Yellow Jackets Have Seven Named to All-HCAC Teams

GREENWOOD, IND.  --  Seven members of the Defiance College baseball team were recognized by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for their efforts this spring.  [All-HCAC Teams]

Junior Ben Weber (Troy/Lehman Catholic) and sophomore Dave Blanch (Alliston, Ont./Banting Memorial) were selected second-team All-HCAC.  Seniors, Chris Donese (Kettering/Fairmont), Joel Musser (Center Line, Mich./Center Line) and juniors Gary Levengood (Beverly Hills, Fla./Lecanto) and Ryan Kohlhofer (Walbridge/Lake) were tabbed honorable mention.  In addition, junior Chris Douglas (Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Western) was named to the All-HCAC Sportsmanship Team.

Weber started all 33 games he played in this season and finished second on the team in batting average at .310 (40-of-129).  His 40 hits were the third most on the team and had 10 multi-hit games, including a season-best three hits on four separate occasions.  He also hit one triple, six doubles, scored 16 runs and had 16 runs batted in.  Weber's six doubles tied him for third highest on the squad and his 16 runs and 16 RBI ranked fourth best.

Blanch started all eight games he appeared in and pitched one complete game.  He led the team in wins with four (4-2 overall), innings pitched at 50-and-a-third, strikeouts with 25 and earned runs average at 2.50.  His 2.50 ERA was also the second best average amongst HCAC pitchers.  Blanch posted a season-high seven strikeouts in a game against Mount St. Joseph and also had two more games where he tallied five punchouts.

Donese ended a solid four-year career with his second All-HCAC selection.  He was tabbed as a honorable mention pick as a sophomore.  This season, Donese started all 36 games and batted .288 at the plate (42-of-146) with one homerun, two triples, six doubles, 24 runs scored and 22 RBI.  He ranked second on the team in runs, hits and RBI.  Donese also tied for second in walks with 12.  He had 11 games with multiple hits, including a season-best five hits against Franklin (Ind.) College.

For his career, Donese played in 145 games and started all but two.  He finished with a .271 batting average with 152 hits in 561 at-bats to go along with three homeruns, three triples, 17 doubles, 90 runs scored and 74 RBI.  Defensively, Donese had 364 assists, becoming the program's all-time leader in the category.  He also ends his career as the all-time leader in at-bats (561).  In addition, Donese ranked in the top-10 all-time in hits (third), RBI (t-seventh), and runs scored (sixth),   

Musser also started every game he played in this season at 34.  He tallied 40 hits in 129 attempts to post a .294 batting average with 11 multi-hit games.  Musser also hit a triple, eight doubles and scored 25 runs.  His eight doubles and 25 runs were both second highest on the team.  Musser led the team in stolen bases with eight in 12 attempts.  In addition, Musser made two starts at pitcher and pitched a total of six innings with a pair of strikeouts.

In 113 career games, Musser had a .238 lifetime batting average (83-of-349) with two triples, 15 doubles, 57 runs scored and 32 RBI.  He also stole 24 bases in 34 attempts and had 43 career walks.  On the mound, Musser made seven career appearances, including five starts.  He pitched a total of 17 innings and had eight strikeouts.

Levengood started all 36 games and batted .289 (37-of-128) with a homerun, 10 doubles, 16 runs scored and 25 RBI.  His 25 RBI and 10 doubles led the team and he also led the team in walks with 17.  In addition, Levengood's 37 hits tied him for fourth on the team and had 10 games with multiple hits, including a four-hit outing against Transylvania (Ky.) University.  Defensively, Levengood had a .989 fielding percentage with 167 putouts, 17 assists and just two errors.

Kohlhofer played in all 36 games and started every game.  He led the team in batting average at .321 with a team-best 45 hits in 140 at-bats.  He also led the team in runs scored with 38 to go along with a homerun, two triples, eight doubles and 18 RBI.  Kohlhofer had 12 multi-hit games, including a sesaon-high five hits early in the season against Mitchell (Conn.) College and also had one four-hit game and three games with three hits.  In addition, Kohlhofer finished tied for second in stolen bases with seven.  Defensively, he led the team in assists with 106 and recorded 54 putouts.

Douglas was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team after a season that saw him make eight appearances, all in relief, and posted one save.  He pitched a total of eight complete innings and had four strikeouts.  Douglas had a season-high two strikeouts in his first appearance of the season against Rivier (N.H.) University in one inning pitched.