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Delich Breaks Saves Record During 2008 Campaign
Hoch Is NAIA Region III Player Of The Year
Mustangs Rally To Win GPAC Tourney
Hoch Is GPAC Player Of The Year
Morrison Named GPAC Pitcher Of The Week
Hoch And Morrison Receive MVP Honors
Hoch Earns Region III And GPAC Player Of The Week Honors
Aschinger Is Pitcher Of The Week
 Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., was named to the honorable mention list of the 2008 NAIA All-America Baseball Team.
Hoch, the 2008 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and NAIA Region III Player of the Year, was one of the most improved hitters in the nation this season after he hit .232 last year as a freshman. This season he collected 54 hits in 133 at-bats for a .406 batting average with 11 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 50 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases.
Hoch led the Mustangs with his .406 batting average, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .759 slugging percentage. His 10 home runs was the third highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Click here for the complete 2008 NAIA All-America Baseball Team.
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Eric Delich |
Eric Delich, a senior relief pitcher from Lansing, Kan., broke the Morningside College single-season save record and the Mustangs tied a team record for doubles in a season in the Mustangs’ recently completed 2008 baseball campaign.
Delich had 10 saves this season to break the former Morningside standard of nine saves first set by Mike McCune in 1990 and matched by Josh Wheeler in 2001. Delich posted a 3-2 record with a 3.39 earned run average in 22 appearances out of the Mustangs’ bullpen.
As a team the Mustangs slugged 105 doubles this season to tie a team single-season record previously accomplished in 2005.
The Mustangs’ top doubles hitters were David Manceaux, a senior catcher from Omaha, Neb., and Nate Gomez, a junior first baseman from Cherokee, Iowa, who each slugged 16 doubles to share team honors. Manceaux also ranked second on the team with seven home runs and 39 RBIs and was one of five .300 hitters in the Mustangs’ lineup with a .326 batting average.
The Mustangs’ leader in most of the major offensive categories was Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., who was one of the most improved hitters in the nation following a 2007 rookie campaign where he hit just .232. All Hoch did this season was collect a team-high 54 hits in 133 at-bats to lead the Mustangs in hitting with a .406 batting average. Hoch slugged 11 doubles and three triples and topped the Mustangs with 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .759 slugging percentage. His 10 home runs was the third highest single-season total in Morningside history.
Tom Kohl, a senior outfielder from Leavenworth, Kan., batted .288 as the Mustangs’ leadoff hitter and led the team with 52 runs scored, four triples, and 15 stolen bases. His four triples was the fourth highest single-season total in Morningside history and his 52 runs scored ranked fifth in the college’s baseball annals. Kohl ranked second on the team with 31 base on balls for the fifth highest single-season walk total in Morningside history.
Lino Esparza, a junior outfielder from Santa Maria, Calif., led the Mustangs with 33 base on balls for the third highest walk total in Morningside history. Esparza batted .333 to rank second on the team in hitting and led the Mustangs with a .497 on-base percentage.
The Mustangs’ ace pitcher was Wade Morrison, a sophomore from Arroyo Grande, Calif., who had a 5-3 record and topped the team with a 2.42 earned run average. Morrison also led the Mustangs’ pitchers with 12 starts and 66.2 innings pitched.
Steven Aschinger, a freshman pitcher from Lake View, Iowa, had a 6-3 record with a 3.68 ERA and Gabe Shockman, a sophomore pitcher from Fargo, N.D., went 6-4 with a 4.89 ERA to share the team lead in victories.
Aschinger made 10 starts with a team-high three complete games.
Shockman had a team-high 61 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched for the fourth highest single-season strikeout total in Morningside history. Shockman also led the Mustangs with two shutouts and limited the opposition to a .241 batting average to top the team’s hurlers in that category as well.
Brad Donovan, a sophomore pitcher from Sioux Falls, S.D., was the top control artist on the Mustangs’ pitching staff by issuing only five base on balls in 34.2 innings pitched. Donovan was one of the Mustangs’ most effective relief pitchers with a 3-2 record, one save, and a 3.23 earned run average in 19 appearances.
Morningside was one of the most improved teams in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) this season by posting a 32-17 record following finishes of 22-23 and 12-30-1 over the previous two campaigns. The Mustangs won the GPAC’s post-season tournament championship to qualify for the NAIA Region III Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
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Bret Hoch |
Jason Wysong |
Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., has been named the 2008 NAIA Region III Baseball Player of the Year.
Hoch was the Mustangs’ leading hitter this season with 54 hits in 133 at-bats for a .406 batting average with 11 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 50 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. Aside from leading the Mustangs in batting average, Hoch also topped the Mustangs with his 10 home runs and 45 RBIs and with a .759 slugging percentage.
Hoch was one of the most improved hitters in the nation this season after he hit .232 last year as a freshman.
Morningside shortstop Jason Wysong, a junior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., was named to the 2008 NAIA Region III All-Gold Glove Team.
Wysong, a junior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., committed only six errors in 136 chances for a .956 fielding percentage. He had a .241 batting average with five doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 14 RBIs.
Morningside posted a 32-17 record during the 2008 season and won the Great Plains Athletic Conference’s (GPAC) post-season tournament to qualify for the NAIA Region III Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Click here for the complete 2008 NAIA All-Region III Team.
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Bret Hoch |
Wade Morrison |
Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year to headline the Mustangs’ selections on the 2008 All-GPAC Baseball Team as selected by the leagues’ head coaches.
Hoch is joined on the All-GPAC first-team by Wade Morrison, a sophomore pitcher from Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Hoch is the Mustangs’ leading hitter with 53 hits in 126 at-bats for a .421 batting average with 11 doubles, three triples, and a team-high nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Hoch also leads the Mustangs with a .770 slugging percentage, ranks second on the team with 48 runs scored, and has been successful on 11 of 13 stolen base attempts. He has hit .446 over the Mustangs’ last 33 games with 45 hits in 101 at-bats. Hoch’s best day of the season came in a double header sweep of Concordia University on April 20 when he went six-for-seven with a double, three home runs, and nine RBIs.
Morrison is the Mustangs’ ace pitcher with a 5-2 record and a 2.12 earned run average. He has allowed 58 hits in 62.2 innings with 32 base on balls and 41 strikeouts. Morrison has made 12 appearances, including 11 starts with one complete game. His complete game was a three-hit shutout of Briar Cliff University on April 26.
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David Manceaux |
Eric Delich |
In addition to their two first-team selections, the Mustangs placed David Manceaux and Eric Delich on the All-GPAC second-team.
Manceaux, a senior catcher from Omaha, Neb., is batting .331 with 16 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 36 RBIs. Manceaux leads the Mustangs with his 16 doubles for one of the highest single-season totals in Morningside history. He is two shy of the Morningside single-season record of 18 doubles by Juan Matta in 2002 and by Dalton Meyers and Chris Losett in 2005.
Delich, a senior relief pitcher from Lansing, Kan., has a 3-2 record with a 3.13 earned run average and a school-record 10 saves in 21 appearances. His 10 saves broke the former Morningside single-season record of nine saves by Mike McCune in 1990 and Josh Wheeler in 2001. Delich has allowed 31 hits in 31.1 innings pitched with 21 walks and 18 strikeouts.
Morningside’s Jason Engleman, Lino Esparza, Jared Noteboom, and Gabe Shockman were all named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.
Engleman, a junior third baseman-outfielder-catcher from Hawarden, Iowa, is hitting .329 with 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 30 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.
Esparza, a junior outfielder from Santa Maria, Calif., is hitting .340 with five doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs, and a team-high 30 base on balls. He leads the Mustangs with a .496 on-base percentage.
Noteboom, a sophomore second baseman from South Sioux City, Neb., is hitting .340 with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 15 RBIs. He has been hit by a pitch a team-high 13 times.
Shockman, a sophomore pitcher from Fargo, N.D., is the Mustangs’ co-leader in victories with a 6-3 record with a 4.20 earned run average. Shockman has allowed only 39 hits in 50 innings pitched and has limited the opposition to a .215 batting average. He also tops the Mustangs’ pitchers with 57 strikeouts and two shutouts. Shockman pitched a five-hit shutout against Dordt College on March 24 and twirled a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts against Doane College on April 15.
Morningside had two players named to the 2008 GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Baseball Gold Glove Team in outfielder Tom Kohl and shortstop Jason Wysong.
Kohl, a senior from Leavenworth, Kan., has made only two errors in 100 chances for a .980 fielding percentage. Kohl is batting .284 as the Mustangs’ leadoff hitter and leads the Mustangs with 49 runs scored.
Wysong, a junior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., has committed only four errors in 130 chances for a .969 fielding percentage. He has a .238 batting average.
Morningside won the GPAC’s post-season tournament championship in Hastings, Neb., last week to earn an automatic berth in this week’s NAIA Region III Tournament at Mayville, N.D. The Mustangs will take a 32-15 record into the tournament.
Click here for the complete 2008 All-GPAC Baseball Team.
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David Manceaux |
Lino Esparza |
Morningside staged a last inning rally to defeat Dakota Wesleyan University 6-4 and win the GPAC Baseball Tournament championship on Saturday at Hastings, Neb.
The Mustangs scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to battle back from a 4-3 deficit. Lino Esparza started the rally with a leadoff single. Bret Hoch was hit by a pitch and one out later David Manceaux drove in both runners with a triple to put the Mustangs in front 5-4. The Mustangs made it 6-4 when Nate Gomez drove in Manceaux with a sacrifice fly.
Dakota Wesleyan had defeated Morningside 7-2 earlier in the afternoon to force a second championship game in the double-elimination tournament. Morningside, the only remaining undefeated team going into Saturday’s action, had opened the day with a 5-3 victory against the University of Sioux Falls.
The GPAC Tournament title earned the Mustangs, 32-15, an automatic berth in next week’s NAIA Region III Tournament in Mayville, N.D.
Lino Esparza collected three singles to pace a 10-hit Mustang attack in their championship game victory. One of the hits was a RBI single that plated Tom Kohl in the top of the first inning for the game’s first run. Kohl had reached base on a leadoff triple. Morningside added a pair of unearned runs later in the inning with the help of two Dakota Wesleyan errors.
Aside from Esparza’s three hits, the Mustangs also received a multiple hit performance from Kohl, who had a triple and double.
Eric Delich was the winning pitcher with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Delich allowed one hit to go along with one walk and one strikeout.
Dakota Wesleyan ace Chris Baker pitched a complete game six-hitter in the first championship game. Baker blanked the Mustangs over the final six innings after he surrendered two runs on three hits in the opening inning.
Hoch had the biggest hit in the Mustangs’ first inning with a RBI double. Gomez added a double later in the game, while Esparza and Jason Engleman each had two singles.
Morningside scored all of its runs in the first three innings in its win against Sioux Falls. Hoch slugged a two-run home run in the first inning. Gomez had a RBI double and Nick Paulsen drove in a run with a single when the Mustangs scored three more runs in the third stanza.
Gomez had two doubles and Esparza had a pair of singles to lead the Mustangs’ hitters.
Jason Semprini allowed three runs on five hits over the first four innings to get the win. He walked two and struck out one. Dan Lipari allowed only one hit in a two-inning scoreless relief stint and Delich retired the Cougars in order in the seventh to pick up his school-record 10th save.
Sioux Falls Box
Dakota Wesleyan Game One Box
Dakota Wesleyan Game Two Box
 Wade Morrison, a sophomore pitcher from Arroyo Grande, Calif., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Pitcher of the Week for April 21-27.
Morrison pitched a three-hit shutout in the Mustangs’ 6-0 victory against Briar Cliff University on April 26. Morrison walked four and struck out three while hurling his first complete game of the season.
Morrison, who has not allowed an earned run in each of his last three starts, is the Mustangs’ ace with a 5-2 record and a 1.56 earned run average. He has allowed two earned runs or less in seven of his nine starts this season and has allowed more than three earned runs only once.
Morningside has won 15 of its last 18 games and will take a 27-14 record into this week’s GPAC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., received the Don Protexter Most Valuable Player Award; and Wade Morrison, a sophomore pitcher from Arroyo Grande, Calif., received the Eric Johnson Most Valuable Pitcher Award at Morningside College’s baseball awards banquet on Sunday.
Hoch is the Mustangs’ leading hitter with a .410 batting average with eight doubles, and a team-high three triples, seven home runs and 31 RBIs. He also leads the team with a .760 slugging percentage and ranks second on the team with a .446 on-base percentage.
Morrison is the Mustangs’ pitching ace with a 5-2 record and a 1.56 earned run average. Morrison has allowed 47 hits and walked 25 batters and struck out 36 in 54 innings. He has one complete game and one shutout in nine starts.
The Mustangs’ other award winners were:
Most Improved Players – Lino Esparza, Bret Hoch, Kyle Smith, Wade Morrison, and Joe Johnson
Defensive Player of the Year – Tom Kohl and Nate Gomez
Junior Varsity Most Valuable Player – Kyle Smith
Junior Varsity Most Valuable Pitcher – Rett Smith
Freshman of the Year – Steven Aschinger
Transfer of the Year – Lino Esparza
 Bret Hoch, a sophomore outfielder from South Sioux City, Neb., has been named the NAIA Region III and Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Baseball Player of the Week for April 14-20.
Hoch collected 12 hits in 25 at-bats for a .480 batting average last week. He slugged four home runs and had 13 RBIs to help lead the Mustangs to a 5-1.
He was especially impressive while leading the Mustangs to a doubleheader sweep of Concordia University on April 20. Hoch went six-for-seven with a double, three home runs, and nine RBIs in the two contests.
Hoch, currently riding a six-game hitting streak, is the Mustangs’ leading hitter with a .426 batting average. He also tops the team with two triples, seven home runs, 30 RBIs, and a .777 slugging percentage.
 Steven Aschinger, a freshman from Lake View, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and the NAIA Region III Baseball Pitcher of the Week.
Aschinger threw six shutout innings against NCAA Division II St. Cloud State University in the Mustangs’ 3-1 triumph last Saturday. Aschinger, who departed after the sixth, allowed only two hits against the Huskies. He walked one and struck out five.
Aschinger, a prep all-stater at Wall Lake View Auburn High School last summer, has a 2-0 record with a 2.19 earned run average in three starts so far this season.
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