NEW YORK  –  On the eve of the 2021 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by JEEP, the conference announced the regular-season awards and all-conference teams. Connecticut sophomore outfielder Kyler Fedko was the unanimous selection for BIG EAST Player of the Year; while Creighton sophomore righty Dylan Tebrake earned Pitcher of the Year award. Bluejay teammate Alan Roden earned Freshman of the Year honors. Husky head coach Jim Penders and his crew were selected as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Along with the four major regular-season awards, the conference announced the 2021 All-Conference First and Second Teams, preceding the BIG EAST Championship, which will takes place at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio from May 27-30.
 
The league’s tournament teams: Connecticut, Creighton, Seton Hall and Xavier, made up 24 of the 30 all-conference selections.
 
UConn, the regular season champion and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament, had a league-high eight all-conference selections, four on the first team. No. 2 seed Creighton and No. 3 seed Seton Hall tied for second with six total selections.
 
The 15-member first team was made up of four starting pitchers, a reliever, each infield position, three outfielders, a catcher and a designated hitter. There are two catchers on this year’s first team, due to a tie in voting. Three of the fist team honorees were unanimous selections.  The second team was based on a non-positional vote.
 
Voting for the All-BIG EAST Team and major awards was conducted by the league's eight head coaches who could not cast a ballot for their own players.
 
Fedko won the BIG EAST’s top individual honor after a productive campaign for No. 1 seed Connecticut. The sophomore outfielder is the sixth Husky to earn Player of the Year accolades. Fedko is the first UConn player since 2001 to hit .400 or better during the regular season. He had 23 multi-hit games this season, leading the league regular-season champions in this category. Over the course of a 46-game season, Fedko produced 14 multi-RBI games. During BIG EAST play, the Gibsonia, Pa., native held the batting title with a .444 batting average (28-of-63), helping UConn to a conference-best .293 team batting. Fedko scored 21 runs, with 19 RBI and six home runs. His .550 on-base percentage and .778 slugging percentage led the league through 17 BIG EAST games. The sophomore walked 13 times and struck out just eight times. Overall, Fedko batted .402 (68-for-169) with 49 runs, 12 doubles, 11 home runs, two triples and 46 RBI. Fedko was a unanimous selection as a BIG EAST First Team outfielder. Out on the grass, he was credited with 79 putouts in 81 chances for a .975 fielding percentage. He was also the coaches’ pick for Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Tebrake became the second Creighton pitcher to earn Pitcher of the Year honors. The sophomore led the conference in wins, going a perfect 8-0 from the mound over the course of 11 starts. Tebrake powered the Bluejays with a 2.67 ERA boasting 70 strikeouts to just 22 walks. Tebrake, from Cold Spring, Minn., pitched to a 1.52 ERA in six starts during league play. BIG EAST batters averaged just .171 against him. The sophomore went 5-0 over 41.1 innings pitched, allowing just 22 hits, 13 runs, with 42 strikeouts. He averaged 9.15 strikeouts over nine innings. Last year, Bluejay Mitch Ragan also won Pitcher of the Year honors. Tebrake was a unanimous pick to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
 
Teammate Roden is the first Creighton player to earn Freshman of the Year. Roden ranked second this season in BIG EAST batting with a .421 average (32-for-76). He led the league in doubles (nine), RBI (26) and total bases (56). Roden, from Middleton, Wis., ranked second behind Fedko in on-base percentage (.516) and slugging (.737). Overall, Roden was the Bluejays batting leader with a .381 average. He recorded 51 hits over 134 at bats and crossed the plate 37 times with 46 RBI. Roden committed no errors with 23 putouts and one assist. Roden was a unanimous selection to the all-conference first team at designated hitter.
 
Penders led his Huskies to their second-ever BIG EAST regular-season title in 2021 after UConn made its return to the league after a seven-year stint in the American Athletic Conference. The last time UConn won the regular season was 2011. It is the fourth Coach of the Year title for Penders, who also won it in 2006, 2010 and 2011.  Connecticut, also the coaches’ pick to win the league this season, rallied back from early-season COVID issues to win six consecutive BIG EAST games down the stretch. UConn finished 30-16 overall, 13-4 in league play. Penders is assisted in the dugout by Associate head coach Jeff Hourigan, pitching coach Joshua MacDonoald and volunteer assistant Chris Podeswa. UConn is currently receiving votes in the national polls and is ranked 21st in the NCAA RPI.
 
For a full list of the honorees see below.
 
 
2021 BIG EAST Baseball Regular Season Awards
 
Player of the Year
Kyler Fedko, UConn, So., OF ^
 
Pitcher of the Year
Dylan Tebrake, Creighton, So., RHP
 
Freshman of the Year
Alan Roden, Creighton, RS-Fr., OF
 
Coaching Staff of the Year
Connecticut, Head coach Jim Penders
 
All-BIG EAST First Team *
^ Dylan Tebrake, Creighton, So., RHP
David Festa, Seton Hall, Jr., RHP
Nick Zwack, Xavier, Sr., LHP
Nick Mondak, St. John’s, RS-Jr., LHP
Caleb Wurster, UConn, So., LHP (RP)
Jerry Huntzinger, Seton Hall, Sr., C
Natale Monastra, Xavier, Sr., C
Matt Toke, Seton Hall, Sr., 1B
Carson Bartels, St. John’s, Grad, 2B
Jack Housinger, Xavier, Jr., SS
Marty Higgins, St. John’s, RS-Fr., 3B
^ Alan Roden, Creighton, RS-Fr., DH
^ Kyler Fedko, UConn, So., OF ^
Chris Winkel, UConn, Sr., OF
Erik Stock, UConn, Jr., OF
 
All-BIG EAST Second Team **
James Gargano, Butler, Sr., OF
Ben Casparius, UConn, Jr., RHP
Reggie Crawford, UConn, Fr., 1B/Utility
Austin Peterson, UConn, Jr., RHP
Pat Winkel, UConn, So., C
Paul Bergstrom, Creighton, So., LHP (RP)
Ryan Mantle, Creighton, Sr., 3B
Andrew Meggs, Creighton, So., 2B
Parker Upton, Creighton, Sr., OF
Ethan Routzahn, St. John’s, RS-Jr., RHP (RP)
Tyler Burnham, Seton Hall, Sr., LHP
Casey Dana, Seton Hall, Sr., DH
Will Gale, Seton Hall, RS-Fr., OF
Gordon Graceffo, Villanova, Jr., RHP
Andrew Walker, Xavier, So., OF
 
^ denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there are two catchers on the all-conference first team
** due to a tie in voting there is one extra member on the all-conference second team