Trio Of Baseball Panthers Named To Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team
Trio Of Baseball Panthers Named To
Daktronics All-Midwest Region Second Team
Rolla, Mo. – Drury's Panthers placed three players on the Daktronics Baseball All-Midwest Region Second Team, as selected by the region's sports information directors, the organization announced on Thursday, May 19.
Freshman outfielder Emilio Villanueva, senior pitcher Kyle Dyer and senior third baseman Joel Potts all picked up Second Team honors to represent the Panthers, who finished 35-19 and set a new program record for victories in a season this spring.
Grand Valley State’s Cody Grice and Northern Kentucky’s Dave Middendorf headline the All-Midwest Region First Team. The pair were selected as the Midwest Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
Freshman outfielder Emilio Villanueva, senior pitcher Kyle Dyer and senior third baseman Joel Potts all picked up Second Team honors to represent the Panthers, who finished 35-19 and set a new program record for victories in a season this spring.
Grand Valley State’s Cody Grice and Northern Kentucky’s Dave Middendorf headline the All-Midwest Region First Team. The pair were selected as the Midwest Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.
Grice, a junior outfielder from DeWitt, Mich., was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He’s currently hitting .397 for the Lakers and helped lead them to both the GLIAC regular season and postseason titles and are the top seed in the Midwest Regional tournament which begins on Thursday in Normal, Ill. Grice has 62 hits on the season to go along with 13 doubles, four triples and four home runs. His 55 runs batted in are second on the team. He’s scored 53 runs and been successful on the base paths with 20 steals in 25 chances.
Middendorf, a starting pitcher for the Norse, from Cincinnati, Ohio, has pitched in 15 games with 13 starts and was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year. He’s compiled a record of 8-3 with a 1.88 earned run average in 100 and one-third innings pitched. He’s struck out 112 hitters while yielding 14 walks. He’s averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and has held opponents to a .189 batting average. The Norse were the runners-ups in the GLVC Tournament and enter the regional as the third seed.
Joining Grice and Middendorf on the first team are Grand Valley State’s Kyle Schepel (SP), Garrett Yatch (2B) and Steve Anderson (OF); Lake Erie’s Ryan Rua (SS) and Brandon James (OF); Southern Indiana’s Tyler Choate (DH) and Trevor Leach (SP); Ashland’s Ajay Meyer (SP); Northern Kentucky’s Brett Cisper (UTL); Quincy’s Brian Thompson (RP); Rockhurst’s Ryan Porter (1B); Saint Joseph’s Sean Estand (3B); and Wayne State’s (MI) Michael Wiseman (C ).
The second team, in addition to the Drury trio, is comprised of Wayne State’s (MI) Brett Shankin (SP), C.J. Maszal (OF) and Billy Hurley (RP); Grand Valley State’s Ryan Garman (SP) and Cory Phillips (DH), Ashland’s Aaron Hilt (SP); Bellarmine’s Braxton Graven (OF), Indianapolis’s Chris Saroff (UTL); Northern Kentucky’s Brian Erie (C ); Saint Joseph’s Joe Huber (2B); Southern Indiana’s Brad Vance (SS); and Wisconsin-Parkside’s Dave Lojeski (1B).
All 15 first-team All-Region selections will now be placed on the national ballot for All-America Consideration. The All-America teams are scheduled to be released on Friday, May 27. The complete Daktronics Midwest Region teams can be found on the following page.
FIRST TEAM
NAME SCHOOL YEAR POSITION HOMETOWN
Michael Wiseman Wayne State Senior Catcher White Lake, Mich.
Ryan Porter ! Rockhurst Junior First Base Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Garrett Yatch Grand Valley State Junior Second Base Midland, Mich.
Ryan Rua Lake Erie College Junior Shortstop Amherst, Ohio
Sean Estand ! Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) Senior Third Base Evergreen Park, Ill.
Steve Anderson Grand Valley State Junior Outfield Northville, Mich.
Cody Grice ! Grand Valley State Junior Outfield Lansing, Mich.
Brandon James Lake Erie College Senior Outfield Mentor, Ohio
Tyler Choate Southern Indiana Senior Designated Hitter Carmi, Ill.
Brett Cisper Northern Kentucky Sophomore Utility Cincinnati, Ohio
Dave Middendorf ! Northern Kentucky Senior Starting Pitcher Cincinnati, Ohio
Trevor Leach ! Southern Indiana Senior Starting Pitcher Danville, Ind.
Ajay Meyer # Ashland Senior Starting Pitcher E. Halmer, Ohio
Kyle Schepel Grand Valley State Junior Starting Pitcher Grand Rapids, Mich.
Brian Thompson Quincy Junior Relief Pitcher Monmouth, Ill.
SECOND TEAM
NAME SCHOOL YEAR POSITION HOMETOWN
Brian Erie % Northern Kentucky Senior Catcher Louisville, Ky.
Dave Lojeski Wisconsin-Parkside Senior First Base Franksville, Wis.
Joe Huber Saint Joseph’s College Senior Second Base Washington, Mo.
Brad Vance Southern Indiana Junior Shortstop Louisville, Ky.
Joel Potts Drury Senior Third Base St. Peters, Mo.
C.J. Maszal Wayne State (MI) Junior Outfield Allen Park, Mich.
Braxton Graven Bellarmine Senior Outfield Louisville, Ky.
Emilio Villanueva Drury Freshman Outfield Nixa, Mo.
Cory Phillips Grand Valley State Senior Designated Hitter Normal, Ill.
Chris Saroff Indianapolis Junior Utility Crown Point, Ind.
Ryan Garman Grand Valley State Junior Starting Pitcher Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Brett Shankin Wayne State (MI) Senior Starting Pitcher Washington, Mich.
Kyle Dyer Drury Senior Starting Pitcher Sand Springs, Okla.
Aaron Hilt Ashland Junior Starting Pitcher Richmond, Ohio
Billy Hurley Wayne State (MI) Junior Relief Pitcher Mississauga, Ont.
Courtesy of Scott Puryear.
