Tim Pettorini

Michael Wielansky

Eight members of the 2016 North Coast Athletic Conference baseball champions were recognized with all-conference honors, with The College of Wooster's Joey Gilmore, Michael Houdek, Jamie Lackner, and Michael Wielansky leading the way as first-team selections, announced the league office on Sunday.

Wielansky, a freshman shortstop, was voted the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, and joining him with an individual award was Tim Pettorini, named the NCAC Coach of the Year for the second season in a row and 12th time overall.

Additionally, Jake Fling and Drew Tornow earned second-team accolades, and receiving honorable mention on the All-NCAC Team were Ryan Ostendorf and Nanak Saran.

Gilmore, a senior and the team's current No. 2 hole hitter, earned an all-conference nod for the first time in his career. He's batting .329 with 10 doubles and 31 RBI, and ranks among the top-10 in the NCAC in several categories – runs scored (41), home runs (5), walks (24), and on-base percentage (.457). A defensive standout in right field as well, Gilmore has tracked down a number of fly balls down the line and in the gap to take away hits plus thrown out four base runners this spring.

Houdek, the ace of the pitching staff for the second-straight year, is a repeat first-team selection. He sports a 9-2 record and 3.00 ERA while having thrown 81.0 innings, as the tall junior left-hander leads the league in wins, innings, and games started (13), and rates second in opponents' batting average (.228), third in strikeouts (63), and seventh in ERA. At the NCAC Tournament, he won two starts, pitching on just one day's rest for the first time in his career, to help propel Wooster to the championship.

Lackner, a junior, also is a two-time first-team all-NCAC pick, having successfully reached base safely for almost two full seasons now (an NCAA Div. III record 90 consecutive games). The 6-4, 245-pound smooth-swinging first baseman owns a .418 batting average with 12 doubles, six home runs, and 47 RBI, but frequently doesn't get a chance to swing as he's been walked 43 times and been hit by pitches 11 times, part of a .562 on-base percentage. He tops the conference in that category and walks, and ranks second in average, fourth in runs (45), tied for third in hits (64), tied for second in homers, third in RBI, and fourth in slugging percentage (.614).

Wielansky, the Fighting Scots' first NCAC Newcomer of the Year since Zac Mathie in 2011, has been a sensational addition to the program, hitting at a .392 clip with 17 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, and 51 RBI. He leads the league in several significant categories, including runs scored (56), hits (69), homers, and RBI, and sits fifth in average, second in doubles, tied for third in triples, second in slugging percentage (.665), eighth in walks (26), third in on-base percentage (.474), and third in stolen bases (17). As impressive as his offensive numbers are, Wielansky's defense truly separates him as the slick-fielding shortstop has a school-record 156 assists while posting a .964 fielding percentage at the most challenging position.

Fling, the squad's leadoff hitter and centerfielder, collects a second all-conference certificate in as   many seasons. The sophomore holds a .311 average with 10 doubles and 21 RBI, plus he's walked 27 times for an on-base percentage just shy of .400 (.395). Serving as the table setter for Wooster's offense, he ranks third in the NCAC in runs (46), tied for sixth in hits (59), tied for fifth in walks, and fourth in steals (16), and he's been a key part of a stingy defense with a .991 fielding percentage.

Tornow's recognition – the first of the sophomore left fielder's career – means all three Scot outfielders were all-league. He is batting .299 with 24 extra base-hits – 13 doubles, five triples, and six home runs – and 49 RBI, which rates him as the second-best run producer in the league. Tornow also stands tied for seventh in doubles, tied for third in triples, tied for second in homers, eighth in slugging percentage (.545), tied for third in walks (28), and tied for sixth in stolen bases (12).

Ostendorf, Wooster's starting catcher for 42 of its 45 games, notched his initial all-NCAC award. Batting behind Lackner in the No. 5 hole, he's the team's third-leading hitter at a .363 average with four doubles, five triples, a homer, and 42 RBI, plus has translated his excellent speed into 15 steals. Ostendorf is among the top-10 in the conference in a number of categories – hits (57), triples, RBI, walks (28), on-base percentage (.467), and stolen bases.

Saran, a first-timer on the All-NCAC Team, developed into the No. 2 starter. As a sophomore right-hander, he has a 5-2 record, 4.02 ERA, and 49 strikeouts over 11 starts and 71.2 innings thus far. Saran has pitched the sixth-most innings in the league and ranks tied for fifth in games started, tied for first in shutouts (2), and 10th in strikeouts, while limiting the opposition to a .254 batting average.

Pettorini, in his 35th year heading the program, guided the Scots to their 16th NCAC championship, and they'll carry a 34-11 overall record into the NCAA Div. III Championships, set to begin play on Wednesday. The active leader in Div. III coaching wins, he is 1,134-424-6 all-time.