Official D2CCA Release

Official NCBWA Release


INDIANAPOLIS – Baseball postseason honors for the Midwest Region were announced by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) this week.
 
A number of positional and pitching standouts from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference were named to both lists as each organization posted their first and second teams.
 
The Great Midwest competes for regional honors with the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
 
Trevecca Nazarene captured the conference regular season and tournament title at PRASCO Park while preparing to compete in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional tomorrow from Missouri.
 
The Trojans are the No. 2 seed in the six team, double-elimination bracket and will face No. 4 Quincy in their first game on Thursday as Lindenwood serves as the regional host.
 
Making the first team in both of the D2CCA and NCBWA ballots was the Walsh tandem of 1B Andrew Czech and OF Brenden Spaulding. Czech earned conference player of the year accolades for the second straight year and Spaulding mashed his way with a lightning quick bat to the top of the leaderboard among all Great Midwest players in several statistical categories.
 
Including the conference tournament, Spaulding was the lone player to have a batting average north of .400 at .409, and the senior standout also led the conference in hits and RBI. Czech paced all players in home runs, walks, slugging percentage and on base percentage. He was second in runs scored and seventh in batting average.
 
Great Midwest Pitcher of the Year Clay Cooper, the conference leader in ERA, also made the first team from both organizations. The LHP recorded a 2.75 ERA in 59 innings pitched and finished fifth in the league with 74 strikeouts.

The tandem of Jay Benard and Tiger Cox from the bullpen of TNU each made the D2CCA All-Midwest Region First Team. Benard was lights out in the conference tournament to earn the final pitcher of the week selection for a pair of saves and Cox was pressed into high leverage situations all spring while recording three saves of his own. Another Trojan, outfielder Braden Odom, made the second team on both regional rosters. 

Eight different players were named to the NCBWA All-Midwest Region Team, including Great Midwest Freshman of the Year 2B David Silva (Ohio Dominican), Tiffin's league leader in doubles Griffin Stevens and Ohio Dominican's Alex Brill (DH), being voted to the second team by the writers. 
 
A number of players from future league members Ashland and Northwood also made the all-region teams. Northwood is also lined up as the No. 6 seed as a national qualifier in the Midwest Regional this year.

First-team honorees are now eligible for respective All-American consideration in the next step of balloting. 

D2CCA All-Midwest Region Team
 

First Team	Andrew Czech	Walsh	First Base
First Team	Brenden Spaulding	Walsh	Outfield
First Team	Clay Cooper	Malone	Starting Pitcher (LHP)
First Team	Tiger Cox	Trevecca Nazarene	Relief Pitcher (RHP)
First Team	Jay Benard	Trevecca Nazarene	Relief Pitcher (RHP)
Second Team	Braden Odom	Trevecca Nazarene	Outfield

NCBWA All-Midwest Region Team
 

First Team	Clay Cooper	Malone	Starting Pitcher (LHP)
First Team	Andrew Czech	Walsh	First Base
First Team	Brenden Spaulding	Walsh	Outfield
Second Team	Jay Benard	Trevecca Nazarene	Relief Pitcher (RHP)
Second Team	David Silva	Ohio Dominican	Second Base
Second Team	Braden Odom	Trevecca Nazarene	Outfield
Second Team	Alex Brill	Ohio Dominican	Designated Hitter
Second Team	Griffin Stevens	Tiffin	Utility