ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College head baseball coach Matt Parrington was selected the MIAC Jim Dimick Coach of the Year, as the conference announced its season-ending awards Monday. Macalester's All-MIAC baseball honorees are seniors Dylan Edwards-Gaherty (New York, N.Y./American Studies) and Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Indiana Academy), juniors Alex Baretta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and Collin Brantner (Farmington, Conn./Kingswood Oxford), and first year Matthew Plisko (Alpharetta, Ga./Pace Academy).

Additionally, sophomore catcher Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) made the MIAC All-Defensive Team, and senior Alex Dash (New York, N.Y./Columbia Grammar Prep) was included on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Parrington led the Scots to a 26-15 record overall, including a 12-8 mark in conference play, and the program's first MIAC Playoff championship. The 26 victories are a nine-win improvement over last year's record and match the 2011 squad for the most wins in a season. Picked to finish 10th in the MIAC by the conference's preseason poll, Parrington and the Scots beat every team at least once en route to a fourth-place finish and the program's third berth in the MIAC Playoffs. This week he will coach the Scots in their first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. Now in his 18th year at Macalester, Parrington has 298 victories in his career.

Edwards-Gaherty had an outstanding weekend at the MIAC Playoffs, recording saves in each of the first two wins, then earning the victory as the starter in the title game on Saturday. He ended up pitching 7 2/3 innings in the playoffs with a 1.17 earned run average to go with eight strikeouts. For the season, Edwards-Gaherty is 6-1 with a league-best 2.17 ERA and 50 strikeouts, which rank fifth in the MIAC.

Stuart stepped up against conference opponents this season, hitting six home runs and batting .377 during the regular season, and belting two homers with a team-best six RBIs in the MIAC Playoffs. His grand slam against St. Thomas on Friday helped the Scots defeat the Tommies, 7-6 for the second time this season. Overall he is batting .326 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs.

Baretta had a breakout year in 2017, batting a team-leading .407 to rank second in the conference. He also leads the MIAC in hits with 61 while ranking second in doubles (15), third in total bases (89) and on-base percentage (.471), and sixth in runs (35) and slugging percentage (.593). Baretta also homered against St. Thomas, hitting a two-run blast in the bottom of the first.

Brantner turned in a solid junior season, batting .338 with 53 hits, 13 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBIs. His five sacrifice flies rank third in the MIAC. Against Bethel in the championship game on Saturday, Brantner hit a three-run homer to contribute to the Scots' nine-run second inning en route to a 13-5 victory.

The only first-year pitcher on the All-MIAC team, Plisko was one of Macalester's top pitchers all season. His 0.93 ERA against conference opponents ranked second in the league, and his 2.18 overall ERA is just one point behind teammate and conference-leader Edwards-Gaherty. In the playoff-opener against Bethel on Thursday, Plisko limited the top-seeded Royals to three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win.

Low posted a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate while throwing out a league-best 10 would-be base-stealers. He also picked off a pair of runners in key situations at the MIAC Playoffs. At the plate, Low is batting .235 with six home runs and 30 RBIs.

Dash has been a valuable bat off the bench while also playing multiple positions in the infield and outfield. He is a consummate teammate, filling multiple roles on and off the field. A biology major, Dash was Macalester's candidate for the MIAC Elite 22 Award, which honors the student-athlete with the highest grade point average at the conference championships.

Saint John's Wyatt Ulrich was named both the Max Molock Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while Henry DeCaster of St. Thomas was selected the Mike Augustin Pitcher of the Year.

Macalester will face Concordia Chicago in the first round of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships on Thursday, May 18 at the Midwest Regional. The game starts at 7:45 p.m. at UW-Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis.

Click here to read the All-MIAC release.