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Five Scots All-Mideast, Led By Johnson and Van Horn on 1st Team

Five from The College of Wooster landed on the 2010 All-Mideast Region Team, with senior second baseman Matthew Johnson and junior shortstop Greg Van Horn collecting first-team recognition, and senior first baseman Matt Groezinger and junior pitchers Tyler Fugate and Justin McDowell each garnering a second-team pick, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced Monday evening. Johnson and Van Horn are now eligible for the ABCA All-America Team.

<a href= Johnson, previously named the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is a first-time all-region award winner. He was the table setter for Wooster's offense, batting .459 with 14 doubles, a school-record eight triples, 11 home runs, 41 RBI, and 14 stolen bases out of the leadoff spot primarily. Johnson's 69 runs scored and 79 hits both rank among the top-20 in the NCAA Div. III statistics, and they tied for the fifth- and seventh-most in team history, respectively. Also of note, his batting average marked the sixth-best by a Fighting Scot for a single-season, as did his .532 on-base percentage.

Van Horn, in his first year at Wooster having transferred from Princeton University, strung together one of the best offensive seasons in the program's tradition-rich history. He hit .486 – the second-highest batting average in school history – with 35 extra-base hits coming in the form of 19 doubles, eight triples, and eight homers. That adds up to a .890 slugging percentage, breaking a team mark that had stood for 24 years (Rick Sforzo's .876 in 1986), and his eight triples tied another season record. Van Horn, who scored 53 runs and drove in 56, also tallied an on-base percentage of .564, which now ranks second in the Scots' record book, and a squad-leading 16 stolen bases.

Groezinger, a repeat selection on the all-region second team, served as Wooster's clean-up hitter again, finishing with a .371 average, 11 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, and a team-high 57 RBI. He drew 24 walks as part of a .467 on-base percentage and was the toughest to strikeout among the starters with just eight. Highlighting Groezinger's campaign, he belted three homers and registered eight RBI in the NCAC Tournament championship game.

Fugate, a right-hander, emerged into one of the Scots' most effective hurlers this spring. After having recorded 33.0 innings of work the last two seasons, he nearly doubled that (62.0 innings) while handling a versatile role as closer and part-time starter which saw him produce a 6-1 record, five saves, 2.90 ERA, and 65 strikeouts. Fugate posted a staff-low .237 opponents' batting average and walked just 15. During one seven-appearance stretch (April 8-May 1), he went 3-0 with three saves and a 0.94 ERA (28.2 innings).

McDowell, the 2009 Mideast Region Pitcher of the Year, toed the mound as Wooster's ace again. He factored in the decision in all 11 of his starts, going 8-3, and was not part of it in four relief outings, while compiling a 2.64 ERA and 71 strikeouts – both squad bests. McDowell, who tossed four complete games and 71.2 innings in all, limited the opposition to a .248 batting average. Noteworthy, he had 19.0 consecutive scoreless innings from April 14-29, including a 7-0 shutout at Oberlin College.

As a team, the Scots ended the 2010 campaign with a 34-9 mark and as NCAC champions for the second season in a row and 13th time overall.