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Ullman, Oliver, Christensen Earn Top Honors from NCAC
Luke Ullman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston), Jon Oliver (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West), and Pat Christensen (Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore) nabbed three of the North Coast Athletic Conference’s top baseball awards for 2005, as The College of Wooster standouts were named the Player, Pitcher, and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, announced the league office on Thursday. The trio was all part of the All-NCAC First Team, which included teammates Brandon Boesiger (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls), Jake Frank (Wooster, Ohio / Northwestern), and Kurt Kapferer (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area). Ullman becomes the third different Fighting Scot in three seasons to nab NCAC Player-of-the-Year honors, as Matt Miller picked up the award last spring and Frank in 2003. The senior shortstop and now three-time all-conference pick, including first-team honors the last two campaigns, currently leads the team and ranks third in the league with a .420 batting average (58-for-138). Ullman, Wooster’s leadoff hitter, is atop the NCAC in both on-base (.520) and slugging percentage (.848) as well as runs (59), doubles (16), and total bases (117), and he rates among the top-10 in five other categories, including second in both home runs (13) and RBI (50). Oliver, less than two years removed from Tommy John surgery, is the sixth Scot to be tabbed as the NCAC’s top pitcher, with the most recent being current assistant coach Matt Englander in 2002. Oliver has a conference-low 2.00 ERA, while also leading the way in shutouts (three) and opponents batting average (.196). Additionally, he’s second in the league in innings pitched (67.2), tied for second in wins (seven), and tied for third in strikeouts (59). Oliver threw complete-game shutouts at Kenyon College (6-0) on April 9, versus Hiram College (8-0) April 26, and against Wittenberg University (4-0) in the NCAC Tournament semifinals.
Christensen, Wooster’s right fielder, has exploded on to the NCAA Div. III scene, as he currently is tied for first nationally in total home runs with 16, eighth in slugging percentage (.838), and ninth in RBI (1.48 per game). In addition to leading the conference in homers and RBI, Christensen’s numbers put him among the top-10 in seven additional categories, including ninth in batting average (.392; 51-for-130), second in total bases (109), third in runs scored (48), and fifth in on-base percentage (.497). Boesiger’s first-team All-NCAC mention marks the first postseason award of the sophomore catcher’s career. He is the Scots’ third-leading hitter with a .402 average (39-for-97) and has also reached base 30 other times via 11 walks and a school-record-tying 19 hit by pitches for a team-best .539 on-base percentage. Boesiger has 11 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, one home run), while scoring 32 runs and driving in 27 others.
Frank becomes just the second player in school history to earn a fourth first-team all-conference citation. Pitcher John Werner was the other (1999-2002). Frank currently is rated among the NCAC’s top-five in batting average (.413; 59-for-143), hits, runs (55), home runs (nine), RBI (50), total bases (100), walks (28), on-base percentage (.506), and slugging percentage (.699), while compiling a .922 fielding percentage at third base. Kapferer, who picks up his second-straight first-team all-league nod, began the spring as the starting first baseman, but suffered an injury in practice and was moved to designated hitter. He has flourished in that role, ranking eighth in the NCAC with a .400 average (48-for-120) as well as tied for sixth in homers (eight), fourth in RBI (46), tied for fifth in walks (23), second in on-base percentage (.514), and sixth in slugging percentage (.692). Four other Wooster players were bestowed with postseason recognition, too, as sophomore left fielder Mike Barone (Leechburg, Pa. / Kiski Area) and junior pitcher Walt Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) were voted on to the All-NCAC Second Team and sophomore centerfielder Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) and sophomore second baseman Ross Yoder (Sugarcreek, Ohio / Hiland) received honorable mention on the all-conference team. Barone, who was also a second-team honoree last year, is batting .336 (47-for-140) with nine doubles, two triples, seven home runs, and 35 RBI. He ranks among the top-10 leaders in the league in runs scored (39), homers, and total bases (81), to go with 15 walks and six stolen bases in 39 starts. Samson, who entered 2005 with a 5-1 record and 5.54 ERA in 39.0 career innings, has developed into the Scots’ top middle reliever. In fact, his current 3.55 ERA ranks as the third-lowest in the NCAC, while his 17 appearances are the second-most. Overall, Samson, who started four games early on, is 5-2 during 45.2 innings pitched, and he’s struck out 29. Swearingen, the No. 3 wide receiver for Wooster’s conference-champion football team in the fall, earned a starting spot in the outfield this spring. Early on, he was the team’s leader in batting and is currently sporting a .363 average (45-for-124) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, and 24 RBI. Swearingen, who has primarily hit in the No. 9 spot in the order, has scored 32 runs and stole five bases. Yoder took over for Miller, a first-team All-American, at second base and has put up similar production. Yoder’s eighth in the league in hits (50) and tied for eighth in doubles (12), while hitting .382 overall with three home runs and 34 RBI. He’s also tallied 37 runs, a team-leading eight sacrifices (three flies, five bunts), and four steals in as many attempts, while accumulating .436 on-base and .542 slugging percentages. The Scots, who won their 10th NCAC championship last weekend and are currently ranked No. 3 in the American Baseball Coaches’ Association Div. III poll, are awaiting word from the NCAA as to the seedings and host sites for the Div. III regional tournaments, which will take place from May 19-22. |
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