LANCASTER, PA – Eight Blue Jays were named to All-Centennial teams it was announced this afternoon. Dai Dai Otaka was named the Co-Gold Glove of the Year award winner to lead the slew of honored Blue Jays.
 
Peter Schaefer, Kieren Collins, AJ King and Jared deFaria were all named to the All-Centennial First Team for the 11-3 Blue Jays who clinched an NCAA berth with a Centennial Conference title. Jack McRae, Matthew Ritchie, Otaka and Brian Linton were also honored by the Centennial Conference.
 
Schaefer, a sophomore pitcher from Knoxville, TN, was named to the first team after a dominant season on the mound for Hopkins. Schaefer went 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA, striking out 61 batters in a team-high 42 innings. The right-hander registered a WHIP of 0.98 and allowed an opponent's batting average of .188. Schaefer earned two Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week honors in 2021.
 
Another sophomore, Collins was also a first team selection for JHU. The Palmetto, FL native went 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA, striking out 30 in 32.1 innings. Collins led Blue Jay starters with a WHIP of 0.93 and allowed an opponent's batting average of just .205.
 
King was the league's first team catcher after a season in which he hit .364 and drove in 13 runs. King compiled an on-base percentage of .400 and added a double and a home run on the season. The junior had six multi-hit games and hit .444 over his final nine games of the season.
 
deFaria earned a spot on an All-Centennial team for the first after a standout junior season. The first basemen led the team with a .391 batting average and 14 RBI. A Weston, FL native, deFaria slugged three homers and four doubles and also led the Blue Jays with an OPS of 1.166.
 
McRae earned a spot on the second team after allowing just one run in 15.2 innings on the season. The sophomore registered an ERA of 0.57 and struck out 17 batters. Joining McRae on the second team is the Blue Jay middle infield tandem. Ritchie hit .308 in his senior campaign, roping five doubles and driving in five runs. Hitting in the two-spot throughout the year, Ritchie was second among Hopkins starters with an OBP of .438. A defensive wizard, Otaka was named to the second team on top of his Co-Gold Glove award. The graduate transfer hit .321 for JHU and was second on the team with 17 hits.
 
Linton earned All-Centennial Honorable Mention recognition for his efforts out of the Blue Jay bullpen. The senior from Geneseo, NY, threw 8.1 scoreless innings and struck out 11 on the season. Opponents had just five hits against Linton in the 2021 campaign. Blue Jay senior AJ Ferrara was named as the team's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
Johns Hopkins recently clinched the Centennial Conference regular season championship, and a bid into the NCAA Tournament, with a Franklin & Marshall loss on Saturday. The Blue Jays will find out where/who they will play during May 23^rd's NCAA Division III Baseball Selection Show.