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| Josh Stidham |
The North Coast Athletic Conference-champion College of Wooster baseball team saw six of its players garner spots on the All-NCAC Team, highlighted by Josh Stidham as the Pitcher of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday. Joining Stidham on the first team were outfielder Johnathan Ray and shortstop Eddie Reese, while outfielder Zac Mathie was voted second-team and pitcher Steve Hagen and outfielder Jarrod Mancine were honorable mention recipients.
Stidham's NCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year award is the 12th for Wooster in the 28-year history of the conference, including the eighth since 2001. The senior right-hander served as the staff ace for the first time this spring and thrived, accumulating a 7-2 record, 2.14 ERA, and 51 strikeouts over 67.1 innings. His ERA is second-lowest in the conference, while currently ranking tied for first with five others in wins, first in opponents' batting average (.229), fourth in strikeouts, and fifth in innings pitched. Stidham has pitched particularly well of late, yielding one earned run or less in four of his last five starts, all 6.0-plus innings, while adding two victories in relief.
Ray emerged as a top hitter in his second season as a starter, batting over .400 as late as April 25. His current average of .363 is second-best on the team and includes nine doubles, six home runs, and 30 RBI, and the junior has also walked a squad-high 20 times. The Fighting Scots' left fielder ranks 14th in the NCAC in batting average as well as tied for fourth in homers, seventh in slugging percentage (.578), seventh in walks, ninth in on-base percentage (.449), and tied for ninth in runs scored (35).
Reese, a sophomore who started 30 times at short before emerging as the regular second baseman the last six games, has been Wooster's No. 3 hole hitter, posting team highs in batting average at .368, which includes 10 doubles and seven home runs, as well as runs scored with 36 and RBI with 34. Among the NCAC, he rates ninth in average, tied for seventh in runs, sixth in hits (56), third in homers, tied for seventh in RBI, fifth in slugging percentage (.586), and tied for ninth in stolen bases (10).
Mathie, the Scots' lone repeat all-conference player after also notching second-team status as a freshman, was hitting .353 before suffering a season-ending injury on April 22. In 32 games played, the right fielder delivered 11 doubles and 25 RBI, which led the team at the time, and he also compiled 24 runs scored and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 47 chances.
Hagen has been versatile on the mound, earning seven wins (7-3) and five saves over 16 appearances, eight as a starter and eight as a reliever. He's tied for the NCAC lead in pitching victories and second in saves, and in 64.2 total innings, eighth-most in the conference, the sophomore right-hander has amassed a 3.62 ERA and 30 strikeouts while walking just 13. Also of note, Hagen leads the league in pickoffs with six.
Mancine, after playing in just seven games as a freshman, has developed into Wooster's leadoff hitter while playing all three positions in the outfield, primarily center. He is batting .339 overall with 26 runs, utilizing his speed to leg out four triples and 11 stolen bases, which rank tied for second and tied for sixth in the conference statistics, respectively. Since earning a permanent starting role April 17, Mancine has hit safely in 11 of 16 games.
The Scots won their 14th NCAC championship last week, improving their overall record to 27-16, and they'll play in the NCAA Div. III Championships, which begins Wednesday, May 16.