Liponis Scoops Up ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award

2026 ABCA/RAWLINGS GOLD GLOVE AWARD WINNERS

BEVERLY, Mass. — Endicott baseball senior shortstop TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine) has earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) / Rawlings 2026 Division III Gold Glove Award at shortstop following his spectacular 2026 season defensively at shortstop.

Liponis becomes the third Gull in program history to earn the prestigious Gold Glove honor. John Mulready '24 M'25 (2023, 2025) and Brett Holmgren '14 (2013, 2014) were the two previous Gulls Gold Glovers, each having won the honor twice in their careers.

TJ anchored the shortstop position for the Gulls during their deepest run in program history. Having been within a win of the national championship, Liponis was the captain of a top-tier Endicott defense.

He featured a fielding percentage of .962, with 60 putouts and a team-high 166 assists. He also turned 33 double plays up the middle for the Endicott defense, helping the Gulls pitching staff to nationally dominant numbers.

Perhaps Liponis' most iconic moment defensively occurred in game two of the national championship series against Denison. With the Gulls needing a win to keep their season and national championship aspirations alive, Liponis turned a wild rundown into a double play with his heads-up defense, keeping the game tied 10-10 in the ninth inning and bringing the Gulls up to bat. They later wound up walking off the wild contest, 11-10, in the bottom of the 10th inning to force game three.

TJ's awareness and athleticism up the middle brought the Gulls to unprecedented success, and always set the table for the rest of his team behind him in the 2026 season.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Endicott (44-14) appeared in its first ever national championship. The Gulls won game two in walkoff fashion to force game three, but ultimately fell to Denison, 4-3, in the winner-take-all finale on June 4.

Among the many impressive feats from this year's squad, one of the most impressive was their performance in winner-take-all elimination games.

The 2026 Gulls were the first team in DIII history to win four winner-take-all games, which eventually earned them a berth in the national championship.

With their run to the College World Series, Endicott became the first team since Chapman (2005-09) to appear in four straight CWS'. 

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(Photo Credit - Jonah Bean '28)