Eddie Reese

Keenan White

Eddie Reese and Keenan White of The College of Wooster were selected North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, and seven other Fighting Scots joined them on the All-NCAC Team, the league office announced on Tuesday.

The last time Wooster swept the two major individual NCAC awards was 2009 when Player-of-the-Year Sean Karpen and Pitcher-of-the-Year Mark Miller led the Scots all the way to the national championship game of the NCAA Div. III Baseball Championship.

Joining Reese and White as first-team all-NCAC award winners were pitcher Steve Hagen and catcher Bryan Miller, while outfielders Jarrod Mancine and Zac Mathie and shortstop John McLain were voted second-team, and pitcher Matt Felvey and first baseman Cal Thomay gained honorable mention.

Reese's combination of hitting for average and power as the team's No. 3 hole hitter resulted in becoming the program's 11th different NCAC Player of the Year. The second baseman is now a two-time first-team all-conference pick, currently leading the league in five major categories – doubles (19), home runs (8), RBI (51), slugging percentage (.686), and walks (29) – while batting .365. He has successfully reached base in 39 of 42 games, and been particularly effective when up with runners in scoring position (.424, plus 17 RBI coming with two outs).

White has bounced back after missing most of his junior year to overcome thoracic outlet syndrome (removal of a rib) by putting together one of the best seasons in school history as the southpaw currently leads all of NCAA Div. III with a 12-0 record. He's won all 11 of his starts (eight quality starts), plus picked up a victory in middle relief, and the first-time all-NCAC choice also tops the conference in strikeouts (75), while ranking second in ERA (2.38) and innings pitched (72.0) and fourth in opponents' batting average (.237).

Hagen, a junior and now two-time all-NCAC (honorable mention last spring), brings versatility to the staff as he has started nine times (seven quality starts) and been a reliever in eight, tallying a 7-3 record, one save, and 2.62 ERA. The durable right-hander leads the league in innings (82.1) and opponents' batting average (.201), while currently tied for second in wins, tied for third in appearances (17), and fourth in ERA (2.62) and strikeouts (57). Hagen became the first Div. III pitcher since 1997 to go 14.0 innings in a single-game April 21 when he no-hit Oberlin College from the fourth inning to the 13th before taking a tough-luck 3-1 loss in the 14th.

Miller has played an integral role in Wooster's success as a first-year starter behind the plate. In addition to providing solid defense (thrown out 12 of the 32 runners who have attempted steals), he has a knack for getting on base with a .392 average – fifth-best in the NCAC – while batting out of the No. 9 hole. That rate balloons to .477 (21-for-44) with runners in scoring position as Miller is tied for third on the team in RBI (27), and the aggressive base runner also has 30 runs scored to his credit. Also of note, three of his five doubles and his lone home run of the season have come in the last four games.

Mancine, on the All-NCAC Team for a second time (honorable mention last year), is the table setter for the Scots' potent offense, having successfully reached base in 37-straight games. The leadoff man leads the league in hits (63) and owns a team-high .396 batting average, fourth-highest in the conference. He also is tied for fourth conference-wide in on-base percentage (.476), tied for fifth in walks (21), and tied for seventh in runs (41). Mancine is coming off NCAC Tournament MVP honors after reaching base 11-of-15 plate appearances (6-for-10 with four walks and a hit by pitch) during the three games.

Mathie returns to the All-NCAC Second Team for the third season in a row, despite suffering a significant injury for the second time in his career. The junior clean-up hitter missed 17 games (11 starts) due to a hamstring, but still is currently tied for fourth in the conference in total RBI (38) and seventh in doubles (14), while accumulating a .360 average. He has played very well since returning to the lineup (April 25), batting .405 (17-for-42) with seven doubles, two homers, and 19 RBI the last 12 games. Noteworthy, Mathie has registered three assists from right field as well as 17 RBI with two outs.

McLain, the youngest of Wooster's all-conference players as a sophomore, leads the league in runs with 50 as the squad's No. 2 hole hitter. He's also tied for fourth among the NCAC in home runs (4) and tied for eighth in steals (14), while batting .331 for the season. McLain, along with Reese, is one of two to start all 42 games, and he also has reached base regularly via walks (16) and hit by pitches (13).

Felvey, after two years as a back-up middle infielder, transitioned to the mound this season and has become a reliable No. 3 starter, producing a 4-2 record, 3.77 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 62 innings. The junior right-hander has made quality starts in five of his 10 starts and also was brought in as a relief pitcher four times. Felvey ranks seventh in the conference in innings and eighth in opponents' batting average (.252).

Thomay has had a breakout year in his second season as a starter, currently hitting at a .355 clip with five doubles, two home runs, and 20 RBI. The junior has been hot the last month, batting .424 with all seven of his extra-base hits and 18 RBI coming over that 20-game stretch, and he was selected to the All-NCAC Tournament Team for the second consecutive year after going 5-for-11 with three RBI.

The Scots, 32-10 overall and NCAC champions, are the third seed for an NCAA Div. III regional taking place at Terre Haute, Ind., this week. Wooster will play sixth-seeded Thomas More College (29-14) on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.