LYNCHBURG, Va. - Miami's Diego Cruz (First Team), Akron's Brady Bowen (Second Team) and Toledo's Hayden Frey (Third Team) were all named Freshman All-Americans by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Monday. The MAC was one of five conferences with three or more honorees. 

Cruz was named the MAC Freshman of the Year and also received a spot on the All-MAC First Team at second base and a spot on the All-MAC Defensive Team. The first-year from Carolina, Puerto Rico, finished the regular season hitting .391, which ranked second among the nation's freshmen. In 50 starts, Cruz has had 72 hits, 57 runs, 47 RBIs and seven home runs. He has also been a speedster for Miami, hitting 18 doubles and two triples while stealing 22 bases, which ranks in the top 10 nationally among freshmen. Defensively, Cruz has made 96 putouts at second base and sports a fielding percentage of .972.

Frey moved into the rotation in March and was stellar through 15 appearances and 11 starts on the season. He piled up a record of 6-4, 78.1 innings pitched, a 3.79 ERA and a .234 opponent batting average. Frey struck out 65 batters to just 27 walks. He was named the MAC Co-Pitcher of the Week after his start against Bowling Green, where he allowed just one hit in eight shutout innings, with eight strikeouts to one walk.

Frey was also named the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year, making the second-straight season Toledo has taken the award. He was also a Second Team All-MAC selection.

Toledo has now totaled two NCBWA Freshman All-American selections in the last three seasons, with Jacob Tabor's pick as a freshman All-American in 2024.

The full list of NCBWA Freshman All-Americans can be found here.