Scots Sweep NCAC Individual Awards for Baseball

Kurt Kapferer

Jon Oliver

The College of Wooster swept the North Coast Athletic Conference’s individual baseball awards for 2006,  as Kurt Kapferer (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area), Jon Oliver (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West), and  John Quimby (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) were voted NCAC Player, Pitcher, and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, while Tim Pettorini was the NCAC co-Coach of the Year, announced the league office Thursday.

Joining Kapferer and Oliver on the All-NCAC First Team were teammates Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) and Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson), while Mike Barone (Leechburg, Pa. / Kiski Area), Brandon Boesiger (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls), and Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic) picked up second-team all-conference honors. Additionally, Oliver Enos (Charlottesville, Va./Covenant School) and Walt Samson (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) received honorable mention.

Kapferer, a senior designated hitter, becomes the fourth different Fighting Scot in four seasons to nab NCAC Player-of-the-Year accolades (Jake Frank, 2003; Matt Miller, 2004; Luke Ullman, 2005). He is currently the NCAA Div. III leader in home runs with 18 (0.42 per game) as well as fourth nationally in slugging percentage (.845). In the NCAC, Kapferer ranks among the top-10 in six other categories, including being part of a three-way tie for first in RBI (54), first in total bases (120), second in walks (30), and fifth in on-base percentage (.516), while batting .394 (56-for-142) with 10 doubles during 43 games.

Oliver, who underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2003, is just the third in conference history to be a  two-time Pitcher of the Year, with Wooster assistant coach Matt Englander being one of the others (2001-02). The senior right-hander sports an 8-0 record, running his consecutive victories streak to 15, and an NCAC-low 1.83 ERA, which ranks 45th in Div. III. Oliver’s eight wins are tied for the most in the league, while he rates second in both strikeouts (64) and opponents batting average (.218), and tied for fifth in innings pitched (64.0).

John Quimby

Quimby, a shortstop, becomes the fourth from Wooster to be tabbed NCAC Newcomer of the Year in the past five seasons. The 5-9, 170-pound freshman has burst on to the scene, ranking as the league’s fourth-leading hitter, and second on the team, with a .432 average (57-for-132) as well as being part of a three-way tie for first in RBI (54). He’s also tied for seventh in the NCAC in hits, seventh in walks (21), third in on-base percentage (.521), and sixth in slugging percentage (.644), courtesy of 12 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. Quimby has 12 stolen bases on the season as well.

Pettorini, now a seven-time winner of the conference’s Coach-of-the-Year award, has guided the 2006 Fighting Scots to a 38-7 record, in spite of numerous injuries to key players. Wooster won its third-straight NCAC championship, fourth in five seasons, and 11th overall in the 22-year history of the league, and is now headed to Terre Haute, Ind., for one of the eight NCAA Div. III Regional Tournaments, which start play Wednesday, May 17. Also of note, Pettorini moved into 10th-place this year for all-time wins by an NCAA Div. III baseball coach, currently one short of victory No. 800 (799-301-6; .725).

Adam Samson moved into the No. 2 starting role on the Scots’ pitching staff and has flourished in this, his sophomore season. The first-time All-NCAC honoree enters the NCAA Tournament with an 8-2 record and 2.89 ERA, which would be 2.00 had it not been for a rough outing against Div. I Kent State University (2.1 innings, seven earned runs). Samson is tied for Oliver with the conference lead in wins and ranks fourth in ERA, third in innings pitched (65.1), fourth in strikeouts (59), and third in opponents batting average (.220). Additionally, he has two complete-game shutouts to his credit in 11 starts and 13 overall appearances.

Swearingen, now a two-time All-NCAC baseball player after receiving honorable mention last spring, came into 2006 as a .317 career hitter, but has led Wooster throughout the campaign and is currently third in the league with a .441 batting average (67-for-152). Also an all-conference wide receiver in football, Swearingen has scored 49 runs, doubled 15 times, stolen 20 bases, and posted a .517 on-base percentage, which puts him among the top-five in the NCAC in each of those categories. A defensive standout as well, he’s compiled a .967 fielding percentage while starting 44 games in centerfield.

Barone, a second-team pick for the third-straight season, has been slowed by an injury of late, but still maintains a .325 average (38-for-117) and ranks fourth in the conference in both triples (4) and home runs (7). The 5-8, 185-pound second baseman has five doubles, too, giving him the fourth-best slugging percentage (.615) on the squad, to go with 42 runs, 31 RBI, 18 walks, a .426 on-base percentage, and nine steals.

Boesiger slipped from being first-team last year to second-team all-league, despite leading the NCAC in doubles (16) and on-base percentage (.608) and ranking second in runs scored (56) while also hitting .431 (44-for-102). In addition to 44 hits, he’s earned 19 walks and 30 hit by pitches, the latter of which is a conference record and just three shy of the Div. III national record. Boesiger has tripled three times and homered three times, part of a .735 slugging percentage, and driven in 29 RBI. Defensively, he owns a .977 fielding percentage and has thrown out 8-of-35 base stealers.

Trapuzzano has emerged as the Scots’ No. 3 starter on the mound in just his first year with the program. The 6-1, 200-pound right-hander has not lost a decision, going 7-0 during nine starts and 10 appearances, while posting a 3.58 ERA, which ranks seventh in the conference. He’s tied for third in the league in wins and rates seventh in opponents batting average (.259). Trapuzzano has accumulated 50.1 innings of work, striking out 42.

Enos took over for Jake Frank, a three-time All-American, and the team’s offensive production at third base did not drop off much, as he’s batting .365 (50-for-137) with 14 doubles, which is tied for fifth in the NCAC. Enos, a 6-0, 200-pound freshman, also has two triples and two home runs for a .540 slugging percentage, while scoring 40 runs and driving in 34 others.

Walt Samson, Wooster’s top reliever, is now a two-time all-conference pick following second-team honors last season. The senior right-hander will enter NCAA regional play with a 4-2 record, three saves (tied for second in the NCAC), 3.53 ERA, and 24 strikeouts during 15 appearances (tied for fifth in the NCAC). Over 35.2 innings, Samson, who also was a starter three games, has walked just two batters and limited the opposition to a .287 batting average.