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Matt Miller, Pettorini Highlight Scots' All-NCAC Awards
Matt Miller (Millersburg, Ohio / Hiland) was voted the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Tim Pettorini earned NCAC Coach-of-the-Year honors, and 10 College of Wooster baseball players were selected to the All-NCAC Team, including five first-teamers, announced the conference office late Thursday. Miller, a senior second baseman and now three-time first-team All-NCAC pick, currently leads Wooster and is second in the league in batting with a .449 average (71-for-158). He’s the conference leader in four major categories – hits, runs scored (58), doubles (22), and stolen bases (29) – and has homered six times while compiling a .715 slugging percentage. With 18 walks and 11 hit by pitches, Miller also sports a .532 on-base percentage, currently tied for the third-best in school history. For Pettorini, who has guided the Scots to a 35-8 record and berth into the NCAA regionals after capturing the 2004 NCAC championship, it’s the sixth time he has been named NCAC Coach of the Year. The 23rd-year head coach’s career mark now stands at 720-283-6 (.717). Joining Miller on the All-NCAC First Team were infield mates Jake Frank (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern), Kurt Kapferer (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area), and Luke Ullman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), as well as pitcher Justin Alaburda (Medina, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit).
Frank, last season’s NCAC Player of the Year, picked up his third consecutive first-team recognition at third base. He’s hitting .434 (69-for-159) – fifth-best in the conference – with 21 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs, while having scored 54 runs and driven in 48 others. Frank, who ranks among the top-five in the NCAC in 10 different offensive categories, has also accumulated on-base and slugging percentages of .528 and .755, respectively. Kapferer garnered his second-straight All-NCAC accolade after receiving honorable mention as a freshman. This spring, the 6-7, 250-pound first baseman has belted out 16 home runs, six more than any other player in the league, while hitting .342 (51-for-149). Kapferer 57 RBI are a team-high and second-most in the NCAC, and he’s also scored 41 runs, doubled nine times, and been issued 23 walks. Ullman, a senior shortstop with junior eligibility, was named to his second all-conference team after earning second-team status in 2003. He’s been Wooster’s third-leading hitter at .370 (54-for-146), the 10th-highest average in the NCAC, with 16 doubles, two triples, and 10 homers this season. Ullman’s tied for second in the league in home runs, third in steals (16), tied for third in walks (27), fourth in two-baggers, fifth in runs (50) and slugging percentage (.712), and tied for fifth in RBI (41). Alaburda, one of four Scot hurlers to receive All-NCAC honors, was tabbed a first-team selection for the second year in a row. The senior right-hander, whose tied for third in the league in wins (7-1), will enter the regionals with a 5.02 ERA in 52.0 innings of work, during which he struck out 34. Most recently, Alaburda, who started eight games on the mound, notched his third career save in Wooster’s NCAC championship series-clinching victory over Denison University.
Mike Barone (Leechburg, Pa. / Kiski Area), Brian Miller (Ashland, Ohio / Ashland), and Jon Oliver (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West) all represented the Scots on the All-NCAC Second Team. Barone, Wooster’s left fielder, was not a full-time starter until early April, but made an immediate impact throughout his freshman season. He’s currently hitting .336 (43-for-128) with 10 doubles and six home runs through 41 games played, while also having scored 37 times and driven in 18 runs. Five of his six homers came during a six-game tear, when he batted 12-for-22 (.545) with nine RBI. Miller, after struggling as a freshman (8.90 ERA in 30.1 innings), has developed into one of the Scots’ most reliable front-line starters in 2004. The sophomore right-hander is currently tied for third in the NCAC in wins (7-2), tied for fifth in strikeouts with 54 while walking just nine all year, sixth in innings pitched (60.0), seventh in opponents’ batting average (.253), and 10th in ERA (3.75). Oliver, who underwent Tommy John surgery less than a year ago, picked up his second consecutive second-team honor. The 2003 NCAC Newcomer of the Year steadily pitched his way back into form, and will enter the NCAA Div. III Tournament with a 6-1 record, team-low 3.38 ERA, and 42 strikeouts, compared to just six walks, during 53.1 innings pitched. Oliver’s ERA is seventh in the conference. Completing Wooster’s all-league honorees were sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Katich (Glenshaw, Pa. / Fox Chapel Area) and senior catcher/designated hitter Mark Lucas (Euclid, Ohio / Euclid), both receiving honorable mention. Katich, in similar fashion to Brian Miller, came back from a rough freshman campaign (8.49 ERA in 29.2 innings) and is now one of the Scots’ top hurlers. He’s logged 66.0 innings – fourth-most in the NCAC – while going 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 43 strikeouts (10 walks). Opponents are hitting .288 off of Katich, who has completed three of his eight starts and appeared in six other games. Lucas bided his time the last three seasons, batting .356 in 104 career at bats, before taking hold of a permanent starting position. He has batted .328 (42-for-128) this season with four doubles, five homers, and 33 RBI heading into regionals, as well as 21 runs scored and a .992 fielding percentage. Two of Lucas’ home runs were three-run shots during the NCAC Tournament. Wooster, ranked No. 10 in this week’s American Baseball Coaches’ Association Div. III Poll, is patiently awaiting the NCAA’s Sunday night "Selection Show," in which it will announce the host sites and seedings for the eight regional tournaments. |
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