For the second year in a row, the Molloy baseball team garnered nine All-Conference selections and earned three of the leagues four major award winners announced by the East Coast Conference Wednesday afternoon.
 
Starting off the major award winners for the Lions is Player of the Year, senior Sean Welsh. The senior did little to disappoint in 2026 as part of the heart of the Molloy lineup. Welsh etched himself in the Molloy record book this season, becoming the programs all-time home run leader on his way to earning his second consecutive All-ECC First Team selection. The East Meadow native ranks first in the conference in batting average (.409), runs (55), hits (70), and triples (6) while finishing second in slugging percentage (.749), OPS (1.242), RBI (48), and home runs (12).
 
For the second season in a row, junior James Sill takes home Pitcher of the Year honors and a spot on the All-ECC First Team. Also being named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Sill joins Molloy alumni Charlie Cucchiara as a two-time Pitcher of the Year honoree. Sill anchors a staff that ranks fourth nationally in ERA (3.82), holding a 2.86 earned run average alongside six wins, placing second in the league in both categories. The right hander hasn't made life easy for opposing hitters, holding the opponent to a .180 batting average against, 44 hits, and 21 earned runs while leading the league with 76 strikeouts.
 
Rounding out the major award winnings is Head Coach Joe Fucarino, earning his seventh Coach of the Year nod. In his 21^st season as the Lions skipper, Fucarino led the Lions to a program-record 23 game-winning streak marking the second longest streak in Division II this season and one of five 20+ game streaks in all of college baseball. The cardinal and white put together a 26-4 East Coast Conference record this season alongside a 36-9 overall record, entering the conference tournament. 36 victories prior to postseason play ties a program record set by the 2024 squad.
 
In total, Molloy had eight All-ECC First Team selections. Joining Welsh and Sill are seniors JC Kiss, Mike Knapp, Jeremy Taggart, junior Brian Sanchez, and sophomores Steve Mulqueen and Jayden Patel.
 
Kiss collects his second career First Team nod in 2026. The Hicksville native sits tied for first in the East Coast Conference with seven wins while holding opponents to hitting just .221 with 51 hits, good for second in the league in both categories. The left-hander has moved up in the Molloy ranks this season, holding the second most wins in program history, becoming the programs most successful left-handed pitcher.
 
For the first time in his career, Knapp earns an All-ECC First Team selection. Quietly going along his way, Knapp is tied with his counterpart Kiss atop the league with seven victories. The right-hander has totaled an East Coast Conference high four complete games in eight starts, including a stretch where he tossed four complete games in five appearances from March 28 through April 18. Knapp rounds out a rotation that ranks first in the nation in hits per nine innings (7.35).

Taggart joins a list of first time All-ECC recipients. The Molloy backstop has collected a career-high .365 average entering postseason play totaling 27 hits and 20 RBI while drawing 15 walks. The senior totaled single game career-high five RBI against St. Thomas Aquinas and four runs scored against Staten Island. The Levittown native has been hard to move around the base path against this season, throwing out 53 percent of his runners who have tried to steal.
 
Entering the lineup as the squads primary third basemen, Sanchez brings in his first career All-ECC First Team honor. Brother of Molloy alumni Patrick Sanchez, Brian ranks fifth in the league with a .368 average hitting in the two-spot of the order. The Merrick native has totaled 60 hits this season, ranking fourth among ECC qualified hitters while totaling 15 multi-hit games including five games of at least four hits. The junior had a break out game this season where he tied a single-game record six hits against Staten Island (Mar. 14) while driving in a career-high five runs. Throughout the doubleheader against the Dolphins in March, Sanchez totaled nine hits in 12 at bats while driving in nine on the afternoon.
 
The hero of three walk-off hits this season, Mulqueen takes his rightful place on the league All-ECC First Team. Hitting in the cleanup spot in the order, the Wantagh native sits behind Welsh on the team hitting .369 and slugging 1.157 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI while drawing a team-high 34 walks. Mulqueens power surge has been on display over the last two weeks, totaling five home runs since April 21 with a pair of five-RBI games. The sophomore totaled two game winning hits in the same day, collecting both in a doubleheader sweep against D'Youville on April 18. Most recently on April 30, Mulqueen hit a walk-off two run home run to clinch a victory over Staten Island.
 
After earning a Second Team selection in his freshman year, Patel rounds out the First Team selections in 2026. The sophomore has appeared in 13 contests this season, collecting four multi-inning saves on his way to tying a career-high six shut downs this season. The sophomore has added three wins this season alongside 22 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of relief.
 
Rounding out the All-ECC selections is junior Charlie Imhof who earned a Second-Team selection for the first time in his career. After two seasons of primarily coming off the bench, Imhof has become a mainstay in the Molloy lineup capping the heart of the Lions order. Imhof is third amongst qualified hitters with a 1.019 slugging percentage while hitting .333 with 44 hits, five home runs, and 38 RBI. The junior has also had a watchful eye at the plate drawing 19 walks and reaching base 18 times via a hit by pitch.