NEW YORK – On the eve of the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by JEEP, the conference announced the regular-season awards and all-conference teams.
UConn sophomore first baseman Jackson Marshall garnered Player of the Year after leading UConn to the No. 2 overall seed and the program's sixth straight regular season title, while his teammate, sophomore left-handed pitcher Cayden Suchy was awarded BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year. Rounding out the major awards, UConn freshman outfielder Cam Righi was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year while St. John's head coach Mike Hampton 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 2026 All-Conference First and Second Teams, preceding the BIG EAST Championship, which will take place at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio from May 20-23.
The league's tournament teams: Connecticut, Creighton, St. John's and Xavier, made up all 14 all-conference first team selections, including 23 out of 28 of the combined members on the first and second teams.
UConn and Xavier each boasted four members on the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Creighton and St. John's each had three. Overall, the Huskies and Red Storm led the way with seven players each on the first and second teams.
The 14-member first team was made up of four starting pitchers, one reliever, each infield position, three outfielders, a catcher and a designated hitter. 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. Ties were not broken.
Marshall earned the BIG EAST's top individual honor after a productive campaign for the Huskies. The sophomore first baseman batted .422 in 21 league games with 83 at bats, while driving in 29 RBI and scoring 17 runs with nine doubles and five home runs. Appearing in 55 games overall, he batted .382 with a .673 slugging percentage, scoring 47 runs, tallying 60 RBI and blasting 14 home runs. Defensively, he registered a .990 fielding percentage with 373 put outs and 13 assists.
Earning seven league starts, Suchy boasted a perfect 5-0 record against BIG EAST opponents to lead the UConn back to the BIG EAST Championship and capture at least a share of the regular season title for a sixth consecutive season. Suchy posted a 1.81 ERA and a .92 WHIP, while allowing just 34 hits and striking out 54 batters over 44.2 innings.
A key contributor for UConn, Righi earned 18 starts in the outfield during league play. The freshman batted .329, scoring 18 runs and driving in 14 RBI. Overall, in 47 games played and across 42 starts, he boasted the second best hitting average on the team at .339, scoring 39 runs and collecting 44 RBI. Righi registered 23 extra base hits, including 10 home runs, earning a .608 slugging percentage. Defensively, he posted a .982 fielding percentage, with 108 put outs and four assists.
After capping the 2025 regular season as the No. 4 seed, Mike Hampton and his staff climbed up the league standings in 2026 to finish 15-6, earning the No. 1 seed and a share of the regular season title.
For a full list of the honorees, see below.
2026 BIG EAST Regular Season Awards
Player of the Year
Jackson Marshall, UConn, So., 1B *
Pitcher of the Year
Cayden Suchy, UConn, So., LHP
Freshman of the Year
Cam Righi, UConn, Fr., OF
Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John's, Mike Hampton
All-BIG EAST First Team
Peyton Jemison, UConn, RSo., 2B
Jackson Marshall, UConn, So., 1B *
Cayden Suchy, UConn, So., SP *
Charlie West, UConn, Jr., SP
Nate McHugh, Creighton, Sr., DH
Ben North, Creighton, Gr., SS
Isaac Wachsmann, Creighton, Jr., CF
Adam Agresti, St. John's, R-So., C
Jon LeGrande, St. John's, Sr., CF
Liam O'Leary, St. John's, Jr., SP *
Clay Burdette, Xavier, RSo., OF
Luke Hammond, Xavier, Gr., 3B
Garrett Helsel, Xavier, Sr., RP
Ryan Piech, Xavier, RSo., SP
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Brock Buckley, Butler, Sr., SP
Anthony Belisario, UConn, So., OF
Rob Rispoli, UConn, RSo., SS
Nater Wachter, UConn, Jr., OF
Connor Capece, Creighton, Jr., C
Connor Peek, Georgetown, Gr., SS/INF
Evan Hoeckele, St. John's, So., RP
Shaun McMillan, St. John's, So., 1B
Jayder Raifstanger, St. John's, Jr., 3B
Lewis Rodriguez, St. John's, Jr., LF
Brayden Leonard, Villanova, So., 2B
JoJo Montgomery, Villanova, So., OF
Collin Quintano, Villanova, Sr., UTIL
Ashton Chronister, Xavier, Jr., SP
*Unanimous Selection