LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team had four athletes named to the 2025 All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Team, the league office announced Tuesday with the unveiling of its annual awards.
 
Gage Gillott led the way by garnering first team utility honors. The Rock also placed three members of the program on the All-PSAC West second team in third baseman Brandon Butler, starting pitcher Hunter Loomis and starting pitcher Nate Malak.
 
Tuesday's announcement marks the second consecutive year Gillott has been named to the All-PSAC West Team as well as being his third all-conference honor: he was a selection as both an outfielder and pitcher a year ago. Butler, Loomis and Malak are all receiving their first All-PSAC West awards.
 
California (Pa.) and Seton Hill University split the four major awards. Payton Conte was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and Mike Conte garnered PSAC West Coach of the Year accolades. For SHU, Ian Korn was tabbed the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year and Brady McGUire earned PSAC West Freshman of the Year recognition.
 
All-Conference teams and major awards are determined annually by a vote of the conference's head coaches.
 
A look at the season highlights for each of The Rock's All-PSAC selections can be found below.
 
Slippery Rock recently concluded the regular season with a 31-18 overall record and a 16-12 conference showing. SRU enters the PSAC Tournament as the fourth seed out of the Western Division and as such will play host Millersville University 8 p.m. Wednesday in a day one elimination game.
 
GAGE GILLOTT – 1st Team – Utility
At the plate, Gillott split his time between hitting from the leadoff and cleanup spots in The Rock's batting order while playing left field. In 40 regular season starts, Gillott hit .361 with a .452 on-base percentage and a .521 slugging percentage while scoring 29 runs with four home runs, 25 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
 
On the mound, Gillott – who was named the 2024 PSAC West Pitcher of the Year – has pitched 37 innings across eight starts on the way to going 4-3 with a 3.16 ERA, 28 strikeouts and a .201 opponent batting average. He held the opposition to two runs or less in seven of his eight starts.
 
Gillott leads The Rock in batting average, on-base percentage, hits (52), batting average with runners in scoring position (.370), multi-hit games (18)
 
BRANDON BUTLER – 2nd Team – Third Base
Butler has spent his sophomore season starting 45 games between third base (25), designated hitter (13) and the corner outfield (seven). He will enter the postseason hitting .329 with 29 runs, one home run, 18 RBIs and a .413 on-base percentage.
 
One of the many highlights of Butler's season came recently when he became the first Rock athlete in 16 years to hit for the cycle as part of Slippery Rock's 13-9 victory over Point Park on April 29.
 
HUNTER LOOMIS – 2nd Team – Starting Pitcher
Loomis – a 2024 transfer from Niagara County Community College – improved in virtually every statistical category in his second season with The Rock. In 11 appearances on the mound, including seven starts, Loomis has pitched 41 innings while going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 39 strikeouts and a .224 opponent batting average. He has been dominant over his last three starts with just one run allowed and 17 strikeouts through 15.1 innings pitched.
 
NATE MALAK – 2nd Team – Starting Pitcher
The 2025 season has been a breakout year for Malak, who'll enter the PSAC Tournament with a 6-2 record and in possession of a 3.26 ERA with 58 strikeouts and a.226 opponent batting average over 60.2 innings pitched. Across the PSAC West, Malak ranks second among qualified pitchers in opponent batting average, second in innings pitched, third in strikeouts, fourth in ERA and seventh in walks (17).
 




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