Canisius' Connor Panas and Brett Siddall Named ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans
MAAC Sports
BUFFALO, N.Y.- Former Canisius baseball player Connor Panas and rising-senior Brett Siddall were named to the 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America Third-Team, the ABCA announced on Saturday. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America team is the oldest All-America team in college baseball, first recognized in 1949.
Panas, who was drafted in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB Draft on Tuesday by Toronto, and Siddall, who was taken in the 13th round of the MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, were also honored as ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Northeast All-Region First-Team selections as well.
Panas closed out his senior season by hitting .372 with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, 68 RBI and 65 runs scored as the Blue and Gold secured its second trip the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in the last three seasons. He was named the 2015 MAAC Championship MVP.
An All-MAAC First-Team selection, Panas led the conference in five different offensive categories and he became the second player in Canisius history to be named the MAAC Championship MVP after he hit .500 (13-for-26) with three extra-base hits, 10 runs scored and 12 RBI in six games May 20-24 in Fishkill, N.Y. For the season, he posted a .632 slugging percentage; a .472 on-base percentage and he ended the year ranked fifth in the MAAC with his 19 stolen bases on 24 attempts.
Two weekends ago at the NCAA Springfield Regional, Panas became the first Canisius player in school history to hit a home run in an NCAA Tournament game when he went yard in the first inning against No. 8 Missouri State, and became the second player in program history to earn CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America status for the second time in his career when he was honored for his work in the classroom earlier this month.
The 2015 MAAC Player of the Year and an All-MAAC First-Team selection, Siddall posted career numbers of .339 batting average (182-for-537), 42 doubles, six triples and 16 home runs, including a career-high 12 in 2015.
The Windsor, Ontario native ranked in the top-five in the MAAC in five different offensive categories, and he was the MAAC’s leader in doubles and homers this season. His 24 extra-base hits in 2015 ranks first in school history for a single-season and he ends the regular season tied for 10th nationally in doubles.
In his best statistical season (2015), Siddall boasted a slugging percentage of .590, an on-base percentage of .390 and stole six bases on seven attempts. In the team’s 8-7 win over top-seeded Rider in the MAAC Baseball Championship May 22, his eighth-inning grand slam helped push the Griffs to an elimination game victory, and he closed out the MAAC’s postseason tournament by batting .440 (11-for-25) with five doubles, a home run, six runs scored and eight RBI in six contests.
This marks the second-straight season where Panas has earned ABCA/Rawlings Division I All-America Third-Team accolades, and he joins with former Griffs Kevin Mahoney and Kevin Mailloux as the only two-time ABCA/Rawlings All-Northeast Regional First-Team honorees. This also marks the sixth time since 2008 where Canisius has had multiple players named ABCA All-Region. Canisius has had 17 players earn the distinction in the last eight years – the most of any school in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.