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Midwest Conference Announces All-Conference Teams/Award Winners
May 13, 2008
Press Release posted by Midwest Conference Permalink
Midwest Conference All-Conference Teams/Award Winners (5-13-08)
RIPON, WIS. -- St. Norbert became the first squad since Ripon in 2006 to sweep the annual Midwest Conference North Division awards. Junior shortstop Adam Frost repeated as the North Division Player of the Year, as did Green Knight head coach Tom Winske with Coach of the Year honors. Sophomore Trevin Hillesheim was named Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first St. Norbert hurler to win the honor since 2005 (Dave Jilot).
Frost, a Preseason All-American, became the first player to repeat as Player of the Year since Ripon’s Nick Johnson (2000-02) and lived up to his preseason accolades by guiding St. Norbert to a second straight North title. The junior shortstop ranked in the top 5 in the conference in runs scored (46), hits (59), RBI (38), doubles (16), home runs (7), total bases (98) and stolen bases (25), while also leading the Green Knights with a .386 batting average and posting an .896 fielding percentage.
Hillesheim was perfect in 2008, as the right-handed sophomore posted a 7-0 record in six starts to go along with a 3.21 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Hillesheim, who went 4-0 with a pair of complete-game victories against conference foes, limited opponents to a .222 batting average this season.
Winske earns his fifth Coach of the Year award in his tenth season after guiding the Green Knights to the MWC Tournament for the ninth time in his career. St. Norbert won the North Division for the second straight season and third time in four seasons by taking three of four from Ripon in conference series finale. Winske’s club finished 2008 with a 25-11 record overall and a 13-3 mark in MWC play.
NORTH DIVISION POSITIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Adam Frost, St. Norbert College, Junior, Shortstop
NORTH DIVISION PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Trevin Hillesheim, St. Norbert College, Sophomore, RHP
NORTH DIVISION COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Winske, St. Norbert College
NORTH FIRST TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Nick Beaman Fr. 3B Ripon College
Alex Byrne Sr. OF St. Norbert College
Alex Duros Jr. DH Ripon College
Adam Frost Jr. SS St. Norbert College
Cory Fuller Jr. 3B St. Norbert College
Trevin Hillesheim So. RHP St. Norbert College
Jason Infusino Sr. OF Carroll College
Mike Lloyd Jr. RHP Ripon College
Jimmy Marlin Jr. Util. Carroll College
Nate Paul So. OF Ripon College
Tim Salm Sr. C Lawrence University
Mac Shumann Sr. 1B Ripon College
Scott Slubowski So. 2B Beloit College
Brett Yost Sr. RHP St. Norbert College
Jared Yost So. OF St. Norbert College
NORTH SECOND TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Bryant Bullock So. OF Ripon College
Chris Elliott Jr. 1B Carroll College
Jake Gasser Sr. RHP St. Norbert College
Tony Jandron So. OF St. Norbert College
Rick Krajewski Jr. LHP Beloit College
Tommy Schmidt Sr. 1B Lawrence University
Ryan Schmitz So. SS Beloit College
George Simons Fr. 2B Carroll College
Mike Wallerich Sr. 1B St. Norbert College
Nick Whitty So. C Ripon College
Jason Wierschke Fr. RHP Ripon College
RIPON, WIS. -- Monmouth was shutout of the MWC South yearly award winners for the first time since 1999 after Knox senior outfielder Paul Bennett was named the MWC South Player of the Year and Bennett’s head coach Jami Isaacson was honored as the Coach of the Year. Grinnell junior hurler Rick Berdelle became the first Pioneer to be named Pitcher of the Year since Jacob Chavez in 2001.
Bennett is the second Knox player in three seasons to be recognized as the South’s Player of the Year after a season in which he led the MWC champion Prairie Fire in batting average (.385), runs (33), hits (47), doubles (11), home runs (7), RBI (26), total bases (79) and slugging percentage (.648). The senior rightfielder hit .411 with six runs and three RBI during Knox’s five-game MWC tourney run.
Berdelle kept the Pioneers in the MWC Tournament hunt throughout the season, as the junior righty went 4-1 with a 3.51 ERA in nine starts and 56.1 innings pitched. He also led the conference in strikeouts with 46 K’s, while issuing just 14 walks. Berdelle was the winning pitcher in four of Grinnell’s six MWC victories this season, combining to allow eight earned runs in those contests.
Isaacson receives Coach of the Year accolades for the third time in his career after winning the award at Illinois College in 1995 and then at Knox in 1997. The Prairie Fire limped to a 4-19 start in 2008, losing seven game by three runs or less, before turning things around in mid-April. Knox won six of eight games in a six-day stretch at the end of the season, including the two-game MWC South Playoff and an unprecedented run to the MWC Championship from the loser’s bracket that included three wins on Sunday. The Prairie Fire (15-23, 6-6 MWC) enter the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance having won 11 of their last 15 games.
SOUTH DIVISION POSITIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Paul Bennett, Knox College, Senior, Outfielder
SOUTH DIVISION PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Rick Berdelle, Grinnell College, Junior, RHP
SOUTH DIVISION COACH OF THE YEAR
Jami Isaacson, Knox College
SOUTH FIRST TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Sam Almohandis Jr. P Knox College
Adam Baran So. OF Illinois College
Paul Bennett Sr. OF Knox College
Rick Berdelle Jr. RHP Grinnell College
Jake Bice Sr. 1B Monmouth College
Daniel Clark Sr. 3B Grinnell College
David Cripe So. RHP Illinois College
Colin Davis Fr. RHP Knox College
Luke Hunter Sr. 3B Knox College
Jim Malewitz Jr. C Grinnell College
Matt McIntire Sr. OF Monmouth College
Ben Mendoza Jr. SS Grinnell College
Paden Roder So. DH Grinnell College
Chad Takabuki So. OF Grinnell College
Clint Wherly Jr. 2B Illinois College
SOUTH SECOND TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Chris Fair Sr. OF Illinois College
Billy Herrin Fr. OF Monmouth College
Greg Leibach Sr. 1B Knox College
Kevin Malone Jr. OF Knox College
Jared Thoele Jr. 1B Illinois College
Robbie Unsell Sr. 2B Grinnell College
RIPON, WIS. -- St. Norbert became the first squad since Ripon in 2006 to sweep the annual Midwest Conference North Division awards. Junior shortstop Adam Frost repeated as the North Division Player of the Year, as did Green Knight head coach Tom Winske with Coach of the Year honors. Sophomore Trevin Hillesheim was named Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first St. Norbert hurler to win the honor since 2005 (Dave Jilot).
Frost, a Preseason All-American, became the first player to repeat as Player of the Year since Ripon’s Nick Johnson (2000-02) and lived up to his preseason accolades by guiding St. Norbert to a second straight North title. The junior shortstop ranked in the top 5 in the conference in runs scored (46), hits (59), RBI (38), doubles (16), home runs (7), total bases (98) and stolen bases (25), while also leading the Green Knights with a .386 batting average and posting an .896 fielding percentage.
Hillesheim was perfect in 2008, as the right-handed sophomore posted a 7-0 record in six starts to go along with a 3.21 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Hillesheim, who went 4-0 with a pair of complete-game victories against conference foes, limited opponents to a .222 batting average this season.
Winske earns his fifth Coach of the Year award in his tenth season after guiding the Green Knights to the MWC Tournament for the ninth time in his career. St. Norbert won the North Division for the second straight season and third time in four seasons by taking three of four from Ripon in conference series finale. Winske’s club finished 2008 with a 25-11 record overall and a 13-3 mark in MWC play.
NORTH DIVISION POSITIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Adam Frost, St. Norbert College, Junior, Shortstop
NORTH DIVISION PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Trevin Hillesheim, St. Norbert College, Sophomore, RHP
NORTH DIVISION COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Winske, St. Norbert College
NORTH FIRST TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Nick Beaman Fr. 3B Ripon College
Alex Byrne Sr. OF St. Norbert College
Alex Duros Jr. DH Ripon College
Adam Frost Jr. SS St. Norbert College
Cory Fuller Jr. 3B St. Norbert College
Trevin Hillesheim So. RHP St. Norbert College
Jason Infusino Sr. OF Carroll College
Mike Lloyd Jr. RHP Ripon College
Jimmy Marlin Jr. Util. Carroll College
Nate Paul So. OF Ripon College
Tim Salm Sr. C Lawrence University
Mac Shumann Sr. 1B Ripon College
Scott Slubowski So. 2B Beloit College
Brett Yost Sr. RHP St. Norbert College
Jared Yost So. OF St. Norbert College
NORTH SECOND TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Bryant Bullock So. OF Ripon College
Chris Elliott Jr. 1B Carroll College
Jake Gasser Sr. RHP St. Norbert College
Tony Jandron So. OF St. Norbert College
Rick Krajewski Jr. LHP Beloit College
Tommy Schmidt Sr. 1B Lawrence University
Ryan Schmitz So. SS Beloit College
George Simons Fr. 2B Carroll College
Mike Wallerich Sr. 1B St. Norbert College
Nick Whitty So. C Ripon College
Jason Wierschke Fr. RHP Ripon College
RIPON, WIS. -- Monmouth was shutout of the MWC South yearly award winners for the first time since 1999 after Knox senior outfielder Paul Bennett was named the MWC South Player of the Year and Bennett’s head coach Jami Isaacson was honored as the Coach of the Year. Grinnell junior hurler Rick Berdelle became the first Pioneer to be named Pitcher of the Year since Jacob Chavez in 2001.
Bennett is the second Knox player in three seasons to be recognized as the South’s Player of the Year after a season in which he led the MWC champion Prairie Fire in batting average (.385), runs (33), hits (47), doubles (11), home runs (7), RBI (26), total bases (79) and slugging percentage (.648). The senior rightfielder hit .411 with six runs and three RBI during Knox’s five-game MWC tourney run.
Berdelle kept the Pioneers in the MWC Tournament hunt throughout the season, as the junior righty went 4-1 with a 3.51 ERA in nine starts and 56.1 innings pitched. He also led the conference in strikeouts with 46 K’s, while issuing just 14 walks. Berdelle was the winning pitcher in four of Grinnell’s six MWC victories this season, combining to allow eight earned runs in those contests.
Isaacson receives Coach of the Year accolades for the third time in his career after winning the award at Illinois College in 1995 and then at Knox in 1997. The Prairie Fire limped to a 4-19 start in 2008, losing seven game by three runs or less, before turning things around in mid-April. Knox won six of eight games in a six-day stretch at the end of the season, including the two-game MWC South Playoff and an unprecedented run to the MWC Championship from the loser’s bracket that included three wins on Sunday. The Prairie Fire (15-23, 6-6 MWC) enter the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance having won 11 of their last 15 games.
SOUTH DIVISION POSITIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Paul Bennett, Knox College, Senior, Outfielder
SOUTH DIVISION PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Rick Berdelle, Grinnell College, Junior, RHP
SOUTH DIVISION COACH OF THE YEAR
Jami Isaacson, Knox College
SOUTH FIRST TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Sam Almohandis Jr. P Knox College
Adam Baran So. OF Illinois College
Paul Bennett Sr. OF Knox College
Rick Berdelle Jr. RHP Grinnell College
Jake Bice Sr. 1B Monmouth College
Daniel Clark Sr. 3B Grinnell College
David Cripe So. RHP Illinois College
Colin Davis Fr. RHP Knox College
Luke Hunter Sr. 3B Knox College
Jim Malewitz Jr. C Grinnell College
Matt McIntire Sr. OF Monmouth College
Ben Mendoza Jr. SS Grinnell College
Paden Roder So. DH Grinnell College
Chad Takabuki So. OF Grinnell College
Clint Wherly Jr. 2B Illinois College
SOUTH SECOND TEAM Yr. Pos. School
Chris Fair Sr. OF Illinois College
Billy Herrin Fr. OF Monmouth College
Greg Leibach Sr. 1B Knox College
Kevin Malone Jr. OF Knox College
Jared Thoele Jr. 1B Illinois College
Robbie Unsell Sr. 2B Grinnell College