Men’s baseball center fielder Liam O’Connor ’16 has received the honor of 2016 Academic All-District 1 team. O’Connor amassed an impressive GPA of 3.40 and was a major contributor for the Brandeis baseball team this season.

 O’Connor led the team in batting average and hits, with a .426 average and 63 total hits. In context, the next highest average was a full .086 points lower. 

Throughout the season, O’Connor led the team with a .485 on-base percentage and a .480 slugging percentage. 

This helped O’Connor string together a streak of 14 straight games in which he recorded at least one hit.

 During that stretch, the Judges went on a nine-game win streak and rocketed their record to above a 500 record.

O’Connor has had a steady bat and unwavering confidence in the batter’s box, notching a career .339 batting average.

 Despite a team-high 148 at bats, O’Connor held extreme patience within the box, striking out at an incredibly low rate — only 9 times throughout the entire duration of the regular season. 

He was also named the 2013 University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, a year in which he held a .321 average and a team-high 18 RBIs. 

O’Connor’s 41 hits also registered a team-high in the category. His large presence within the box led to a team-high 17 walks, as rival pitchers understood his consistency and feared his power to score runners. 

O’Connor developed into the team-leader in runs scored, notching 36 on the season and surpassing outfielder Ryan Healy ’16 by two runs. 

O’Connor started in each of the team’s games this season as center fielder and served as a true mantle for the team’s outfield. 

Although many of O’Connor’s contributions come in the form of offense, he was able to play a solid center with his glove and cover much-needed ground with his speed. 

Emblematic of his career at Brandeis, O’Connor went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs, along with a walk against Trinity College (Conn.), in the last road game of his collegiate career.   The Judges will sorely miss O’Connor, who helped anchor the team to its best regular season since 2011 and garner their first playoff berth since 2011.

 Looking for a replacement to O’Connor will be no easy task, something that first-year coach Derek Carlson '91 will soon learn this coming offseason. 

— Jerry Miller