Four Buffs Baseball Players Honored with All-AAC Team Recognition

WALESKA, Ga. (May 1, 2024) – On Wednesday night, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) announced the All-AAC Baseball teams for the 2024 campaign. The (RV) Milligan University baseball team had four players collect All-AAC awards.

After being an All-AAC Second Team outfielder in 2023, Caleb Berry became the primary man behind the plate for Milligan and was named the All-AAC First Team catcher. He also nabbed one of the conference's nine Gold Glove awards as the top backstop in the AAC. Over the course of the regular season, he amassed a .351 batting average, while reaching base at a .468 clip. He boasts a team-leading 11 home runs and is tied for second on the squad with 38 runs batted in. He had 15 doubles and three triples, bringing his extra-base hit total to 29 in 2024, while stealing eight bases this year. As a catcher, he has shown off his cannon by throwing out 7-of-14 base stealers on the campaign.

Angel Lobo became a member of the All-AAC Second Team in the outfield and a Gold Glove award winner, and stepped in to provide the squad's highest batting average this year, hitting .364. He reached based at a .416 pace and belted seven homers with 19 total extra-base hits. Additionally, he swiped nine bags on the basepaths, which was the third-best mark for the team. Lobo fielded at .958 for the year, totaling 66 putouts on 71 chances. He added two outfield assists to his stat line.

Anfernee Fernandez posted a 6-2 win-loss record with a 3.46 earned-run average en route to an All-AAC Second Team starting pitcher honor. The junior right-hander recorded three complete games and struck out 62 batters in 54 2/3 innings pitched. Fernandez allowed 21 earned runs on 48 hits and 16 walks.

One third of the conference's Gold Glove awards went to Buffaloes, as Braden Spano was the third wizard with the leather for Milligan in 2024. Spano's showing at first base, including 344 putouts in 362 chances, netted him a fielding percentage of .989. The combined prowess on defense for the Buffs lifted them to the top of the AAC this year in terms of fielding percentage with a .971 mark.

With the help of these four outstanding student-athletes, and the remainder of the squad, Milligan outperformed the expectations of conference pundits. They finished fourth in the AAC in the 2024 regular season, while being picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. They delivered a conference record of 18-12 on the season.

The squad is taking part in the AAC Tournament in Kingsport, Tenn. at Hunter Wright Stadium this week, with festivities concluding on Friday, May 3. The Buffs' next battle takes place on Thursday, May 2 at 7 p.m. against the winner of No. 1-seeded Reinhardt (Ga.) and No. 9-seeded Bluefield (Va.).