TRAFFORD, Pa. - Wednesday night featured the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) All-PAC Baseball Selection Show, which announced All-PAC teams and yearly award winners for the 2024 baseball season. 

Four players from Chatham Baseball earned selections: Sophomore Angelo DeLeonardis was picked to the All-PAC First Team (2B), Senior Benny Dottle (SS) and Sophomore Peter Tadic (OF) collected All-PAC Second Team honors, and Junior Carter Beneigh (P) picked up an honorable mention in his first year as a Cougar. 

DeLeonardis enjoyed a stellar breakout sophomore season which resulted in him breaking the program single-season mark for stolen bases (25). After having just 11 at bats last year as a freshman, the sophomore also led the team in batting average in 2024 (.343). He really flipped a switch halfway through the season when head coach Nic Rush moved DeLeonardis to the lead-off spot. With his ability to get on base and steal bags, Coach Rush got even more than that. In the final 21 games that DeLeonardis hit leadoff, he hit at a .333 clip and nine of those contests were multi-hit games. The Knoch alumni even displayed some power coming from the leadoff spot. DeLeonardis blasted his first collegiate homerun on the first pitch of the game versus Waynesburg less than a month ago. With the ability to play multiple positions and constantly put the ball in play, DeLeonardis looks to be a big part of the Cougars' future success. 

Dottle follows up his record breaking year in 2023 with Second Team honors in 2024. Dottle hit .340 which was second on the team and just short of DeLeonardis for the team-lead. His 51 hits on the season tied him for 11th best in the PAC. Like DeLeonardis, Dottle also got off to a slower start to the season. After some lineup changes, Dottle got comfortable in a new spot in the lineup and the last 14 games of the season hit .465 (27-58). The Shenango alumni flashed his leather all year round at shortstop. Dottle's 116 assists ranked third in the PAC and not one player with his amount of attempts had less errors than him. He continuously made difficult plays look easy. Dottle caps off an impressive two-year campaign with the Cougars, with a potential third year on the way. 

Tadic ends 2024 as the program's single season homerun leader after hitting six long balls this season. Tadic is now one shy of tying Brandon Griener's all-time record which is nine. The sophomore enjoyed a breakout season after hitting .241 in just 58 at bats last year. Tadic hit .322 and led the team in homeruns (6), RBI's (38), and total bases (77). His 48 hits were second on the team along with his 11 doubles and a perfect 13-13 on stolen bases. He was the only player to start all 39 games for the Cougars. Tadic, a right fielder, was the Cougars' three-hitter majority of the season. The Pittsburgh native finishes year two on a strong note and will look to have high expectations in 2025. 

Beneigh in his first year at Chatham, led the team in wins (5), innings (62.1), and strikeouts (58). Beneigh tied former Cougar Austin Andonisio's record for most wins in a season and passed fellow teammate Dawson Morrow's strikeout record that was set last year at 39. The Seneca Valley alumni's season was highlighted by a complete game, six hit shutout with an 11 strikeout performance over Westminster. The only other Cougar to throw a complete game shutout was Bryan Crawford in 2019 versus Valley Forge. The junior was 10th in the PAC in innings pitched, 6th in strikeouts, and tied for 3rd in wins. Beneigh wraps up his first season at Chatham. Beneigh will return for his senior season in 2025, where the Cougars will look to make the PAC playoffs for the first time ever in program history.

DeLeonardis makes it back to back years where a Cougar has earned All-PAC First Team Honors after Dottle did it for the first time ever last year. 

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