UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team earned eight All-GLIAC selections Thursday evening, highlighted by third baseman Austin Cicerone (Troy, Mich. / Troy HS) being named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year. The eight selections tie for the second-most in program history, matching the 1988 team and trailing only the nine selections in 1987 and 2024.

Buck Snabes (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester Adams HS), Aaron Bess (Boyne City, Mich. / Boyne City HS), and Jack Decker (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington HS) were named First Team All-GLIAC. Ryan Jarvis (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota HS), Nathan Masar (Midland, Mich. / Bullock Creek HS), and Brady Young (Vicksburg, Mich. / Vicksburg HS) earned Second Team honors, while Lucas Mead (Gladwin, Mich. / Gladwin HS) and Connor Cornwell (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) were named Honorable Mention.

Cicerone posted a .972 fielding percentage across 46 games with 107 total chances, recording 39 putouts, 65 assists, and just three errors. The junior helped turn six double plays and improved his career fielding percentage to .914, reducing his error total by 11 compared to each of his first two seasons. His three errors were the fewest among GLIAC third basemen. Cicerone also earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors as a freshman.

Head coach Adam Piotrowicz said this about Cicerone,

"Austin has been a regular starter since he stepped on campus as a freshman and him earning this award shows his growth as a complete player. He had an amazing year defensively, and for any player on the left side of the infield to only have 3 errors on the season, is incredible. Third base is an incredibly difficult position, and Austin has turned into one of the best at the position in the region."

Snabes put together a standout junior campaign, batting .405 with 75 hits in 185 at-bats. He scored 55 runs and totaled nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, 45 RBI, 20 walks, and 40 stolen bases—all career highs—while posting a .472 on-base percentage and .541 slugging percentage. He set the program's single-season stolen base record and sits four steals shy of the GLIAC record entering the conference tournament. Snabes also recorded a 24-game hitting streak from March 4 to April 17.

"Buck is one of the most intelligent baseball players I have coached in 20 years," said Piotrowicz. "He is a complete baseball player that impacts the game in every phase. He's played an incredible 2B for us this season and been an anchor for the infield as a whole. Offensively, he's really put in the work on his approach and becoming a complete hitter vs the free swinger, he was back in high school. The numbers speak for themselves as he's near the top of the league in everything from average, power numbers and stolen bases. Buck has been incredibly consistent with his mindset and approach each day and is very deserving of this honor and the many more I expect him to receive when the All-Region/American awards come out."

Bess earned his first All-GLIAC honor following an impressive senior season. He batted .346 (56-for-161) and led the team in doubles (15) and on-base percentage (.495). He also tied for the team lead in walks (38) and home runs (7) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.584). Bess highlighted the season with two grand slams and a six-RBI performance against Findlay on April 14.

"Aaron had an incredible season and has been a spark for our lineup all season," Piotrowicz said about Bess." He has turned into one of the top leadoff hitters in the region with an almost .500 OBP, but also has the power and approach to drive in a lot of runs for us as well. He's played an incredible RF and has been the definition of consistency for us all season. Aaron is one of the most respected players on this team because of how consistent he is with his work ethic and approach to work each day and is incredibly deserving of this award."

Decker built on his Second Team All-GLIAC junior season with another strong year in 2026. He posted a 4-1 record with 66 strikeouts over 60.1 innings, finishing with a 4.62 ERA. He allowed 55 hits and 30 walks for a 1.41 WHIP. Decker led the GLIAC in strikeouts and strikeouts looking (24) and did not allow an inherited runner to score. The left-hander retired eight of the first 12 batters he faced in his appearances.

"There is nobody that enjoys being on a baseball field more than Jack Decker," said Pitrowicz. "He has had an incredible career and it's fitting he is going out as a first teamer. He can start, close, be used as a middle reliever, heck he could probably play SS and find a way to make an All-GLIAC team, and nobody would be surprised. It's because of the joy and happiness this kid has every time he's out on the diamond. Whenever he's on the mound, we know we are getting a confident and competitive Jack Decker out there and the whole team follows his lead. There is nobody in this league he can't beat or matchup against and it has been that way for four years now!"

Jarvis improved from Honorable Mention in 2025 to Second Team in 2026. He batted .401 (73-for-182) with seven home runs, tying for the team lead, and led the Cardinals with a .593 slugging percentage. He added 14 doubles and recorded 22 multi-hit games, the second-most on the team. Jarvis also carried a 24-game on-base streak from March 28 to May 1.

"Ryan had an All-American worthy season, and I won't be surprised if he ends up with those honors when the season is all said and done," said Piotrowicz. "Hitting over .400, being top 5 in every offensive category for both overall and conference only stats and stealing almost 20 bases is a GLIAC Player of the Year type season. He's an incredible player, an anchor for our infield defensively and the most complete player in this league. More than anything, he represents what we want our program to stand for on and off the field from a work ethic and toughness standpoint."

Masar delivered one of the top pitching seasons in the GLIAC, tying for the third-lowest ERA (3.27) while striking out 65 batters over 55.0 innings (10.64 K/9). The redshirt sophomore finished with a 5-3 record, allowing 38 hits and 28 walks for a 1.20 WHIP. He retired 10 of the first 12 batters he faced and allowed just three of seven inherited runners to score. Masar was especially effective against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .164 batting average (22-for-134).

"Nate is the best pro prospect in the league, period," said Piotrowicz. "He came in as a 2-way and has transitioned into a Pitcher Only over the past season and has shown exponential growth on the mound. He's got the best fastball in the region and has developed the pitchability with his off speed that has truly taken him to another level. He's been dominant from start to finish and always gotten someone's best pitcher matched up against him because the other team recognizes his stuff and knows it will be a tough day for their offense. Nate had an incredible season, and most people don't realize how rare it is for a former catcher to excel this quickly as he's transitioned to being a pitcher."

Young earned Second Team honors in his freshman season, posting a 3-1 record with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He struck out 21 batters over 28.0 innings, allowing 27 hits, 19 walks, and 15 earned runs. The right-hander held left-handed hitters to a .200 batting average (6-for-30), compared to .266 (21-for-79) by right-handed batters.

"Brady had a very good freshman season," Piotrowicz said. "Not many freshman can handle adversity or the challenges the college game throws your way, like how Brady did this season. He's had his ups and downs like everyone goes through during the season, but he's maintained a consistent approach to his daily work, doesn't make excuses for anything and continues to get better each and every outing. This is an incredible honor for him to receive and truly is the floor for what he can accomplish throughout his career here at SVSU."

Mead picked up his second All-GLIAC honor after earning First Team recognition in 2025. The junior batted .310 (49-for-158) with 13 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He scored 52 runs and drove in 41, while drawing 38 walks and stealing 16 bases on 17 attempts. Mead posted a .463 on-base percentage and .532 slugging percentage and reached base in 32 consecutive games from February 13 to April 17.

"Lucas is a top 5 offensive threat in this league," said Piotrowicz. "He is the guy every opponent looks at and says, 'don't let him beat us.' Because of this he gets everyone's best effort and often times gets pitched around. He probably doesn't realize how much his presence helps everyone around him in the lineup. He is what you would call a multiplier in that he makes the guys around him better. He's battled injuries throughout the season but never allowed that to be an excuse or an issue in his game and still put up a great offensive season. More than anything, he's continued to transform into a hitter with a true professional, disciplined approach at the plate."

Cornwell earned his first All-GLIAC honor in his redshirt senior season. He batted .278 (32-for-115) with 29 RBI and 15 runs scored while anchoring the defense behind the plate. Cornwell threw out 17 runners and posted a .986 fielding percentage with just one passed ball across 41 games. He also reached base at a .417 clip (10-for-24) when leading off an inning.

"Connor has been an outstanding leader for this team and is an example of the type of attitude and passion you have to carry to win at this level," Piotrowicz said. "Some people care about stats, some care about personal awards, but Connor truly only cares about winning and his teammates finding success. He had a great year behind the plate and at the dish for us and was a big reason our offense was so deep this season. I'm incredibly happy for him as he is very deserving of this honor."