Entire Scot Infield Named All-Mideast Region

Matt Miller

Jake Frank

One of the storylines of the 2004 College of Wooster baseball season was the offensive fireworks generated by starting infielders Matt Miller (Millersburg, Ohio / Hiland), Jake Frank (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern), Luke Ullman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), and Kurt Kapferer (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area), and they were rewarded Monday with selection to the All-Mideast Region Team, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches’ Association.

Miller and Frank earned first-team honors at second base and third base, respectively, and will be placed on the national ballot for All-American consideration, while Ullman at shortstop and Kapferer at first base received second-team recognition.

Miller, boosted by a 10-for-18 (.556) performance at the NCAA Div. III Regional Tournament, finished his career in style, as the senior batted .460 (81-for-178) for the season — fourth-highest in school history. Thirty-two of his 81 hits went for extra bases, including 23 doubles, which tied for the second-best total by a Scot, and eight home runs. Miller, who earned second-team all-region accolades following his sophomore and junior campaigns, also totaled 66 runs, a .534 on-base percentage, and 30 stolen bases this spring to rank among the top-five in school history in each of those categories as well.

Frank, also now a three-time all-region pick, hit well over .400 for the second consecutive year, wrapping up 2004 at .420 (73-for-174). Included in the junior’s hit numbers were 21 doubles, which tied for the fifth-most in school history, and nine homers, while also tallying 55 runs scored and 54 RBI. Frank, who had hitting streaks of 24 (dating back to last season) and 25 games — two shy of the Wooster record — posted a .512 on-base percentage, thanks to 27 walks, and a .730 slugging percentage, too.

Luke Ullman

Kurt Kapferer

Ullman, a senior with junior eligibility, was tabbed with his second all-region honor after compiling a .375 average (60-for-160) during the campaign, highlighted by career-highs in both doubles (17) and home runs (12), boosting him to a .731 slugging percentage. He complemented those power numbers with speed on the base paths (17 stolen bases), and also finished with 56 runs, 45 RBI, a team-leading 31 walks and 11 hit by pitches for an on-base percentage just under .500 (.493).

Kapferer, the Scots’ 6-7, 250-pound clean-up hitter, led the squad with 16 home runs, which included 12 during a 19-game stretch (April 11-May 7), and 58 RBI en route to his first all-region nod. Those totals tied him for third (homers) and 10th (RBI) for a single-season in school history, while he also posted a solid .331 batting average (54-for-163). Kapferer, the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament MVP after reaching safely in 13 of 19 plate appearances, totaled 42 runs, nine doubles, a .693 slugging percentage, 26 walks, 10 hit by pitches, and a .452 on-base percentage this spring.

Wooster’s season came to end on Sunday, as the Scots finished runner-up to Manchester College at one of eight Div. III regionals taking place across the country. Wooster won 30 games (37-10) for the 11th year in a row and captured its league-leading ninth NCAC championship.