CHICAGO – Graduate student pitcher Jimmy Fairley (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Rock Valley/Huntley) highlighted the seven All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) selections for the Saint Xavier University baseball team (31-22/20-12 CCAC) when he was named the CCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year after the league announced the postseason awards Thursday afternoon. Fairley is the first Cougar to win CCAC Pitcher of the Year since former standout Ken Hurta (2008-11) did so after the 2010 season. Fairley becomes the seventh SXU pitcher to claim the award since 1999. Joining Fairley on the All-CCAC First Team were graduate student designated hitter/infielder Gabe Kirck (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Olivet/De La Salle), junior pitcher Trent Markezich (Mount Olive, Ill./Mount Olive), senior infielder Justin Massingale (Carbondale, Ill./St. Charles/Carbondale Community), senior outfielder Sean Moore (Chicago, Ill./Calumet St. Joseph/Thornwood) and junior catcher Aaron Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy). Senior pitcher Logan McCleery (Patterson, Calif./Patterson) earned a spot on the All-CCAC Second Team.

• Fairley was named CCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Week on April 29. He posted a team-high 10 wins, going 10-1 on the mound in 13 starts with a team-best 2.02 earned run average (ERA) across 66.2 innings. Fairley threw one complete game shutout with 39 strikeouts, allowing just 18 runs (15 earned) and limiting opponents to a .249 batting average. He had a perfect fielding percentage on 10 chances with seven assists and three putouts while helping turn one double play.
• Kirck has played in 48 of the team's 53 games with 40 starts. He is batting .380 (49-for-129) with a slugging percentage of .845, currently the single-season team record, with a .465 on-base percentage for an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.31.0. Kirck also leads the team with 45 RBI and 16 home runs, the most home runs by a Cougar since 1994 (Mike Niemeyer, also with 16). He has collected a team-best 109 bases with 32 runs scored, 20 walks, 12 doubles, three sacrifice flies and he is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts. Kirck has a perfect fielding percentage on 129 chances with 124 putouts and five assists. He has helped turn five double plays.
• Markezich has made 16 appearances out of the bullpen for Saint Xavier. He sports a 4-1 record with a team-best four saves in 39.0 innings pitched and an ERA of 3.23. Markezich is second on the team with 46 strikeouts to just five walks, allowing 16 runs (14 earned) and has limited opponents to a .227 batting average. He has a perfect fielding percentage on seven chances with six assists and a putout.
• Massingale is now a two-time All-CCAC First Team honoree. He has started and played in 52 of the team's 53 games with a .331 batting average (54-for-163) with a .571 slugging percentage and a .449 on-base percentage for a 1.020 OPS. Massingale has 93 total bases with 42 RBI, 39 runs scored, 29 walks, is 28-for-36 on stolen base attempts, 10 home runs, seven doubles, four sacrifice flies and a triple. He has a .920 fielding percentage on 150 chances with 84 assists, 54 putouts and 12 errors while helping to turn eight double plays.
• Moore earns his second consecutive All-CCAC First Team award and is now a three-time All-CCAC winner, claiming All-CCAC Second Team in 2023 while playing for Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.). He broke the single-season school record for stolen bases, the old record of 43 by SXU Hall of Famer Dave 'Smokey' Swiatek that stood since 1975, stealing 54 bases on 65 attempts. Moore has played in all 53 games for the Cougars with 52 starts, hitting .356 (63-for-177) with a .582 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage for an OPS of 1.038. He also leads the team with 58 runs scored, 34 walks and eight triples. Moore has added 103 total bases, 15 doubles, four sacrifice flies, three home runs and two sac bunts. He has a fielding percentage of .966 on 58 chances with 52 putouts, four assists and two errors in the outfield.
• Orzech was the CCAC Freshman of the Year in 2023 and earned CCAC Player of the Week on April 15. He has played in and started 41 of the team's 53 games, leading the team with a .411 batting average (51-for-124) and 17 doubles. Orzech is slugging .742 with an on-base percentage of .540 for a team-best 1.282 OPS. He has collected 92 total bases with 22 walks, 15 hit-by-pitches, 14 runs, eight home runs, is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts, two sacrifice flies and a sac bunt. Orzech has a fielding percentage of .995 on 192 chances with 172 putouts, 19 assists and one error, helping to turn a pair of double plays.
• McCleery was named CCAC Pitcher of the Week on April 22. He has appeared in 14 games with 13 starts, posting a record of 8-4 in a team-high 67.2 innings on the mound. McCleery has an ERA of 3.99 with a team-best 64 strikeouts to just 12 walks while giving up 33 runs (30 earned) with an opponent batting average of .278. He has a fielding percentage of .875 on 24 chances, leading the pitching staff with 16 assists with five putouts and three errors and turning one double play.

No. 5 seed Saint Xavier (31-22/20-12 CCAC) will begin play in the Lawrenceville (Ga.) Bracket in the NAIA Opening Round at 10:00 am central against No. 4 Talladega College (Ala.) on Monday, May 12 in Lawrenceville, Ga.