The American Baseball Coaches Association released the 2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-America teams and ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove team on Monday afternoon. Four Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) baseball standouts have achieved ABCA/Rawlings All-America status.
Hillsdale's Luke Ortel and Grand Valley State's Matt Williams earned First Team All-America accolades, while Ashland's Brandyn Sittinger was named a Second Team All-American. Lake Erie's Lucas Raley rounded out the GLIAC All-America contingent after he was selected as a Third Team outfielder.
The ABCA All-America team was first recognized in 1949 and now features nine divisions. The first ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America team was recognized in 1969 and is voted on by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America Committee, which is led by coach Rudy Garbalosa of Lynn University.
The first ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were recognized in 2007, making this the 10th year the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards have been presented in the collegiate and high school ranks.
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 8,200 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The 73rd annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 5-8, 2017 in Anaheim, California.
| 2016 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Bat Award - Player of the Year | |||
| Alex Wojciechowski, Sr., 1B, Minnesota-Duluth |
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| 2016-ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams | |||
| NCAA Div. II All-America First Team | |||
| Pos. | Player | Cl. | School |
| C | John Silviano | So. | Lynn |
| 1B | Alex Wojciechowski | Sr. | Minnesota-Duluth |
| 2B | Dylan Cook | Sr. | Georgia College |
| 3B | Stephen Lohr | Jr. | California Baptist |
| SS | Evan Rogers | Sr. | Mars Hill |
| INF | J.D. Arrowood | Sr. | St. Edward's |
| OF | Patrick O'Donnell | Jr. | Augustana |
| OF | Luke Ortel | Sr. | Hillsdale |
| OF | Ryan Snyder | Sr. | Quincy |
| OF | Corey Wood | Sr. | Arkansas-Monticello |
| DH | Reese Gregory | Sr. | St. Cloud State |
| P | Placido Torres | Sr. | Tusculum |
| P | Brandon Miller | Jr. | Millersville |
| P | Guillaume Blanchette | Sr. | Lubbock Christian |
| P | Colin McKee | Jr. | Mercyhurst |
| RP | Matt Williams | Jr. | Grand Valley State |
| NCAA Div. II All-America Second Team | |||
| Pos. | Player | Cl. | School |
| C | Will Albertson | Sr. | Catawba |
| 1B | Troy Sieber | Jr. | Saint Leo |
| 2B | Fernando Garza | Sr. | Philadelphia |
| 3B | Kyle Comer | Sr. | Minnesota-Duluth |
| SS | Alexander DeGoti | Sr. | Barry |
| INF | Mike McClellan | Sr. | Columbus State |
| OF | Jordan Godman | Sr. | Colorado State Pueblo |
| OF | Shane Billings | Jr. | Wingate |
| OF | Robert Bennie | Jr. | East Stroudsburg |
| OF | Will Robertson | Sr. | Delta State |
| DH | Tyler Walters | So. | Slippery Rock |
| P | Matt Kostalos | Sr. | St. Thomas Aquinas |
| P | Dylan Stowell | Jr. | California Baptist |
| P | Matt Festa | Sr. | East Stroudsburg |
| P | Brandyn Sittinger | Jr. | Ashland |
| RP | Devin Raftery | Sr. | Nova Southeastern |
| NCAA Div. II All-America Third Team | |||
| Pos. | Player | Cl. | School |
| C | Mitch Stolzfus | Jr. | Millersville |
| 1B | Zac Heide | Sr. | Seton Hill |
| 2B | Jimmy Heck | Sr. | Minnesota-Duluth |
| 2B | Hunter McFall | Sr. | Lubbock Christian |
| 3B | Jay Jabs | Jr. | Franklin Pierce |
| SS | Tanner Morache | Sr. | Dixie State |
| SS | Tre Porter | Sr. | Shepherd |
| INF | Ben Holland | Sr. | Lee |
| OF | Tyler Bugner | Jr. | Newman |
| OF | Lucas Raley | Jr. | Lake Erie |
| OF | Chas McCormick | Jr. | Millersville |
| OF | Landon Eason | Jr. | Central Oklahoma |
| DH | Brandon Gomez | Jr. | Nova Southeastern |
| P | Michael Koval | Jr. | Cal Poly Pomona |
| P | Paul Covelle | Sr. | Franklin Pierce |
| P | Sheldon Miks | So. | St. Cloud State |
| P | Bryce Zak | Sr. | Angelo State |
| P | Dalton Moats | Jr. | Delta State |
| P | Tre Hobbs | Jr. | Delta State |
| RP | Tanner Bird | Sr. | Franklin Pierce |
| Player of the Year: Alex Wojciechowski, Sr., 1B, Minnesota-Duluth | |||
| Position Player of the Year: Alex Wojciechowski, Sr., 1B, Minnesota-Duluth | |||
| Pitcher of the Year: Placido Torres, Sr., Tusculum | |||
SEE ALSO: 2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region Teams
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings' unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.
