Bloomfield’s Dan Carter, of William Paterson, named NJAC Baseball Player of the Year

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — William Paterson University senior outfielder Dan Carter, a Bloomfield High School alumnus,  was named the 2022 New Jersey Athletic Conference Baseball Bill Dioguardi Player of the Year and WPU’s Mike Lauterhahn was selected as the Jeff Albies Coach of the Year, leading a list of seven Pioneer honorees.

Through May 4, Carter, also on the all–NJAC first team, leads the Pioneers with a .441 average and 50 RBIs, adding 13 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 29 runs scored while starting 39 contests. He also is 1-2 with a team-best five saves during 11 appearances on the mound. Carter leads the league in batting average and hits (71), and ranks tied-first in RBIs, sixth in on-base percentage (.483), seventh in OPS (1.123), eighth in slugging percentage (.640) and tied-ninth in doubles.

The Feb. 21 and May 2 NJAC Player of the Week, in 17 regular-season league games he hit .494 (first in conference) with 38 hits (first in NJAC), eight doubles (tied-second in league), three home runs, 32 RBI (first in conference), 15 runs scored, a .529 on-base percentage (third in NJAC), a .714 slugging percentage (second in league) and a 1.243 OPS (second in conference).

Carter is the eighth Pioneer to be named the NJAC Player of the Year, and the first since 2004 (Joe Hernandez).

Lauterhahn earned his second NJAC Coach of the Year award (2012) after leading the Pioneers to a 27-13 record this spring, a 12-6 mark in conference play and the third seed in the NJAC Tournament. He earned his 300th career victory March 6 with a 23-15 upset of No. 20 St. John Fisher, and is in his 15th season leading his alma mater.

Photo Courtesy of William Paterson University Athletics