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Frank, Oliver Highlight Scots' All-NCAC Awards
Jake Frank (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern) and Jon Oliver (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) were named the North Coast Athletic Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, along with seven other College of Wooster baseball players honored on the all-league team, announced the NCAC on Wednesday. It marks the second season in a row the Scots have produced the conference's top freshman, as Frank took home that award in 2002. As a sophomore third baseman, Frank finished third in the league in hitting with a .434 batting average (62-for-143), which included 14 doubles and 11 home runs, while his 62 runs batted in was tops in the NCAC and put him among the national leaders. Despite not getting a chance to play more games during the postseason, Frank's RBI total was the seventh-best in school history and his slugging percentage of .790 tied for the ninth-highest by a Scot. He also drew a team-high 33 walks. Joining Frank on the All-NCAC First Team from Wooster were fellow infielder Matt Miller (Millersburg, Ohio / Hiland), as well as pitcher Justin Alaburda (Medina, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) and outfielder Dave Wernecke (State College, Pa. / State College Area). Miller, now a two-time first-team all-league selection, ended up as the Scots' top batter and second in the conference, hitting at a .440 clip (77-for-175). Seventeen of those 77 hits, which tied for the sixth-most in a season in school history, went for doubles, while he also pounded out six home runs. Miller, who swiped a team-high 15 stolen bases, also had a great year defensively, as the junior second baseman made only five errors out of 174 chances for a .971 fielding percentage.
Alaburda was Wooster's No. 1 pitcher in his first full season as a starter, following two years in the bullpen. He compiled an 8-1 record, with his lone loss coming in the NCAC Tournament semifinals to Denison University, and 3.26 earned run average, which was third-lowest in the league. Alaburda, who was the squad's starting centerfielder when not on the mound, struck out 53 over 66.1 innings pitched. Four of the 10 games the junior started, he completed, including a 10-0 shutout against Oberlin College. Wernecke earns the second all-conference honor of his career after being a second-team selection last spring. As a team captain, the 6-2, 200-pound senior had a .329 average (47-for-143) with 10 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. He scored 39 runs while driving in 35 others, and played solid defense in right field, throwing three runners out trying to advance the extra base. Three Scots garnered second-team all-league nods - Oliver, senior catcher George Radigan (Concord Twp., Ohio / St. Ignatius), and junior shortstop Luke Ullman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston). Oliver pitched his way to postseason honors by going 8-2 with a 3.91 ERA as Wooster's No. 2 hurler. The 6-2, 195-pound righty tied for second in the NCAC in strikeouts, setting down 74 during 73.2 innings of work, and walked just 13 during the year. Oliver, who held opponents to a .261 batting average, completed three of his 10 starts, and threw the first seven innings of a 10-0 shutout against Denison in a must-win situation in game two of the NCAC Tournament semifinals.
Radigan, now a three-time member of the All-NCAC Team, produced the best offensive numbers of his career. He hit .344 (44-for-128) with eight doubles and 10 home runs. Radigan's homer total tied for the fifth-most in the NCAC, while he also tallied 32 runs and 37 RBI. Also noteworthy, the catcher/first baseman reached base via a school-record 19 hit by pitches, which helped him record a .488 on-base percentage. Ullman was one of the most improved players in the region, as he upped his batting average nearly .100 points from .298 to .370 (57-for-154). Twenty-five of his hits went for extra bases - 16 doubles, a pair of triples, and seven home runs. Ullman scored 60 runs, which led the team and was second in the league, while his 16 doubles were the sixth-most in the NCAC. Additionally, he produced 42 RBI, stole 14 bases in 16 attempts, and reached base via 17 walks and 14 hit by pitches for a .468 on-base percentage. Rounding out the Scots' all-conference honorees were freshman first baseman Kurt Kapferer (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area) and senior outfielder Brian Stevens (Canton, Ohio / Jackson) - both of whom received honorable mention status. Kapferer was not a full-time starter at the beginning of the year, but played his way into the starting lineup and to postseason honors. The 6-7, 245-pound powerful left-hander batted .388 (26-for-67) in 33 appearances, including 18 starts, with five doubles, a triple, and five home runs. He scored 28 times and drove in 22 runs, while being issued 16 walks which helped contribute to a .539 on-base percentage. Stevens becomes a three-time all-conference selection after first-team recognition the last two seasons. In 2003, he finished hitting at a .350 clip (49-for-140) - up .010 from the previous spring - with six doubles, one triple, and seven home runs. One of the team's captains, Stevens totaled 42 runs scored and 38 RBI, as well as 30 walks which led to a .457 on-base percentage. Also, he made the transition from primarily being a designated hitter to playing left field, where he made just one error for a .976 fielding percentage. Wooster concluded the 2003 campaign with a 30-13 overall record - the program's 10th consecutive 30-win season. The Scots won the North Coast Athletic Conference East Division with a 15-1 mark during the regular season, but then were upset by Denison in the NCAC Tournament semifinals 6-8, 10-0, 8-16, and did not receive a bid to the NCAA Regional Championships. |
