PAC releases 2016 All-Conference baseball teams, award winners

PAC releases 2016 All-Conference baseball teams, award winners

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GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its 2016 All-PAC Baseball teams and annual award winners Tuesday.

The All-PAC Baseball teams and award winners were determined by a vote of the league's nine head coaches.

Thiel College senior pitcher/outfielder Matt Elko (Middlefield, Ohio / Berkshire) was selected as the PAC Player of the Year, while Waynesburg University senior right-hander Brian Resnik (Burgettstown, Pa. / Burgettstown) captured his second-straight PAC Pitcher of the Year award.

Thomas More College 16th-year head coach Jeff Hetzer was named the PAC Coach of the Year, the third league coach of the year award of his career.

Elko is the fifth Thiel player to collect PAC Player of the Year honors. He led the PAC in earned-run average (1.96) and opponent batting average (.191) and tied for first in shutouts (2). He was second in strikeouts (72) and tied for sixth in innings pitched (59.2), finishing the season 5-2 with a save in 10 starts (11 appearances). On the most recent NCAA Division III national ranking summary (March 13), Elko’s averages of 10.86 strikeouts per nine innings and 6.34 hits allowed per nine innings ranked 25th and 30th, respectively. He finishes his career as the all-time strikeout leader in Thiel history (243) while his 72 strikeouts this year established a new program single-season record. 

Offensively, he led the league in batting average (.423, 55-for-130) and average with two outs (.500) and was second in average with runners in scoring position (.466). He strung together an 18-game hitting streak (March 22-April 17), the fourth longest in program history, and finished the season with eight doubles, two triples, a home run, 36 runs scored and 23 RBIs while going 6-for-8 in stolen base attempts. His 55 hits and 36 runs scored were tied for ninth-best among PAC counterparts.

Resnik started 12 games this season for the Yellow Jackets, posting a 7-4 record with a 2.83 ERA. He logged a PAC-high 82.2 innings and league-best 86 strikeouts, including a PAC season-high 15 in a 16-7 win against Gordon College on March 5, to go along with a PAC-best nine complete games. His seven victories tied for third in the circuit while his .233 opponent batting average ranked fourth among conference counterparts.  

In a 7-0 shutout against league rival Westminster College on May 8, Resnik became the league’s all-time wins leader with 29, which was also the senior’s 29th complete game of his career. In 47 career starts (52 appearances) he went 29-15 with a 2.97 ERA and 264 strikeouts.  

Hetzer led Thomas More to this year’s best regular-season mark, and after rallying from a 3-2 sixth inning deficit with a pair of runs in the eighth, the top-seeded Saints downed third-seeded Washington & Jefferson College 4-3 in the title game of the PAC Championship Tournament Sunday at Thomas More Field. The league championship is Thomas More’s fourth (2010-11, 2014, 2016). Thomas More (30-10), a Pool A qualifier after securing the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championship, will play Emory University (30-10), a Pool B, at-large qualifier, on Wednesday in the first round of the double-elimination South regional, which is being hosted by Berry College at William R. Bowdoin Field in Mount Berry, Georgia.

2016 Awards
PAC Player of the Year: Thiel College pitcher/outfielder Matt Elko (Middlefield, Ohio / Berkshire)
PAC Pitcher of the Year: Waynesburg University senior Brian Resnik (Burgettstown, Pa. / Burgettstown)
PAC Coach of the Year: Thomas More College head coach Jeff Hetzer
PAC Team Sportsmanship Award: Bethany College and 26th-year head coach Rick Carver
 
2016 All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Teams
First Team
Position Name Class School Hometown / High School
C Derek Helbing Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Pataskala, Ohio / Watkins Memorial
C Dan Koller Sr. Thiel College Euclid, Ohio / Lake Catholic
1B Matt Bensinger Sr. Waynesburg University Shoemakersville, Pa. / Hamburg Area
1B Donovan Pogue Sr. Thomas More College Sharonville, Ohio / St. Xavier
1B Trent Smith Sr. Thiel College Franklin, Pa. / Franklin
1B Matt Waugaman Jr. Grove City College Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny
2B Ben Laumann So. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills
OF Ben Kenning Jr. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / Elder
OF Casey Metzger Jr. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills
OF Bryan Mitchell Jr. Thiel College Cleveland, Ohio / Padua Franciscan
OF Nick Vento Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional
UT Matt Elko Sr. Thiel College Middlefield, Ohio / Berkshire
P John Bini Fr. Grove City College Staten Island, N.Y. / Xaverian
P Riley Groves Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Louisville, Ohio / Louisville
P Brian Resnik Sr. Waynesburg University Burgettstown, Pa. / Burgettstown
Second Team
Position Name Yr. School Hometown / High School
C Andy Fritz Jr. Grove City College Saxonburg, Pa. / Knoch
2B JC Ackerman Sr. Geneva College Lewis Center, Ohio / Worthington Christian
2B Ben Webb Sr. Saint Vincent College Greensburg, Pa. / Greensburg Central Catholic
SS David Laylock Jr. Grove City College Mars, Pa. / Pine-Richland
SS Zack Miller Jr. Bethany College West Mifflin, Pa. / West Mifflin
SS Michael Ruffing Sr. Washington & Jefferson College Brunswick, Ohio / St. Ignatius
3B Sean Coyne Jr. Westminster College New Castle, Pa. / New Castle
OF Joey Luciana So. Geneva College Oakmont, Pa. / St. Joseph
OF Josh Hausler Jr. Waynesburg University Califon, N.J. / Voorhees
UT Greg Martin So. Saint Vincent College Irwin, Pa. / Hempfield Area
P Tim Baldrick Sr. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / Elder
P Kevin Forrester Jr. Thiel College Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan
P Trevor Kerr Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Orrville, Ohio / Orrville
P Jaden Nozicka Sr. Thiel College Portage, Mich. / Portage Central
P Ken Ruberg Jr. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle
Honorable Mention
Position Name Yr. School Hometown / High School
C Sam Hauer Fr. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / Elder
2B Josh Doody Sr. Thiel College Grove City, Pa. / Grove City
2B Adam LaRue Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Imperial, Pa. / West Allegheny
2B Tyler Reis Fr. Waynesburg University Pittsburgh, Pa. / Penn Hills
SS Daniel Patrice Fr. Thiel College Munich, Germany / ESIT
SS Andy Santana Sr. Geneva College San Pedro de Marcoris, DR / Desert Christian
3B Bailey Abbatiello So. Thomas More College Cincinnati, Ohio / LaSalle
3B Micah Burke Fr. Grove City College Gilbert, Ariz. / East Valley Athletes for Christ
3B Kevin Marthinsen Fr. Bethany College Pittsburgh, Pa. / Upper St. Clair
OF Tyler Godwin So. Waynesburg University Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette
OF Tyler Graham So. Grove City College Vandergrift, Pa. / Kiski Area
DH Travis Royer Sr. Grove City College Forest, Va. / Twin Valley
UT Frank Fortunato Jr. Washington & Jefferson College Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan
P Ryan Bisi Sr. Bethany College Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe
P Luke Carter Jr. Waynesburg University Saegertown, Pa. / Saegertown
P Dave Culeton Jr. Saint Vincent College Oswego, N.Y. / Oswego
P Adam Ruwe Fr. Thomas More College Park Hills, Ky. / Covington Catholic
P Bryce Schnatterly So. Washington & Jefferson College Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley
P Riley Schwertz Sr. Thiel College Zelienople, Pa. / Freedom