Contact: Lou Groce, Director of Media and Information, 920-229-8157
GRINNELL, Iowa – The 2016 All-Midwest Conference (MWC) Baseball Team has been announced on Thursday morning.
St. Norbert College sophomore Tyler Banovich was named the North Division Player of the Year and junior teammate Jake McMahon was honored as the North’s Pitcher of the Year. In the South, Drake Sykes of Knox College earned Player of the Year honors, while Grinnell College’s Graham Fisher was named the Pitcher of the Year. Beloit College’s Dave DeGeorge and Grinnell’s Tim Hollibaugh were named the North and South Coaches of the Year, respectively.
DeGeorge led the Buccaneers to a share of the MWC North Division title and has the Bucs back in the MWC Tournament for the first time since the 2012 season. Beloit’s 24 wins this season are the most for the Bucs since they won 27 in 2011. Beloit will open the MWC Tournament on Friday against Grinnell.
Hollibaugh managed the Pioneers to their first appearance in the national rankings in school history and has Grinnell at the top of the South Division standings for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Grinnell won its first 12 MWC games this season and finished up conference action at 14-2. Overall, the Pioneers enter the postseason with a 28-6 overall record.
Banovich crushed MWC pitching this spring, hitting .532 with 21 RBI and 24 runs scored in just 16 games. His 33 hits also lead the conference in either division. For the season, Banovich is leading the Green Knights in hitting (.431), slugging percentage (.561), on-base percentage (.523), hits (53), runs (33), doubles (9), RBI (38) and total bases (69).
Sykes is ranked among the nation’s best in a number of statistical categories. The two-time MWC Player of the Week is the Division III leader in on-base percentage (.583) and is ranked second in the country in batting average (.487). He also ranked fourth in slugging percentage at .846 and upped that mark to .925 in MWC play. The junior outfielder has scored 41 runs on the season his six home runs in conference action, which are tied for the league lead.
McMahon has dominated MWC hitters, holding them to a .190 average in 34 1/3 innings pitched. The junior hurler has three wins and a save in league action and sports a 1.05 earned run average. For the year, McMahon is 4-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 59 strikeouts on the season overall.
Fisher went 4-0 during the MWC regular season with 31 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched. The senior held opposing hitters to a .198 batting average and produced a 1.00 ERA. He was named the MWC Pitcher of the Week on two occasions and the Player of the Week another time. At the plate, he is hitting .440 for the year with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 10 doubles and is currently ranked fifth in Division III in slugging percentage (.844).
Grinnell led the league with five selections with St. Norbert and Cornell College each placing four on the all-conference list. Beloit and Ripon College both had three picks.
Below is the complete 2016 All-Midwest Conference Baseball Team.
| North Division |
|
|
|
| Coach of the Year |
|
|
|
| Dave DeGeorge |
Beloit |
|
|
| Player of the Year |
|
|
|
| Tyler Banovich |
St. Norbert |
So. |
3B |
| Pitcher of the Year |
|
|
|
| Jake McMahon |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
|
| All-North Division Team |
|
|
|
| Mike Gulve |
Beloit |
Jr. |
2B |
| Ryan Kaveney |
Beloit |
Sr. |
P |
| Kam Sallee |
Beloit |
Jr. |
3B/1B |
| Dylan Grove |
Carroll |
Sr. |
OF |
| Matt Holliday |
Lawrence |
So. |
1B/P |
| Nolan Spencer |
Lawrence |
Fr. |
SS |
| Nick Kita |
Ripon |
So. |
Utility |
| Drew Slade |
Ripon |
So. |
P |
| Nick Schmitt |
Ripon |
Sr. |
IF |
| Tyler Banovich |
St. Norbert |
So. |
3B |
| Adam Enwiya |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
1B |
| Derek Klegin |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
SS |
| Jake McMahon |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
P |
| South Division |
|
|
|
| Coach of the Year |
|
|
|
| Tim Hollibaugh |
Grinnell |
|
|
| Player of the Year |
|
|
|
| Drake Sykes |
Knox |
Jr. |
OF |
| Pitcher of the Year |
|
|
|
| Graham Fisher |
Grinnell |
Sr. |
|
| All-South Division Team |
|
|
|
| Matt Hammond |
Grinnell |
Jr. |
C |
| Walker Breard |
Cornell |
So. |
1B |
| Ryan Sparks |
Monmouth |
Jr. |
2B |
| Cain Brady |
Illinois College |
Jr. |
SS |
| Matt McCaffrey |
Knox |
So. |
3B |
| Drake Sykes |
Knox |
Jr. |
OF |
| Brandon Davis |
Cornell |
Sr. |
OF |
| John Tesensky |
Cornell |
Jr. |
OF |
| Anthony Mack |
Grinnell |
Sr. |
OF |
| Austin Hardy |
Monmouth |
Jr. |
Utility |
| Graham Fisher |
Grinnell |
Sr. |
P |
| John Essig |
Grinnell |
Sr. |
P |
| Sam Tinkham |
Grinnell |
Sr. |
P |
| Eric Daubach |
Cornell |
Jr. |
P |