Kaftan & Ficocelli Earn All-Region Honors from D3baseball.com
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Two members of the Mitchell College baseball team earned All-Region honors from D3baseball.com on Tuesday when the popular website released their All-Region teams spanning 10 different regions. The 2025 season marks the 13th season that D3baseball.com has named All-Region teams, with more than 1,000 players nominated. The ballot was then made available to D3baseball.com staff and contributors from which three teams in each region were determined.
Representing the Mariners were senior Eddie Kaftan (Old Lyme, Conn.), who secured one of the three starting pitcher slots on the All-Region Region 1 Second Team, while sophomore Michael Ficocelli (North Providence, R.I.) locked down the catcher spot on the All-Region Region 1 Third Team.
It marks the first time in Kaftan's collegiate career he has been named to an All-Region team by D3baseball.com, while Ficocelli earned Third Team honors for the second consecutive spring.
Kaftan, who was also a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference First Team selection, was one of the most dominant pitchers in New England this spring, going 8-3 in 12 appearances with a 2.33 ERA. Kaftan surrendered just 16 walks in 77.1 innings pitched, tossing one complete game, while allowing two or fewer earned runs in 10 of the 12 games he towed the mound in. In six conference games, Kaftan's numbers only got stronger, as he posted a 5-0 record with 1.29 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 35 innings, ranking second in ERA and wins, helping guide the Mariners to the second seed in the GNAC Tournament.
Michael Ficocelli, who was also a GNAC All-Conference Second Team selection, was once again a force on the diamond during his sophomore campaign, slashing .337/.416/.494 with 56 hits, including 11 doubles and five home runs, to go along with 40 RBI and 32 runs scored. The 56 hits tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the GNAC, while his 40 runs driven in were third most in the conference. Across 16 conference games Ficocelli's numbers only improved, as he batted .406 and ranked within the top 10 in conference play in hits (26), doubles (eight), RBI (17), and total bases (40). Ficocelli recorded multiple hits in 14 games, including four games where he racked up four hits.
The Mariners concluded their season with an overall record of 25-18, falling to Johnson & Wales University in the best two-of-three GNAC Championship Series.
2025 D3baseball.com All-Region Region 1
Player of the Year: OF Kyle McCausland, Sr., Middlebury
Pitcher of the Year: SP Brayden Clark, Gr., Salve Regina
Rookie of the Year: C Nic Frink, St. Joseph's (Maine)
Coach of the Year: Eric Cirella, Salve Regina
To view the three complete All-Region Teams for Region 1, please click here.
