[Baseball] Seven Warriors Earn All-KCAC Baseball Honors
WICHITA, Kan. - The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the 2019 All-KCAC baseball awards. Student-athletes were selected for all awards by a vote of the KCAC head baseball coaches.
Markus Montelongo was named Second Team All-KCAC at shortstop for Sterling and was selected to the KCAC Baseball Gold Glove Team. Heading into the KCAC Tournament, Montelongo has a batting average of .313, along with a slugging percentage of .580, collecting a total of 50 hits and 35 RBIs. He has 12 doubles, two triples, and seven home runs, adding five stolen bases on the season. Montelongo has also been a key defensive piece for the Warriors infield, earning the KCAC Baseball Player of the Week earlier in the year.
Ben Giland was named Second Team All-KCAC at outfield for the Warriors, currently leading the team in both batting average with 0.370 (9th in the KCAC) and slugging percentage at .580. Giland has a total of 65 hits and 32 RBIs and has nine doubles, two triples, and eight home runs this season for Sterling. He also has six stolen bases for the Warriors.
Mason Schimmel was named Second Team All-KCAC pitcher for SC. Schimmel leads the Warriors with 62 strikeouts, which ranks 12th in the KCAC. Schimmel also has a 3.11 ERA, which ranks third in the conference. Schimmel has four wins on the mound this season for the Warriors and was also named to the KCAC Baseball Gold Glove Team.
Jake Northrup was named All-KCAC Honorable Mention at catcher. The senior has played every game this season for the Warriors, putting together a batting average of .269 and slugging percentage of .487. Northrup has a total of 42 hits and 33 RBIs this year for SC, including a team-high 13 doubles. He also has seven home runs on the year.
Carlos Rivera was named All-KCAC Honorable Mention at second base. The junior has been solid for the Warriors infield this season, making big defensive plays throughout the year. Rivera has a batting average of .271 and a slugging percentage of .444, collecting a total of 36 hits, 23 RBIs, and a stolen base. He currently has eight doubles and five home runs this season for the Warriors.
Armando Flores was named All-KCAC Honorable Mention at third base. The junior third baseman has been a key part of the Warriors infield late this season. Flores has a batting average of .370 for the Warriors this season and a slugging percentage of .556. In limited games, Flores has collected a total of 30 hits and 22 RBIs, including three doubles and four home runs.
Wesley Galloway was named to the KCAC Baseball Gold Glove Team. Galloway has had a solid campaign in the outfield for the Warriors. The junior has made a number of big catches throughout the season, including the potential NAIA play of the year against York College in April.
The Warriors continue their season at the KCAC Baseball Championship in Great Bend, Kansas this week. This is the first trip to the tournament for head coach Dylan Connolly in his second year at Sterling.
The Eagles of Oklahoma Wesleyan University earned the KCAC Regular Season title for the third-straight year, finishing the conference season at 28-5 and 37-9 overall. Head coach Kirk Kelley was selected by his peers as KCAC Coach of the Year.
Oklahoma Wesleyan's Austin Sojka earns the KCAC Player of the Year award following a senior campaign where he hit 0.477 with 82 hits, 71 runs, 47 RBI's, 17 doubles, and 14 home runs. Matt Lindsley of York College (2.91 ERA) was named Pitcher of the Year, and Ottawa's Jeremiah Arellano was named Freshman of the Year. All awards are voted on by KCAC baseball coaches.
All student-athletes will be honored during the 2019 KCAC Baseball Tournament on Thursday, May 2 at the Great Bend Sports Complex in Great Bend, Kan., immediately following game two.
The following athletes were selected by conference coaches as All-KCAC First Team, All-KCAC Second Team, KCAC Honorable Mention, and KCAC Baseball Gold Glove Team.