2016 G-MAC All-Conference Baseball Team (PDF)
MASON, Ohio – A total of 42 student-athletes comprised the new version of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Baseball All-Conference Team that was released on Tuesday evening.
On the eve before the start of the fourth G-MAC Baseball Championship, league commissioner Tom Daeger recognized those in attendance following a team banquet held on site at Prasco Laboratories, a Christian-based pharmaceutical company.
Voting for the all-conference team was conducted by all seven of the league’s coaches.
Sixteen were honored to the G-MAC All-Conference First Team, 15 more were chosen to the G-MAC All-Conference Second Team and the G-MAC All-Freshman Team consisted of 14 first-year student-athletes.
This year’s first team was headlined by four different selections each from Alderson Broaddus, Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene.
TNU had 11 total selections to lead all schools while Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan each had eight. KWC had three student-athletes double up for all-conference/all-freshman status: Ryan Hundley, Cody Bridges and Zach Burton.
The coaches also voted on the following individual awards: G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year, G-MAC Pitcher of the Year, G-MAC Freshman of the Year and G-MAC Coach of the Year.
Cedarville had six total selections on all three teams combined, Davis & Elkins had four honored and Salem International had one addition.
Inclement weather could potentially shift games around throughout the week. Announcements will be posted on G-MACSports.com on the official championship page that can be viewed here. Additional notice will be added as soon as available on Twitter (@greatmidwestac).
G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year
Troy Paris – Senior – First Baseman – Kentucky Wesleyan
Entering this week’s tournament, Paris is the G-MAC’s all-time career leader in three major statistical categories: batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
He is an extra-base machine and a home run threat in the middle of the order for the Panthers while leading the league this year in runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI and total bases. He was also second in the conference in home runs, hits and doubles.
He was an ABCA All-American as a junior and this year helped lead the Panthers with a G-MAC team-best batting average of .319, contributing a .413 average of his own.
He drove in 68 runs – 19 more than the second-best total in the conference – and slugged eight home runs. He legged out 23 doubles and recorded an impressive slash line of .413/.488/.698.
Tomorrow’s game will represent the 100th contest played for Paris in his two-year career at Kentucky Wesleyan since transferring from Olney Central College.
G-MAC Pitcher of the Year
Tyler Stage – Senior – Starting Pitcher – Alderson Broaddus
Stage is a core member of a deep Alderson Broaddus starting rotation as he appeared in 12 games this spring and recorded seven winning decisions.
In 62 innings pitched, he compiled a 2.61 ERA and held opponents to a conference-best .222 batting average.
His K/9 ratio ranked third-best in the league at 10.16 and he tied for second in the G-MAC in wins, strikeouts and ERA.
Stage enters the postseason after throwing a seven-inning no-hitter against Bluefield State this past weekend and turned in a 10-strikeout, one-hit gem against Davis & Elkins back on April 16.
In two seasons at AB since transferring from Ohio University, Stage has racked up 14 wins, eight complete games and a pair of shutouts to go with a 2.92 ERA. His .220 opponent batting average is tied for best all time with current teammate Randy Dobnak.
G-MAC Freshman of the Year
Zach Burton – Freshman – Starting Pitcher – Kentucky Wesleyan
For the second straight year, the Panthers have claimed conference freshman of the year honors after Sammy Holder earned the award in 2015.
Recruited from Kentucky Wesleyan’s own backyard in Owensboro, Burton emerged as a frontline starter in his first year at the collegiate level with conference-leading numbers.
In over 66 innings, he allowed one run or less in seven of his 12 starts. He tossed back-to-back shutouts against Davis & Elkins and Oakland City with 13 combined scoreless frames.
His 2.04 ERA and eight wins led the conference and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was among the best at almost 4 to 1.
He recorded 56 strikeouts and enjoyed a stretch of six consecutive winning decisions while holding opposing batters to a .244 average.
G-MAC Coach of the Year
Ryan Schmalz – Trevecca Nazarene
This is the second G-MAC Coach of the Year award presented to Coach Schmalz, who is in his fourth season coaching the Trojans.
He has had remarkable success in the form of three consecutive G-MAC conference titles and is looking to make it four straight this year.
In less than those four years at Trevecca, he has compiled 143 wins with an overall winning percentage of over 66 percent.
In conference play, his teams have performed better with 69 wins versus just 17 defeats and a winning percentage of over 80 percent.
Schmalz was also the G-MAC Coach of the Year in 2013. His program has received numerous all-region, national, and academic awards from various outlets throughout the years.