KINGS POINT, N.Y. (June 1, 2026) – USMMA sophomore outfielder Luke Kruer (Sellersburg, Ind.) and senior reliever Caden Pierce (Marietta, Ga.) have been named All-Americans, as both the American Baseball Coaches Association and D3baseball.com announced the All-America Teams recently.
 
Kruer was selected to the All-America Fourth Team by ABCA/Rawlings and was a Fifth Teamer on D3baseball's list, while Pierce earned also Fifth Team honors from D3baseball.
 
This is the first time in Merchant Marine baseball program history that multiple players have been named All-Americans in the same season.
 
For the complete release from ABCA/Rawlings, click here. To read the D3baseball.com announcement, follow this link.
 
Kruer and Pierce were selected to All-Region III Teams early last week, with Kruer earning First Team recognition from both outlets and Pierce garnering First Team praise from D3baseball.com and Second Team honors from ABCA/Rawlings. Late last week, Kruer was also named to the All-ECAC Team or the 2026 season.
 
Kruer finished the year with a .405 batting average, going 60-for-148 with 61 RBIs, 14 home runs, 48 runs scored, seven doubles and two triples. He was also a threat on the base paths, stealing 22 bases without getting thrown out once. The sophomore boasted a .764 slugging percentage to go along with a .468 on-base percentage for an OPS of 1.232. Kruer is the program's all-timer leader in home runs through just two seasons.
 
Pierce, the Mariners' closer, recorded eight saves thanks in large part to a 0.96 earned run average with 26 strikeouts over 18.2 innings pitched. He held opponents to just .200 hitting on the season. The senior finishes his career as the program's all-time leader in saves.
 
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