2019 Baseball All-Conference Release
Two of the best hitters in the history of Hillsdale College baseball were recognized for their incredible production Wednesday night.
Seniors Colin Boerst and Steven Ring were each named First-Team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference following the completion of the 2019 regular season. The awards were presented at the postseason banquet, held in Ohio on the eve of the conference tournament.
Junior Jake Hoover and sophomore James Krick picked up Second-Team All-Conference honors, while seniors Christian Rodino and Jonathan Lapshan were named honorable mention All-Conference.
Boerst, the team's starting third baseman, displayed a combination of speed and power that made him an elite player at this level throughout his career. He finished his senior season with a .367 batting average, 10 home runs, 33 runs batted in, 41 runs scored and 24 walks. He had a streak of seven straight multi-hit games from April 9-18. His 10 home runs contributed to the team's school and conference-record 78 home runs on the season.
This was the second time in the past three years Boerst has been named First-Team All-Conference.
Speaking of home runs, well, Steven Ring stands alone. He obliterated school career records in home runs with 53 and runs batted in with 191. He was the G-MAC regular season home run champ with a single-season school record of 18, and he drove in 58 runs, fifth-most in a season in school history. His .764 slugging percentage was the second-best mark in school history.
Hoover enjoyed his best offensive season in 2019, batting .370 with 10 home runs, 33 runs batted in and 70 total hits. Only six other players in school history have racked up 70 hits in a season. But Hoover was more than just a powerful bat at the top of the order. He fielded his position at a magnificent level, displaying a strong arm, pro-level ball-glove exchange quickness and range that saw him make diving catches in the mid-level portion of the outfield on a regular basis. Not the type of defense that can be adequately conveyed in a box score, but one that left jaws dropping among spectators of Charger games on a regular basis.
This was the second straight All-Conference nod for Krick, who became one of the most valuable and versatile players on the roster in 2019. He set single-season career-highs across all offensive categories, batting .338 with 10 home runs, 36 runs batted in and 24 runs scored. He also made six appearances on the mound, going 2-0 with 7 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.
Lapshan led the pitchingn staff with four wins and was remarkably consistent and accurate throughout the season. Rodino took over the starting center field position and was spectacular, both offensively and defensively. He batted a career-high .316 with 4 home runs, 29 runs batted in, 26 runs scored and 37 total hits.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews