MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy baseball team has placed three cadet-athletes on the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference's (NEWMAC) All-Conference teams. Junior infielder Carson Cho (Haymarket, Va.) and senior pitcher Tyler Michalek (Fort Worth, Tex.) both earned First Team nods and junior infielder Nate Stafford (Jupiter, Fla.) was placed on Second Team. All-conference honorees are voted upon by NEWMAC baseball head coaches.

Cho is now a two-time All-NEWMAC selection, with this year's nod making it back-to-back seasons on First Team. The junior was the Bears' primary second baseman all season and bounced back from a slow start to hit for a .309 batting average on 42 hits with a .913 OPS, each of which were second on the team. He led the team with 41 runs scored and added some power to his approach at the plate, pacing the Bears with seven home runs.

"Carson had a huge second half for us and was a big contributor behind our late season push," said USCGA head baseball coach Brian Casey." Despite missing the NEWMAC Championship Tournament, Coast Guard closed the season on a 10-4 run, including a 6-3 record in their final nine league games, thanks in part to Cho batting .417 with a 1.156 OPS against conference opponents. "He finished in the top ten of almost every offensive category in the conference and was a catalyst for our lineup all season long."

Michalek joins Cho on First Team with his first career All-Conference nod. "Tyler had a great year for us as a versatile piece of our pitching staff," says Casey. Across 12 appearances, four starts, and 35 innings, Michalek finished fifth in ERA among NEWMAC pitchers with a 3.34 mark and led his team with a 1.26 WHIP and 39 strikeouts. He was even better against league opponents, dropping his ERA 1.48 and his WHIP to 1.00 while limiting opposing hitters to a .222 average. "It's great to see him recognized as a First Team pitcher in his final season." Michalek also carved out an impactful spot in the Bears' batting order, posting a .394 OBP across 48 at-bats on the season, which grew to a .435 rate across 31 at-bats in NEWMAC games.

Rounding out the selections was Stafford, who closes his third collegiate season with his third All-Conference nod. The Second Team recognition was his second following last season's placement, and he was a First Teamer as a freshman in 2024, alongside being named the NEWMAC Player and Rookie of the Year. Stafford was once again the heartbeat of the Coast Guard batting order as he led the team with a .341 batting average, 1.039 OPS, 44 hits, and 32 RBIs. He also established himself as a threat on the basepaths, going 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts.

"Nate is one of the most respected hitters in the conference and has earned that reputation," says Casey. "He's been in the middle of our lineup since he stepped on campus." Stafford drove in 20 runs in league play, leading the team in that mark. In a late-season contest at Roger Williams University, Stafford drove in the 98th RBI of his collegiate career to become Bears baseball's all-time RBI leader. "He led the team in several offensive categories, all while receiving a lot of attention from opposing pitchers as 'the guy you can't let beat you.'"

The NEWMAC's full baseball major awards release can be viewed here.