Webster's Mueller Named Central Region Pitcher of the Year; Nine Earn All-Region Honors

ST. LOUIS - Nine St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) baseball players have been named to the 2012 Rawlings/ABCA All-Central Region Team. Webster University's David Mueller was a First Team All-Region selection and also earned Central Region Pitcher of the Year honors. Gorloks head coach Bill Kurich was also named the Central Region Coach of the Year.

Mueller, a senior pitcher, posted an 8-3 record with a 1.94 ERA. He also recorded two saves, two shutouts and a team-high 111 strikeouts. It marks the third time that Mueller has earned All-Region honors, and he was also the SLIAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference.

It marks the first time that Kurich has been named Central Region Coach of the Year. He led Webster to a 36-14 record, which is the most wins in program history. Kurich also led the Gorloks to their first-ever Regional Championship and NCAA DIII World Series appearance, where they went 1-2.

Spalding University's Derek Ferch was named First Team All-Region at shortstop. He hit .388 at the plate with 54 hits, 27 RBI, 10 doubles, five triples and five home runs. Ferch, who was a First Team All-SLIAC selection, had a .640 slugging percentage, 12 stolen bases, 120 assists and 51 putouts for a .940 fielding percentage.

Webster's Tom Henke, Cody Stevenson, Alex Kazmierski and Cody Hafeli and Spalding's Bryan Clemmons and Tyler Brown were all named Second Team All-Central Region. Spalding's Taylor Reilly also received Third Team All-Central Region.

Henke, a first baseman, led Webster with a .395 batting average and 48 RBI. He compiled 75 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs and went 15-for-20 in stolen base attempts. Henke was also named the 2012 SLIAC Player of the Year and was First Team All-Conference.

Stevenson, an outfielder, hit .289 witha team-high seven triples. He recorded 52 hits, eight doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI and had an outstanding 59 stolen bases in 63 attempts. Stevenson was also First Team All-SLIAC this season.

Kazmierski, also an outfielder, went 53-of-161 at the plate for a .329 batting average. He had 14 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 34 RBI.  Kazmierski also earned First Team All-Conference honors.

Hafeli had a team-best 9-1 record on the mound this season. In 70.2 innings of work he had a 2.93 ERA and 40 strikeouts. Hafeli was Honorable Mention All-SLIAC this year.

Clemmons, a second baseman, led Spalding this season with a .406 batting average. He posted 52 hits, 32 RBI, 13 doubles, one triple and two home runs, while also going 16-of-21 in stolen base attempts. Clemmons was also First Team All-SLIAC.

Brown, a pitcher, went 9-2 on the mound with a 2.55 ERA in 81.1 innings pitched. He posted 12 starts and six complete games, and he finished the season with 51 strikeouts. Brown was a Honorable Mention All-Conference selection this season.

Reilly, also a pitcher, was 8-2 with a 2.85 ERA. He had a team-high 79 strikeouts in 79.0 innings of work, while also making a team-high 13 starts. Reilly also earned Second Team All-SLIAC.