NEW HAVEN, Conn. (May 6, 2026) – Zack Czarnecki, a senior at Wilmington University, is the winner of the 2026 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Baseball Top XVI Award, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced today. Mara also released that Samantha Ledger, a junior at University of Bridgeport, is the recipient of this year’s CACC Softball Top XVI Award.

The CACC Top XVI Award is presented in each of the conference’s NCAA championship sports to the student-athlete at the finals site with the highest cumulative undergraduate grade-point average and at least 48 credits earned at his/her current institution. The student-athlete must be a member of the active roster and be competing at the finals site.

Czarnecki, from Newark, Del., maintains a 3.88 GPA at Wilmington while majoring in finance. Ledger, of North Smithfield, R.I., is majoring in business administration at Bridgeport and possesses a 4.00 GPA. Ledger was also selected to the All-CACC First Team at pitcher.

The final, four-team double-elimination segments of the 2026 CACC Baseball and Softball Championship tournaments will take place from Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit the CACC Championship Central web pages for BASEBALL and SOFTBALL.

Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 20 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 17 sports – seven for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.