Tiffin, Ohio – May 24, 2011 – The Heidelberg University baseball team has eight recipients on the 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Mideast Region Team that was announced today, May 24. It is the second straight season that the Berg has had eight honorees, which is also a program-best.
Earning a spot on the first team was Jason Lash (Strongsville, Ohio /Strongsville), Ricardo Lizcano (Toledo, Ohio / Roy C. Start) and Andy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll). The trio is now on the ballot for ABCA All-American accolades.
Landing on the second team was Nathan James (Rockport, Ind. / South Spencer), while Gar Keen (Sparta, Ohio / Highland), Willie Brechun (Canton, Ohio / Canton Central Catholic), Alex Monroe (Chagrin Falls, Ohio / Kenston) and Ethan Holt (Galion, Ohio / West Holmes) were named to the third team.
A trio of players also earned Golden Glove honors at their respective position for the Mideast Region. Earning Golden Gloves honors at second base was Keen, Lash was the short stop honoree, while Jordan Martin (Powell, Ohio / Olentangy Liberty) was tabbed the catcher honoree.
Picking up their fourth consecutive all-region honors is Lash and Lowe. Lash, a senior short stop, is a three-time (2008, 2010, 2011) first team recipient. His all-region honor joins his fourth straight All-Ohio Athletic Conference First Team Award and his spot on the Capital One Academic All-District IV First Team. Defensively, Lash was one of the top short stops in the nation. He was a part of 34 double plays and had a 160 assists and 84 put outs en route to a .961 fielding percentage.
Lowe is a senior closer and has set a new single season record for saves and a new NCAA Division III career saves record in his final campaign. Of his four all-region honors he landed on the first team on three occasions (2009, 2010, 2011).This season Lowe was also named to the All-OAC First Team and the Capital One Academic All-District IV Second Team.
Lizcano completed his second season as the starting right fielder for the Berg. He is picking up his second consecutive nod on the first team in the Mideast Region. A few weeks ago, Lizcano was named to the OAC First Team.
Earning his first all-region honor is James. He completed his final season on the mound for the Berg, where he was in his third season in the starting rotation. In his final campaign he also earned his first All-OAC honor, which went along with his spot on the Capital One Academic All-District IV Second Team.
For the third straight season Keen has landed on the Mideast Region postseason team. His third team honor joins his first team honor is 2009 and his second team accolade a season ago. In his final season he also was named to the All-OAC Second Team. In the field, Keen helped to turn 38 double plays and posted a .984 fielding percentage. He had 103 put outs and 145 assists on the year to earn him a Golden Glove nomination.
Another repeat all-region honoree is Brechun. A season ago he was named to the first team. A senior at the hot corner, Brechun is a four-year starter who also landed on the All-OAC First Team this season as well.
Monroe continued to add to his postseason athletic resume with his all-region honor. It was his first selection to the All-Mideast Region team for his career. It coincides with his All-OAC honors, as well as his Capital One Academic All-District IV Second Team accolades.
Rounding out the all-region honorees for the Berg is Holt. Holt completed his second straight season in the starting rotation for the Berg. He is picking up his second consecutive all-region honor and was also named to the All-OAC Second Team.
Martin, a sophomore back stop, recently completed his first season as the starting catcher for the Berg. He posted a .994 fielding percentage with 318 put outs and 38 assists with just two errors. He helped to turn two double plays and only had one passed ball on the year. Martin threw out 21 would-be base stealers.