAA. Beyond the box score, McCoy played tremendous defense at first base, having only one error on the entire season. And, of course, his leadership also meant a tremendous amount to the core of the team.
McCoy also had numerous clutch hits on the season, driving a longball out of FNB Field versus Penn State Fayette to swing the tide in favor of the Knights, as well as blasting a home run in the ESAC Championship Game to allow the Knights to win comfortably for their fourth consecutive title.
Here are his team rankings for statistics this season (Rankings of those with 20+ at bats):
- Average – .478 (1st, 2nd in the USCAA)
- On-base Percentage – .583 (1st)
- Hits – 44 (1st)
- Doubles – 10 (1st)
- Home Runs – 6 (2nd)
- RBI – 45 (1st)
- Total Bases – 74 (1st)
Of course, each year, writing this column is bittersweet. I love having the opportunity to recognize the Knights for all of their hard work, but some of the core group of this team have played their final games for Central Penn. Players like Kaufman, Joseph, Smiley, Wyatt Koser, and Tyrell Smith-Cole, as well as several others, will be greatly missed. Still, with stars like McCoy, Boyd, David Thomas, and Anthony Garcia, as well as the new faces like Wilson and McCahan, the future of Knights baseball looks bright.
While the Knights achieved another tremendously successful season, filled with their fourth consecutive ESAC Championship and their second consecutive bid in the Small College World Series, the Knights are hungry for another opportunity to make a deeper run during postseason play in 2026. And while it remains to be seen if the 2027 squad can emulate this season’s accomplishments, this one will clearly go down as one of the best in program history. And, for that, my hat is off to this team.
Photos featured in this article are thanks to: Noah Lopez, Alex Foley and Dylan Bowman.
The Knightly News would like to thank the following members for their roles in baseball coverage during the 2026 season:
Paul Miller, Ph.D., Steve Hassinger, Parker Rose — commentary
Noah Lopez, Alex Foley, Dylan Bowman — photography
