Grant, Consigli earn major MAAC Baseball Awards
Canadians Max Grant (Fredericton, N.B.) and Peyton Consigli (Fonthill, Ont.) have earned major MAAC awards. Photo: Canisius Golden Griffins
May 24, 2022
Courtesy of Canisius Athletics
Sophomore infielder Max Grant and freshman right-handed pitcher Peyton Consigli earned major awards by the MAAC on Tuesday afternoon, the conference office announced.
Grant was tabbed the MAAC Player of the Year after batting.400 in 48 regular-season games. The Fredericton, N.B., native logged 80 hits in 200 at-bats, recording 12 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and driving in 46 runs.
He is currently one of three Canisius batters to hit for a .400 average in a season, joined by Kevin Vogel (.436 in 1985) and Jeremy Ross (.400 in 1997). Grant's 80 hits rank as the eighth-most by a Canisius player in a single season and his five triples are tied for the fourth-most by a Griffs batter in one year.
It is the seventh time in program history that a Canisius player has been named MAAC Player of the Year. Rick Foit was the first Golden Griffin to earn the honor, being named the top player in the MAAC North Division in 1994. Kevin Mahoney (2009), Sean Jamieson (Kitchener, Ont.) (2011), Connor Panas (Toronto, Ont.) (2014), Brett Siddall (Windsor, Ont.) (2015) and Jake Lumley (Windsor, Ont.) (2017) were the other Griffs to be named as the conference's top player.
Grant is also the first sophomore to be named MAAC Player of the Year since Siena's Dan Paolini in 2010.
Along with being Player of the Year, Grant was also an All-MAAC First Team selection. He is joined by junior outfielder Mike DeStefano, sophomore right-handed pitcher Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) and graduate student Mike Steffan (designated hitter).
Consigli (Fonthill, Ont.) was the other Griff to be selected for major awards by the MAAC, earning Rookie of the Year and MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year honors.
Over 20 appearances in his first season with Canisius, Consigli posted a 4-2 record with a 2.19 ERA over 37 innings pitched. He gave up 23 hits, 12 runs and nine earned runs while walking 19 and striking out 51. Opponents batted just .176 off him.
In MAAC play, Consigli was 2-0 in 13 appearances, posting a 1.69 ERA over 21 1/3 innings, allowing 11 hits, six runs, four earned runs, walking 12 and fanning 33. MAAC batters hit just .153 off the 6-foot-5 right-hander.
Consigli is now the fifth Canisius player to be named MAAC Rookie of the Year, joining Ian Choy (Toronto, Ont.) (2007), Shane Davis (Belmont, Ont.) (2008), Devon Stewart (2012) and Alex Godzak (2013). Four of the five Griffs named the MAAC's top newcomer have been pitchers, with Choy being the lone non-pitcher.
Consigli, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, became the fourth pitcher (fifth occurrence) named the MAAC's top relief pitcher. Jon Fitzsimmons (London, Ont.) (2012 and 2013), Iannick Remillard (2016) and Tyler Smith (2018) were the other Canisius pitchers to earn the honour previously.
It is the first time in MAAC history that a pitcher has been tabbed Rookie and Relief Pitcher of the Year in the same season. Davis is the only pitcher in MAAC history to earn multiple major awards in the same year, named Pitcher and Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Joining Consigli on the MAAC All-Rookie Team were redshirt freshmen Justin Guiliano and Josh Niles (St. Thomas, Ont), along with freshman pitcher Aaron Duffy (Burlington, Ont.).