ABCA -- The 2018 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-America teams have been released by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods. Two Northwood Timberwolves in David Vinsky and Tyler Jandron earned Third Team All-America recognition from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Jandron, ABCA Midwest Pitcher of the Year the last two years, finished the regular season leading the conference in ERA at 1.93 – the second-best ERA in the league was 3.63. Jandron ended the year with a 2.44 ERA, ranking in the top three in the conference in wins (eight), complete games (four) and strikeouts (92). Despite being at Northwood for just two years, Jandron is the all-time winningest pitcher in school history, having gone 21-4 with a 2.41 ERA in his time at NU. Jandron is the first player in GLIAC history to win Pitcher of the Year two consecutive years. Jandron also has earned Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year honors from the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
Vinsky turned in his second consecutive big season at the plate for the Timberwolves. He batted .405 average with eight home runs and 52 RBIs. Vinsky ended the year with 90 hits, 17 more than any other player in the GLIAC. Over the first two years of his career, Vinsky has 199 hits and 50 doubles as well as a .428 batting average. This is the second consecutive year that Vinsky has earned First Team All-Region honors. He also earned First Team All-Region from the NCBWA and DSCCA this season.
Northwood (38-16) won both the GLIAC and the GLIAC Tournament Championships for the second straight season this year.
The ABCA All-America team was first recognized in 1949 and now includes nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division, and high school. ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were first recognized in 2007.
The Chair of the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America & Coach of the Year Committee is Rudy Garbalosa of Lynn University. Also on the committee are Jim Gantt (Catawba College), Rick Giannetti (Dominican College), Rob Penders (St. Edward's University), Kyle Poock (Winona State University), Matt Jones (Shippensburg University), Jamie Detillion (Grand Valley State University) and Randy Betten (Cal Poly Pomona).
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 8,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 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 74th annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 4-7, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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.
