BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Concord baseball player Dawson Gragg is the 2024-25 Mountain East Conference Play of the Year recipient, the league announced Thursday.

Gragg, a junior from Christiansburg, Virginia, made the play in the Mountain Lions’ 11-8 win against Emory & Henry on Feb. 25. The outfielder tracked a ball hit by Caeden Howell and made the catch while colliding with the fence in centerfield. As Gragg stood up, he opened his glove to expose the baseball and reveal he had made the catch. 

ESPN’s SportsCenter made Gragg’s catch the No. 5 on its Top Plays segment, tucked between highlights of the Los Angeles Lakers and Premier League. Concord’s athletic department nominated the play for MEC Play of the Year, which is decided by a combination of a Fan Vote and social media analytics.

Gragg’s award-winning play earned 51 percent of the Fan Vote, which generated 28,899 total votes. Nearly 13,000 people viewed the highlight on the MEC’s Facebook page over the past week, in addition to nearly 47,000 on Instagram. No other play generated more than 10,000 views on either social media platform.

Davis & Elkins baseball player Mason Brenneman earned the second-most votes. Brenneman’s acrobatic play involved him spilling into the dugout as his momentum carried him over the fence to make the out.

Other top contenders included another Concord student-athlete, Skylar Davidson, who launched a long 3-pointer as the shot clock expired; Mollie Rebuck’s goal from 20 yards out for Frostburg State; and Jaden Byers’ buzzer-beater to lift West Virginia State to a thrilling win against the University of Charleston.

A Concord student-athlete has won the MEC Play of the Year three consecutive times.

MEC Play of the Year Winners, All-Time
2014-15: Fabian Guerra (Fairmont State) one-handed catch
2015-16: Rob Reed (Concord) buzzer-beater at MEC Tournament
2016-17: Michael Anderson (W.Va. Wesleyan) 11-yard TD run
2017-18: Quincy Redmon (Fairmont State) 96-yard fumble return
2018-19: Shemar Hooks (Urbana) one-handed TD catch
2019-20: Zach Pate (W.Va. State) somersault two-point conversion
2020-21: Carlos Almeida (Notre Dame) bicycle volley
2021-22: Devanaire Conliffe (Notre Dame) one-handed catch in coverage
2022-23: Nakaila Gray (Concord) late three to force overtime at MEC Tournament
2023-24: Andre Nicholson (Concord) overtime goal in MEC quarterfinals
2024-25: Dawson Gragg (Concord) catch and collision with the outfield fence