ROLLA, Mo. – Ohio Dominican's Justin Childers and Northwood's Tyler Jandron headline the 2017 D2CCA Baseball All-Midwest Region First Team. They were named the Midwest Region Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, as selected by the region's sports information directors.
Fifteen Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) baseball student-athletes were named to the D2CCA All-Midwest Region teams, including ten first-team selections.
2017 D2CCA Baseball All-Midwest Region Teams | ||||
First Team | ||||
Name | School | Yr. | Position | Hometown |
Austin Szink | Walsh | Sr. | Catcher | Canton, Ohio |
Justin Childers | Ohio Dominican | Jr. | First Base | Pickerington, Ohio |
Brad Baldwin | Wayne State | Jr. | Second Base | Troy, Mich. |
David Vinsky | Northwood | Fr. | Outfield | Farmington Hills, Mich. |
Lee Sponseller | Ohio Dominican | Jr. | Outfield | Mason, Ohio |
Steven Ring | Hillsdale | So. | Utility (Non-P) | Northville, Mich. |
Ethan Wiskur | Hillsdale | Sr. | Designated Hitter | Clio, Mich. |
Tyler Jandron | Northwood | Jr. | Starting Pitcher | Negaunee, Mich. |
Matt Iosue | Walsh | Sr. | Starting Pitcher | Mayfield, Ohio |
Matt Williams | Grand Valley State | Sr. | Relief Pitcher | Geneva, Ill. |
Second Team | ||||
Name | School | Yr. | Position | Hometown |
Connor Foley | Northwood | Sr. | Outfield | Midland, Mich. |
Seth Johnson | Grand Valley State | Jr. | Outfield | Gobles, Mich. |
Ryan Arnold | Grand Valley State | Jr. | Starting Pitcher | Springfield, Ill. |
Chris Horvath | Wayne State | Sr. | Starting Pitcher | Lakeshore, Ont. |
Ryan McSweeney | Walsh | Sr. | Relief Pitcher | Seven Hills, Ohio |
Midwest Region Player of the Year – Justin Childers, Jr., First Base, Ohio Dominican
Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year – Tyler Jandron, Jr., Starting Pitcher, Northwood
Childers, a junior, first baseman from Pickerington, Ohio, was the Player of the Year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He batted .451 with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, five triples, 60 RBIs, 62 runs scored and 18 stolen bases while slugging .846 with a .526 on-base percentage. Childers is second in the nation in slugging percentage and ranks third in batting average, ninth in OBP and 20th in runs scored. Childers also ranks in the top 30 nationally in total bases (13th), RBIs (24th), triples (28th) and hits (29th).
Jandron, a starting pitcher for the Timberwolves from Negaunee, Mich., has made 13 appearances on the mound this season and was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Year. He is 11-1 with a 2.31 earned run average in 78 innings pitched and has struck out 88 batters while holding the opposition to a .248 batting average. Jandron finished the year earning the GLIAC pitching "triple crown," leading the conference in wins (11), ERA (2.31) and strikeouts (88).
Joining Childers and Jandron on the first team are Hillsdale's Steven Ring (Utility Non-Pitcher) and Ethan Wiskur (DH); Malone's Keenan Locke (OF) and Roscoe Blackburn (SP); Walsh's Austin Szink (C) and Matt Iosue (SP); Drury's Ryan Colombo (Utlity-Pitcher); Illinois Springfield's Cole Taylor (SS); Grand Valley's Matt Williams (RP); Northwood's David Vinsky (OF); Ohio Dominican's Lee Sponseller (OF); Saint Joseph's Josh Handzik (3B); Southern Indiana's Lucas Barnett (SP) and Wayne State's Brad Baldwin (2B).
The second team is comprised of Bellarmine's Eddie Mathis (SP) and Alex Phillips (Utility-Pitcher); Grand Valley's Ryan Arnold (SP) and Seth Johnson (OF); Quincy's Troy Wehde (DH) and Jake Walters (2B); Illinois Springfield's Michael Rothmund (1B); Kentucky Wesleyan's Josh Galvan (Utility Non-Pitcher); Malone's Matt Noel (C); Northwood's Connor Foley (OF); Rockhurst's Brett Marr (SS); Southern Indiana's Drake McNamara (OF); Truman State's Jason Priest (3B); Trevecca Nazarene's Jesse Peters (SP); Walsh's Ryan McSweeney (RP); and Wayne State's Chris Horvath (SP).
All 16 first-team All-Region selections will now be placed on the national ballot for All-America Consideration. The All-America teams are scheduled to be released on Friday, May 26. The complete D2CCA All-Midwest Region teams can be found on the following page.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.