ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Senior shortstop Eduardo Diaz winning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year headlined the Navy baseball team's four postseason honors, as the league office announced its major award winners and all-league selections on Wednesday.
 
Alongside Diaz earning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award for the second time in three seasons, the Midshipmen saw sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Grenn selected to the All-Patriot League First Team while senior reliever Nolan Jorgenson and sophomore second baseman Brock Murtha garnered All-Patriot League Second Team distinction. Grenn, Jorgenson and Murtha each received all-league nods for the first time in their careers.
 
The Mids have now had multiple all-league selections in each of the last 18 seasons finished, while Diaz becomes the first player in league history to be a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Previously winning Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors in 2022, Diaz has posted the fourth-highest fielding percentage in the league at .994, a mark that is the best among Patriot League middle infielders, while also helping the Mids post a league-leading .980 team fielding clip. Recording only one error this season, Diaz has made 54 putouts and racked up 103 assists, not committing his lone error until 35 games into the campaign. Diaz has also helped Navy be one of the country's best teams at turning two, being part of 26 of the team's 39 double play that rank 39th in Division I. The Miami, Florida native ranks 14th in program history with 170 career starts, while his 398 fielding assists are the second-most in Navy's record books and his 75 double plays turned are the eighth-most for a career.
 
Developing into Navy's top starter over the course of the season and winning three Patriot League Pitcher of the Week awards, Grenn is leading the Patriot League in multiple categories entering the postseason. Tossing a league-high 66.1 innings and six wins, the right-hander also ranks second in the league with a 2.85 ERA and has the third-lowest batting average against (.231) among qualified pitchers. Striking out 33 to 23 walks, Grenn has surrendered just home run this season over his 12 appearances and has also gone the distance twice for a pair of complete games. The Sherman Oaks, California native has been just as impressive in league play, posting a 4-2 record and 3.04 ERA over seven conference starts while notching 20 strikeouts in a league-leading 47.1 innings.
 
Returning to form as a shutdown reliever for the Mids, Jorgenson has tallied a 3.15 ERA through a team-best 17 appearances this season along with a 3-0 record and a pair of saves. Logging 40 innings so far, the righty has amassed an outstanding 24:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opponents to a .252 batting average. A native of Eastvale, California, Jorgenson was even more dominant in league play, registering a 1.65 ERA in 27.1 innings that ranked as the second-lowest in the Patriot League while also recording a .89 WHIP and a .212 average against. Jorgenson, ranking sixth in program history with 59 career appearances, has also been a standout in the classroom with a selection to the Academic All-Patriot League Team in 2022.
 
Murtha has mashed since the season began, leading the team in batting average (.338), runs scored (42), doubles (13), slugging percentage (.503), walks (28), hit-by-pitches (14) and on-base percentage (.473). His 19 steals, 42 runs scored, 13 doubles and .473 on-base percentage all rank fourth in the Patriot League, while his 14 hit-by-pitches stand third in the conference and his .338 average puts him sixth among the league's best. Additionally, his 14 hit-by-pitches (92nd) and 19 stolen bases (63rd) both rank in the top-100 nationally. Conference play has seen the Sayville, New York native hit at a .306 clip while starting all 25 league games, scoring a team-high 21 times and knocking in 17 RBI while also swiping seven bases.
 
Navy returns to the field this weekend to host Holy Cross in the Patriot League semifinal round, with the first game of the best-of-3 series set for 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
2024 Patriot League Baseball Major Awards
Player of the Year – Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr., 3B
Pitcher of the Year – Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr., RHP
Rookie of the Year – Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr., OF
Defensive Player of the Year – Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Sr., SS
Gene Depew Coach of the Year – Ed Kahovec, Holy Cross
 
2024 First Team All-Patriot League
SP: Justin Lehman, Army West Point, Jr.
SP: Matthew Ronnebaum, Army West Point, Sr.
SP: Tyler Grenn, Navy, So.
RP: Andrew Berg, Army West Point, So.
C: Derek Berg, Army West Point, Sr.
1B: Ethan Swidler, Lafayette, So.
2B: Billy Kender, Bucknell, Jr.
SS: Tyler Young, Lehigh, Sr.
3B: Sean Keys, Bucknell, Jr.
OF: William Parker, Army West Point, So.
OF: Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Sr.
OF: Jake Whitlinger, Lehigh, Jr.
At-Large – Michael Trommer, Bucknell, So.
 
2024 Second Team All-Patriot League*
SP: Tyler O'Neill, Bucknell, Jr.
SP: Alex Bryant, Holy Cross, Sr.
SP: Danny Macchiarola, Holy Cross, So.
SP: Cole Leaman, Lehigh, So.
RP: Nolan Jorgenson, Navy, Sr.
C: Colin Brown, Holy Cross, Fr.
1B: Chris Baillargeon, Holy Cross, Jr.
2B: Brock Murtha, Navy, So.
SS: Jimmy King, Holy Cross, Jr.
3B: Sam Ruta, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Braden Golinski, Army West Point, Sr.
OF: Chris Morabito, Bucknell, Fr.
OF: Jack Toomey, Holy Cross, So.
OF: Blaze Fadio, Lafayette, Sr.
At-Large: Rafe Perich, Lehigh, Jr.
 
*Additional players on the second-team due to ties in the voting