JACKSON, Mich. - On Wednesday afternoon, the Crossroads League announced its 2026 All-League Baseball honors, announcing the yearly awards in addition to the First, Second, and Gold Glove Teams. Marian cleaned up well on the 2026 honors, earning a program-record 14 All-CL nods. Head coach Todd Miller was among the honorees as he was named the Co-Coach of the Year, while freshman phenom River Pecina was tabbed as the league's Newcomer of the Year. 

Marian had a record-setting season in 2026, as head coach Todd Miller led the Knights to a regular-season record of 35-14, leading to his nod as the league's Co-Coach of the Year. Under Miller's guidance in 2026, the Knights finished tied for second in the Crossroads League, while leading the team to break multiple program records, including offensive records for home runs, RBI, runs, total bases, and pitching records for strikeouts. Marian won a record 27 Crossroads League games this season and cracked the NAIA Top-25 for the first time in program history, posting in the polls twice at No. 24 on April 15 and No. 23 on April 29. 

Among the 13 total honors recorded by Miller's student-athletes, River Pecina headlined the honors, earning Crossroads League Newcomer of the Year, while making All-Crossroads League First and Gold Glove Teams. Pecina's historic freshman season is highlighted by his 17 home runs, as the freshman not only broke the freshman record for home runs but also tied the single-season mark, first set by Gar King in 1988 and matched in 2002 by Wes Hayden. Pecina leads the Knights with 69 RBI, and in addition to his 17 home runs, the first-year player has 13 doubles, three triples, and has scored 64 runs. Pecina leads the Knights in slugging at .760 and, defensively, has the top fielding percentage among the team's outfielders at .990. Pecina's 102 putouts helped him earn a spot on the Gold Glove Team.

Joining Pecina on the All-Crossroads League First Team are shortstop Brayden Coffey and starting pitcher Eli Loichinger. Coffey is having a dominant season for Marian as the team's lead-off batter, hitting .369 to lead the team. The shortstop played in all 51 games, and has broken Marian's single-season record for runs scored with 70, as the lead-off man has averaged 1.37 runs per game, scoring in 42 games. The junior is second on the team in home runs with 14, while leading the Knights with 14 doubles and four triples. Coffey is tied for the team lead in on-base percentage at .471, and defensively, made the Crossroads League Gold Glove Team with his 63 putouts and 129 assists. 

Eli Loichinger had a strong season as he earned his first mention on the All-CL Teams, making First Team as the league's third-best starting pitcher. The sophomore led the Knights in wins with an overall record of 8-3, and ended the regular season as a top-five ERA man in the league, now carrying a 3.93 ERA following the CL Tournament. Loichinger started all 12 games he pitched in this season, making one complete game shutout on the year in his 70.1 innings of work. Loichinger has 70 strikeouts against 25 walks, which is the best K/BB ratio among the team's starters. 

In addition to the three First Team members, Marian had five players earn Second Team nods, led by starting pitchers Seth Hogg and Chris Adams. Hogg boasts an overall record of 7-3 and is Marian's leader in ERA with a 3.59 mark, while Adams is 7-2 overall on the season, holding an ERA of 5.85 on the season. Each starter pitched 60-plus innings this season, and each won six Crossroads League starts. Hogg has 58 strikeouts on the season, while Adams is second on the team with 83. Both pitchers held opponents' batting averages under .230, and each has 11 starts on the season. 

Positionally, the freshman trio Aiden Kerr, Tate Bender, and Landon Sarkey all made the Crossroads League Second Team, with Kerr standing out as the catcher, Bender the second baseman, and Sarkey one of the four outfielders. Kerr is batting .315 on the season as a freshman, playing in a total of 37 games as both a catcher and relief pitcher. The freshman has 29 hits on the season, slugging eight doubles and six home runs to go with 26 RBI. Bender's freshman season is highlighted by a .365 batting average in 42 games, while sitting as the team's co-leader in on-base percentage at .471. Bender has 10 doubles and four home runs this season, and has 28 RBI in a .556 slugging season. Sarkey has played in 48 of the team's 51 games, ranking among the team leaders with his .363 batting average. Sarkey has 62 base hits on the seaosn, doubling 10 teams while drawing the second-most walks on the team with 36.

Sarkey was also named to the Crossroads League Gold Glove Team, holding a .967 fielding percentage as the Crossroads League's top-defensive left fielder. 

Rounding out Marian's All-Crossroads League haul is first baseman Zach Bale, who was named as the Crossroads League Gold Glove First Baseman. Bale was a wall at first, carrying a fielding percentage of .996. The senior committed just one error on the year, making 236 putouts and three assists in 37 games of work. Bale is batting .302 on the year with six home runs and doubles. 

The NAIA National Tournament Opening Round qualifiers will be announced at 5:00 p.m., where Marian aims to be one of the 46 members in the 2026 tournament field. 

MUKnights.com: Your online source for Marian Athletics, tickets, multimedia, Knight merchandise, photos and more.