Cale Giroux leads Clarkson with a .455 batting average going into the Liberty League Tournament, gaining First-Team All-Star status in the conference. - Photo by Gary Mikel

Junior outfielder Cale Giroux (Cortland, NY) broke out in a big way at the plate this season and was awarded Liberty League First-Team All-Star status for the Clarkson University Baseball team. Six others joined Giroux as conference all-stars, including second-teamers Matt Holiday (Syracuse, NY), Greg Chojecki (West Seneca, NY), and Brett Peplowski (Albany, NY).

Giroux, who was one of four outfielders named to the Liberty League First Team, batted .455 through 66 at bats, accumulating 30 hits and 15 runs at several spots in the lineup. He batted over .500 in two conference weekends, including Rensselaer and St. Lawrence. He also slugged .545 on the season and reached base at a .500 clip.

Three other impact players made the Liberty League Second Team, including another breakout performer in Matt Holiday. The junior first baseman started all 35 games and batted .311. Holiday led the conference with seven home runs and drove in 40 runs, the third-highest single-season figure in Clarkson history. He also led the Golden Knights in runs (35), slugging (.598), extra-base hits (19), and total bases (73).

Greg Chojecki, selected as a starting pitcher on the Liberty League's Second Team, went 5-2 and led Clarkson in innings pitched (49.1), strikeouts (37), and ERA (2.37). He ranked fourth in the conference in earned run average and was among the league leaders in the previously mentioned categories as well.

Joining Chojecki on the second team was designated hitter Brett Peplowski. Peplowski, though slowed by leg injuries late in the season, batted .269, but led the conference in walks (23) to push his on-base percentage to .400. He also slugged .491, ranking second on the team in home runs (4) and in extra-base hits (14).

Gaining Liberty League Honorable Mention status were juniors Mike Bresett (Norwood, NY) and Matt Giordano (Liverpool, NY), as well as freshman Jake Groszewski (Rochester, NY). Bresett batted .380 as the Knights' second baseman, leading the team with 49 hits and 10 doubles. He also reached base at a .448 percentage and was second with 25 RBIs. Giordano, the team's centerfielder, had a late surge to push his average to .325 and he led the conference with 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He also ranked second on the team in runs scored with 31. Groszewski, a first-year reliever, led Clarkson with 12 appearances, posting a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched. He struck out 18 and was a throwback reliever, pitching more than two innings in five of his appearances. Groszewski also allowed more than one earned run in only two games.