The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) announced the 2025 Baseball All-Conference Team and postseason awards. AU senior pitcher Justin Zimmerman received NACC's top pitching honor when he was named the 2025 Pitcher of the Year with eight Spartans joining the pair as All-Conference recipients, three First-Team and two Second-Team All-Conference and three Honorable Mention members. 

NACC Pitcher of the Year --- Justin Zimmerman
Zimmerman, a senior, has appeared in 14 games this season entering the NACC Tournament, making 11 starts. He has posted a 7-2 record with a 2.42 earned-run average, a league-leading 103 strikeouts, and two saves in 70.2 innings.

Zimmerman ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts, while also leading the NACC in victories. He also ranks second in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (13.12) and sits third in earned-run average.

He has stuck out at least seven batters in nine of his 14 appearances, including posting double figures in strikeouts on four occasions. Zimmerman posted a NACC season-high 14 strikeouts in a seven-inning complete-game win over Benedictine on March 26. He also struck out 12 against Allegheny on March 6 and at Illinois Tech on April 15, and 10 against Dubuque on March 15.

This is the seventh time an Aurora student-athlete has secured NACC Pitcher of the Year honors. Individually, Zimmerman is the third student-athlete to earn multiple NACC Pitcher of the Year honors after Aurora's Drew Gay (2011-12) and MSOE's Tyler Gronert (2021 South Division, 2024).

NACC All-Conference
Joining Zimmerman as a NACC First-Team All-Conference selections is a pair of sophomores, pitcher Conner Hogan and outfielder Joe Lukancic. Second-Team All-Conference honors went to senior outfielder Dominick Curcio and junior designated hitter Ryan Buck while seniors infielder Spencer Ruch, infielder/catcher Logan Riley and infielder Kyle Mack were named to Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Lukancic is hitting .371 with five home runs, two triples, five doubles, 33 runs batted in and 54 runs scored while slugging .506 and an on-base of .426. Hogan is currently 6-0 overall on the season with a 1.93 earned run average in 70 innings pitched, striking out 54.

Curcio is hitting .350 with 10 doubles, five home runs, five triples, 45 runs scored, 37 runs batted in, a .573 slugging and .443 on-base. Buck is hitting .363 with seven doubles, one triple, 29 runs scored and 24 runs batted in.

Riley landed the NACC Honorable Mention honor with a .308 batting average, 10 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 46 runs batted in, and 31 runs scored. Mack is hitting .425 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 31 runs batted in and 26 runs scored. Ruch is hitting .284 with one home run, one double, 17 runs scored and 14 runs batted in.

Next scheduled action for the Spartan baseball team comes on Thursday, May 8 when they play in the 2025 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. First pitch of the tournament game is set for 4:00 p.m. against Edgewood College at MSOE Stadium in Glendale, Wisconsin.