WESTFIELD, Mass -- On Wednesday afternoon, the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) announced its 2024 Baseball All-Conference Teams. The Buccaneers have five representatives on the first team and one player on the second team. 

Senior captains AJ Pietrafesa (Harwinton, CT) and Brett Velzis, and juniors Hunter Dean (Plymouth, MA), Brenden Baiardi (Harwinton, CT), and Michael Estrada (Covington, LA) all earned First Team nods this season for the Bucs and senior captain Tucker Leslie (Mashpee, MA) was named to the second team. 

Pietrafesa, the Bucs first baseman, makes his way on to the All-MASCAC for the first time in his career and his second on to a postseason team after receiving a second team nod in 2023. AJ batted .400 this season compiling a program single-season record 56 hits in 140 at-bats. Early in the season, he racked up a 24-game hitting streak that dated back to the 2023 MASCAC Playoffs and had an eight-game stretch with two or more hits in each game. Pietrafesa tied with Velzis for the team lead in home runs with five, led the team in doubles with 11, had two triples and drove in 31 runners in 38 games. He also walked 24 times in 2024 and posted a .497 on-base percentage.

Maritime's every day third baseman, Velzis appears on an All-MASCAC team for the third time in his career; this is his second first team selection. In 2024, Brett batted .365 with five home runs, a team-high 36 RBI, nine doubles, two triples and 23 walks helping him to a .513 on-base percentage. In the middle of the season, he broke the Buccaneers Baseball all-time career home runs record with his 19th of his career and finished the season with 21 career home runs, including a grand slam. 

The Bucs closer, Baiardi was tabbed as the league's best relief pitcher this season for the second time in his career having earned the honor as the first team representative in 2022 when he had seven saves as a freshman. This season, Brenden tallied four saves with a 4.31 ERA in 31.1 innings. He struck out 23 hitters and finished the season with three wins on the mound as well. Baiardi's second save of the 2024 season set a new Buccaneers Baseball record for most saves in a career at 15 and at the end of his junior season he had 17 total. 

This is Dean's first appearance on an All-MASCAC team as one of the league's best starting pitchers. Hunter finished 2024 with a 4-2 record with 64 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched. He tossed five complete games this season including a 68-pitch complete game in which he earned a victory. Dean finished the season with a 4.64 ERA.

Estrada has also earned his first appearance on a MASCAC team as he came on this season as the Buccaneers designated hitter and filled in at third base late in the season. Estrada finished 2024 with a .308 average, three home runs, 10 doubles, good for second on the team, and a team-high three triples. He drove in 29 runs, third best for the Bucs, and stole a team-high nine bases this season.

Making his first appearance on an All-MASCAC team, Leslie gets the second team nod as the shortstop for his play as the Buccaneers leadoff hitter this season. Tucker batted .270 this year from the top spot with a .440 on-base percentage. He hit eight doubles, a triple, and a home run and drove in 19 runs while scoring 31 times. He also picked up 35 walks getting on base in front of the aforementioned Pietrafesa, Velzis, and Estrada.

Congratulations to all six of the Buccaneers Baseball All-MASCAC Representatives.