Five Wooster Baseball Players on CSC Academic All-District® Team

CSC Academic All-District® release

Utility player Dean Brown, pitchers Christian Johnston, Corey Knauf, and Ryan Sullivan, and second baseman Eli Westrick were among the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® honorees for baseball, as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.

Brown, a four-year starter, transitioned to the outfield as a senior. He hit .290 (36-for-124) with 29 RBI, 26 runs, five doubles, and four homers. On the mound, Brown made six appearances, with two starts. The senior was 2-for-4 with three RBI, a double, and run scored against Wittenberg University in his final game donning the Wooster uniform. He was key in a doubleheader sweep over Hiram College, finishing 4-for-8 with three runs scored and two RBI.

The physics major tested and worked to improve accuracy of bulge disk decompositions on spiral galaxies for his Independent Study project. He spent three summers assisting St. Andrew's Episcopal School as a technology assistant, helping set the school up for online learning during COVID and collecting and redistributing laptops and iPads for the school's one-to-one laptop program. During COVID, Brown was a physics substitute at his high school alma mater, and he has experience as a baseball camp counselor in Maryland.

Johnston, a key relief pitcher, ranked second on the team with 18 appearances this spring. Johnston was 1-2 with a save and 6.43 ERA over 21 innings of work. The left-hander scored the win in a 4-3 triumph over Keystone College with a scoreless inning of relief. Johnston logged 10 scoreless appearances on the year including two against Wabash College, one of which came in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The biology major did a biomechanical analysis of NCAA Div. III pitchers for predictors of pitch velocity and spin rate for his I.S. Johnston will be pursuing a doctorate degree in physical therapy at Chatham University. As an undergraduate, Johnston worked in the athletic training room at the College and was a summer intern at Greater Pittsburgh Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine.

Knauf was Wooster's ace this spring, finishing the season with a 3-2 record over 12 games, eight of which were starts. His 57 innings pitched marked the team's top total, and the junior right-hander was second with 32 strikeouts. Knauf opened the year with seven innings of two-hit shutout baseball against Grove City College on February 25 and allowed three runs in seven innings in a key NCAC win at DePauw University on April 22.

The environmental geoscience major did his Junior Independent Study on Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, used by Major League Baseball, and compared it to other muds. The senior-to-be will look to continue his research for his Senior Independent Study. Knauf has extensive laboratory experience at Wooster, gaining academic experience in the areas of earth materials, hydrology, structural geology, and geoscience careers. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee baseball representative serves on the statistics crew for basketball and football home games and recently started as a student employee in the equipment room.

Sullivan's 14 appearances were one of the team's top totals. He filled a regular starting role after spending most of his career as a relief pitcher. Sullivan posted a 3-2 record with a 5.66 ERA over 47 2/3 innings this spring. The senior left-hander's top outing came at DePauw where he allowed one run on three hits in six innings.

The environmental geoscience major dove into the geologic history and hydrologic profile of nearby Shreve, Ohio, through a groundwater well analysis for his Independent Study. He created a water quality assessment and studied groundwater flow of the area. With his research, Sullivan identified potential contamination hazards within the watershed and looked at how hypothetical contamination plumes spread within the township. Sullivan worked in the equipment room, served on the statistics crew for basketball and football home games, was a member of the Geology Club, and was a member of Athletes InterVarsity.

Westrick shined atop Wooster's lineup all season long, finishing the year with a .418 average (71-for-170) and a near-.500 on-base percentage (.497). One of Div. III's toughest players to strike out had just 10 strikeouts on the season, and backed his .418 average up with 39 runs, 26 RBI, 23 walks, 14 doubles, four triples, and three homers. He finished just shy of logging Wooster's 19th 75-hit season. Westrick had 21 multi-hit games on the year, headlined by a 7-for-10 doubleheader at DePauw, where he had five runs, four RBI, two homers, two walks, and three stolen bases.

The mathematics major helps coordinate volunteer service projects at Wooster Montessori School, had a statistics internship with the Medford Rogues, a summer collegiate wood bat team, and is part of the statistics crew for basketball and football home games.              

Wooster's Academic All-District® selections are on the Academic All-America® ballot, which is voted on by CSC members in advance of the announcement of the Academic All-America® team on June 7. Starting with the 2022-23 academic year, all eligible nominees submitted by member schools earn Academic All-District® status. Nominees were voted to the Academic All-District® Team in previous years and those winners advanced to the Academic All-America® ballot.