Posted: Jun 30, 2026

GONZALEZ, BOBADILLA NAMED TO NJCAA D3 ALL-AMERICAN BASEBALL TEAM

Middlesex College Baseball enjoyed a historic season in which they set a school record with 38 wins, finished third in the Region 19 Tournament and won 11 games against nationally ranked opponents.

The players and coaches have been recognized with plenty of hardware and now two Colts have received the highest honor in the sport. Sophomore catcher AJ Gonzalez and freshman shortstop have been named to the NJCAA Division III All-American Team.

Gonzalez was named 2^nd Team All-American catcher and Bobadilla was named 3^rd Team infield.

Gonzalez and Bobadilla become the second and third All-Americans under Head Coach CJ Mooney, joining Ryan Rzepinski who was named 2^nd Team All-American pitcher last season. Middlesex now has 18 All-Americans going back to 1977 when Michael Chinow became the first Colt to receive the honor. This is the third time in program history where the team had multiple All-Americans in the same season.

In addition to his standout play behind the plate and his leadership, Gonzalez was an offensive force for the Colts this season. He led the team with a .451 average and was the 9^th highest total in the country for players with at least 100 at bats. Gonzalez belted 4 home runs, drove home 49 runs and scored 38 runs despite missing 12 games with injury. He had 9 three-hit games this season, including a 5-6 effort in a win at Ocean CC.

Bobadilla showed a dynamic ability in the field as the Colts shortstop this season and enjoyed tremendous success as a catalyst for the Middlesex offense, which rated as one of the best in the country. Bobadilla batted .418 this season and led the team with a 1.070 OPS. He ranked in the top 30 nationally in eight different statistical categories including doubles (5^th, 23), hits (10^th, 84), total bases (12^th, 131) and runs (30^th, 64).

Bobadilla hit safely in 43 of the 54 games he played this season with an incredible 29 multi-hit games. He had a remarkably hot stretch when the Colts were playing their biggest games of the season. Bobadilla had a six-game stretch that included three playoff games where he had at least two hits in each game, going 13-25 with a double, triple, two home runs, 8 runs scored and 12 RBIs.

Middlesex finished the 2026 season with a record of 38-17 and a final national ranking of #10. The beat RCSJ-Gloucester, the 2026 national runner up, three of the five times they played them this year, including a 13-5 win in the Region 19 Tournament semifinals. They also won the regular season series from Brookdale, who finished the year ranked #8. Middlesex won three of four this season from nationally ranked Northampton, including a sweep of two playoff games, as well.

2026 NJCAA Division III All-American Team

Here is a complete list of Middlesex College Colts baseball players who received NJCAA All-American honors:

Michael Chinow 2^nd team 1977

Joe Perrotte 3^rd team 1981

Al Morin 3^rd team 1982

Arnie Santiago Honorable Mention 1984

Mike Nowitzke 2^nd team 1985

Ken Watnchak 1^st team 1987

Jeff Seatkowski Honorable Mention 1991

Joseph Chonka 1^st team 1994

Michael Robertson 3^rd Team 1996

Brett Cumiskey 2^nd Team 1996