NCBWA All-Region Teams

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (May 15) - The California (PA) tandem of junior designated hitter Payton Conte and sophomore pitcher Jake Kramer were both tabbed National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) First-Team All-Region on Wednesday afternoon.

Conte and Kramer both received all-region laurels from the organization for the first time in their careers. The Vulcans featured multiple NCBWA first-team all-region honorees for the first time since the 2010 campaign.

A native of California, Conte led the Atlantic Region and ranked third in NCAA Division II with a .469 batting average (46-for-98). He broke the single-season school record for batting average this spring after the mark stood since 1969. Conte also led the team with a 1.189 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) behind a .526 on-base percentage, which was sixth-best in the region this year. The 6-foot-4 junior tied for the team lead with 15 multi-hit games despite missing 11 games due to a persistent injury suffered in early March.

Kramer finished the regular season as the leader in the Atlantic Region with 10 saves, which was fifth-most in NCAA Division II. He also posted a 4-1 record and a 1.47 ERA while making 20 relief appearances this year. Kramer broke the 40-plus year old school record for single-season saves and is already tied for the all-time program mark with 16 career saves in just two seasons. He limited opponents to a .155 batting average and finished the spring with a 0.79 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) while logging 30.2 innings pitched.