Contact: Lou Groce, Director of Media and Information, 920-229-8157
GRINNELL, Iowa - The 2017 All-Midwest Conference (MWC) Baseball Team has been announced on the eve of the MWC Championship Tournament. St. Norbert College swept the four major awards for the North Division, while Cornell College and Grinnell College split the South Division's.
For the first time in school history, Cornell produced the Position Player and a Pitcher of the Year. First baseman Walker Breard was named the Player of the Year after hitting .388 in the regular season with 12 doubles, seven homers and 37 RBI. In conference action, he led the MWC with a .750 slugging percentage and ranked second in on-base percentage at .543. He tied for the conference lead with nine doubles and was second in homers at five.
Andy Dodson finished the regular season with a 5-2 record and was named the South Division Picher of the Year. The senior was stellar in conference action, going 4-0 with a 2.63 earned-run average and tossing three complete games in five starts. He was second in the league in innings pitched (41) and produced 27 strikeouts. Opposing hitters hit just .222 off of him.
Cornell skipper Seth Wing also led the Rams to the league's Sportsmanship Award.
Grinnell freshman pitcher Sam LaMotte was named the South's Newcomer of the Year. LaMotte dominated MWC hitters in his first season on the bump. He was 3-0 in five starts and allowed just six earned runs in 39 innings pitched for a 1.38 ERA. LaMotte held hitters to just a .197 average.
Pioneer head coach Tim Hollibaugh was honored as the South's Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season and the seventh time in the last eight years. Hollibaugh led the Pioneers to their fourth consecutive South Division title this spring and a ninth consecutive Championship Tournament appearance.
The Green Knights won all four major awards for the North. Tom Winske led St. Norbert to the North Division title for the second straight season and has been honored with his ninth Coach of the Year award. Leading the charge was North Player of the Year Griffin Jack. The sophomore led the division with a .405 average in MWC-only games and was also tops with a .635 slugging percentage and 23 RBI. For the season, Jack is hitting .331 with 10 doubles, three homers and 30 knocked in.
St. Norbert's pitching staff includes the North's Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Junior Jason Malkowski was named the Pitcher of the Year, while freshman Carson Jacques earned the Newcomer Award
Malkowski produced a 4-0 record in four MWC starts with a 2.03 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings pitched. For the season, Malkowski is 6-0 with a 1.97 ERA in 45 2/3 innings pitched. Jacques made two starts in conference action and entered games in relief four times. Jacques went 2-0 with two saves in a 2.20 ERA and produced 23 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings pitched.
The Green Knights also led the conference with six All-MWC selections, while the Pioneers had five picks and Beloit and Cornell each had four each.
St. Norbert's Derek Klegin completed his college career with his fourth All-MWC selection, while Lawrence University's Matthew Holliday earned his third straight. Beloit's Kam Sallee is also making his second straight appearance.
In the south, Matt Hammond joined Klegin as a four-time All-MWC pick, while Player of the Year Walker Breard is making his third consecutive appearance on the all-conference list. Knox College outfielder Drake Sykes joins Breard and Hammond for the third straight year, while John Tesensky of Cornell and Austin Hardy of Monmouth College earned all-conference honors for the third time in their careers. Matt McCaffrey of Knox College is also making his second straight appearance.
The complete All-MWC team is below.
North Division Newcomer of the Year
| Carson Jacques |
Fr. |
P |
St. Norbert College |
North Division Position Player of the Year
| Griffin Jack |
So. |
OF |
St. Norbert College |
North Division Pitcher of the Year
| Jason Malkowski |
Jr. |
P |
St. Norbert College |
North Division Coach of the Year
| Tom Winske |
|
|
St. Norbert College |
North Division All-MWC Team
| Michael Barnes |
So. |
C |
Ripon College |
| Mark Christine |
Jr. |
SS |
Beloit College |
| Jalen Davis |
So. |
OF |
Beloit College |
| Jeremy Dutton |
Jr. |
C |
Beloit College |
| Sean Ferraro |
So. |
OF |
St. Norbert College |
| Matthew Holliday |
Jr. |
1B |
Lawrence University |
| Griffin Jack |
So. |
OF |
St. Norbert College |
| Carson Jacques |
Fr. |
P |
St. Norbert College |
| Derek Klegin |
Sr. |
IF |
St. Norbert College |
| Hunter Larson |
Jr. |
IF |
St. Norbert College |
| Jason Malkowski |
Jr. |
P |
St. Norbert College |
| Josh Oswald |
Jr. |
IF |
Ripon College |
| Kam Sallee |
Sr. |
1B |
Beloit College |
South Division Newcomer of the Year
| Sam LaMotte |
Fr. |
P |
Grinnell College |
South Division Position Player of the Year
| Walker Breard |
Jr. |
1B |
Cornell College |
South Division Pitcher of the Year
| Andy Dodson |
Sr. |
P |
Cornell College |
South Division Coach of the Year
| Tim Hollibaugh |
|
|
Grinnell College |
South Division All-MWC Team
| Matt Hammond |
Sr. |
C |
Grinnell College |
| Walker Breard |
Jr. |
1B |
Cornell College |
| Niko Takayesu |
Sr. |
SS |
Grinnell College |
| Drake Sykes |
Sr. |
OF |
Knox College |
| John Tesensky |
Sr. |
OF |
Cornell College |
| Andrew Shults |
So. |
OF |
Grinnell College |
| Austin Hardy |
Sr. |
UT |
Monmouth College |
| Eric Daubach |
Sr. |
UT |
Cornell College |
| Matt McCaffrey |
Jr. |
UT |
Knox College |
| Dylan Jones |
Jr. |
P |
Illinois College |
| Andy Dodson |
Sr. |
P |
Cornell College |
| Connor McDonald |
So. |
P |
Monmouth College |
| Sam LaMotte |
Fr. |
P |
Grinnell College |
| Ben Binversie |
Sr. |
P |
Grinnell College |