MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan baseball team saw a pair –
Ernie Little '26 and
Matt Spada '26 – earn All-NESCAC honors, as announced by the league office on Thursday morning. Little earned a First Team selection while Spada was named to the Second Team.
Little makes history, becoming the first Cardinal in team history to earn back-to-back First Team All-NESCAC honors in his first two collegiate seasons. Spada caps off his breakout sophomore season with his first career All-NESCAC selection, becoming just the third Cardinal underclassmen pitcher (first since 2013) to earn All-NESCAC honors.
Ernie Little '26 | First Team | Second Base
Little becomes a two-time All-NESCAC First Team selection
Little started all 34 games in the 2024 season at second base for Wesleyan, achieving a team-leading .362 batting average, as he led the team in hitting for the second straight season. He totaled 46 hits, including nine that went for extra bases (5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR), 36 runs, 26 RBI, 19 walks, and a .452 on-base percentage. A terror on the base paths, Little led the NESCAC and broke his own single-season team record with 30 stolen bases.
He totaled 15 multi-hit games in 2024 and stole at least two bases in 10 games this season. Little went 4-for-6 with a triple and three runs scored in a win over Carleton and had a 2-for-3 day with one home run, 4 RBI, two steals, and three runs in a win over Saint Joseph (CT). In 139 total chances in the field, Little made just seven errors as he finished the season with a .950 field percentage at second base.
Matt Spada '26 | Second Team | Pitcher
Spada led the NESCAC in ERA and batting average against in 2024
Spada put together one of the best seasons by a Cardinal pitcher, posting a 1.01 ERA in 26.2 innings for what is believed to be the lowest ERA in team history among pitchers who threw 25+ innings. This came one year removed from a rookie season wherein he had a 10.50 ERA in nine appearances, totaling 12 innings in 2023.
Spada made nine appearances (one start) in 2024 and achieved a record of 1-0 with two saves. He allowed just 10 hits and three earned runs in his 26.2 innings of work with 11 walks and 21 strikeouts. His ERA was best among NESCAC pitchers, as was his .115 batting average against.
He picked up his first career win, throwing five shutout innings with just one hit allowed in a win over Hamline. He went 4+ innings and allowed one earned run or less on three separate outings against Bates, Middlebury, and Colby.
