WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Nate Knowles and Carter Lovasz, William & Mary baseball's junior pitching duo, were named to the preseason All-CAA Team ahead of the 2024 season, the league announced Wednesday. The honor follows a 2023 season in which the pair made a tremendous impact to solidify the Tribe as one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the league.

The Green & Gold ranked ninth nationally with a 4.17 team ERA, as Lovasz posted a 2.96 ERA and Knowles posted a 3.43 ERA in 2023. Lovasz was named an All-CAA First Team reliever following the season and Knowles received All-CAA honorable mention. The pair has been a staple of the Tribe's staff, pacing the team with 5 wins apiece and combining for a shutout in 2023, while leading all returners in strikeouts, innings pitched and appearances.

Knowles had an outstanding sophomore year, earning a 3.43 ERA and leading the Tribe with 65.2 innings of work. The Arlington, Va., native tallied 70 strikeouts over his 20 appearances, as he made a league-high 17 starts. His .215 batting average against paced qualified pitchers in the CAA and he was behind only six other arms in the league with a 1.25 WHIP.

Consistently dominant over the course of the 2023 season, Knowles was second in the conference and ranked No. 58 nationally in hits allowed per nine innings with a 7.13 mark. He threw six innings of no-hit ball over two outings in 2023 and fanned a career-best eight in just three innings against Elon. In three more appearances, he allowed only one hit and none for extra bases.

Lovasz garnered CAA postseason honors for the second consecutive year following the Tribe's 2023 campaign, distinguishing himself as one of the league's most dominant arms out of the pen. The then-sophomore threw 54.2 innings with an impressive 2.96 ERA. His seven saves tied for fourth in the league as he more than doubled his career total, tying for third all-time in program history with 12.

The Midlothian, Va., product has produced an already-decorated career thorough his first two seasons, earning postseason All-CAA honors each year and a CAA All-Rookie selection, on top of a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American recognition in 2022. His career marks include a sub-3.00 ERA and an impressive .203 batting average against over 106.2 innings.

 
The Tribe will take the field for the first time in 2024 at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 16 as they welcome Holy Cross to Plumeri Park for a three-game opening weekend series. Single game tickets are available here.
 
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