Branneky, Mosby, Fleming Honored As Top Players, Fuhler and Kurich Co-Coach of Year
Tyler Branneky, Ryan Mosby, and Josh Fleming took home top individual honors this year as awarded by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) coaches. In addition 2015 SLIAC Co-Coach of the Year goes to Justin Fuhler of MacMurray College and Bill Kurich of Webster University.
Tyler Branneky, from Westminster College, was a force with the bat all spring leading to his 2015 SLIAC Player of the Year award. Branneky, a junior infielder from St. Louis, Mo., finished in the top five in the SLIAC all three major offensive categories this season. During conference play Branneky hit .427 with six home runs and a conference high 36 runs batted in. He finished with an .840 slugging percentage and had eight multi-hit games during conference play. Branneky is the first Westminster player to take home SLIAC Player of the Year honors since 2001.
Ryan Mosby, a senior from Spalding, is just the second Golden Eagle be named SLIAC Pitcher of the Year; joining Tyler Brown who won in 2011. Mosby, from Louisville, Ky., recorded all six of his
wins this season during conference play, finishing with a 1.76 earned-run average and 35 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. Mosby was reliable on the mound for the Golden Eagles, leading the conference in innings pitched during SLIAC action and complete games with seven. He threw two two-hit games this spring and walked just eight batters in his seven starts.
Josh Fleming, a freshman pitcher from Webster University, is the 2015 SLIAC Newcomer of the Year. Fleming, from Columbia, Ill., flourished during conference play finishing with a 5-0 record on the mound and recording a 0.82 earned-run average, second lowest in the league. He struck out 49 batters while walking just three in 43.2 innings pitched and threw two complete game shutouts.
The 2015 Coach of the Year award is shared by MacMurray College's Justin Fuhler and Webster University's Bill Kurich. Fuhler guided MacMurray to a 17 win season, finishing in third place in the SLIAC East Division with a 9-13 conference record. This is Fuhler first Coach of the Year award and the first time a Highlander baseball coach has won the award since Tom Lenz in 1997. Kurich led Webster to the best record in the SLIAC this season with an 18-4 mark. The Gorloks finished the regular season with a 29-11 record and are nationally ranked as they head into the postseason. This marks the sixth time in his coaching career Kurich has been named Coach of the Year. This is just the second time in SLIAC history there has been Co-Coach of the Year winners.
In addition there was a three-way tie for the SLIAC Team Sportsmanhip Award; Iowa Wesleyan College, Principia College, and Webster University were named the conference's 2015 Team Sportsmanship Award which recognizes the team whose players, coaches and fans best exhibit the principles of good sportsmanship. The SLIAC also recognizes one individual from each team, selected by his coach and teammates, who throughout the season best displays the ideals of sportsmanship.
| SLIAC | First Team All-Conference | |
| Pos | Player | School |
| P | Isaac Behme |
Webster |
| P | Josh Fleming |
Webster |
| P | Ryan Mosby |
Spalding |
| C | Aaron Krummrich |
MacMurray |
| INF | Tyler Branneky |
Westminster |
| INF | Ben Greenway |
Fontbonne |
| INF | Jeff Kammer |
Webster |
| INF | Kyle Uhrich |
Webster |
| OF | Charlie Gandolfi |
Webster |
| OF | Matt Mokriakow |
Blackburn |
| OF | Dylan Rajkovich |
Webster |
| DH | Justin Katich |
Iowa Wesleyan |
| UT | Deion Hughes | Westminster |
| SLIAC | Second Team All-Conference | |
| Pos | Player | School |
| P | Jeff Burdett |
Iowa Wesleyan |
| P | Will Miller |
Westminster |
| P | Vince Santarsiero | Fontbonne |
| C | J.R. Belt |
Spalding |
| INF | Collin Antoine |
MacMurray |
| INF | Cam Backes |
Westminster |
| INF | Mike Golich |
Webster |
| INF | Matt Wollnik |
Webster |
| OF | Austin Drake |
Spalding |
| OF | Max Fecske |
Webster |
| OF | Tim Osborne |
Greenville |
| DH | Blake Thomas |
Webster |
| UT | Vinnie Birk | Blackburn |
| SLIAC |
Third Team |
|
| Pos | Player |
School |
| P | Nick Bifano |
Greenville |
| P | C.J. Lee |
Webster |
| P |
Kyle Olliges |
Spalding |
| C |
Trevor Montgomery |
Greenville |
| INF |
Ethan Boyer |
Fontbonne |
| INF |
Tim Chambliss |
Westminster |
| INF |
Dalton McFarland |
Greenville |
| INF |
Nick Passini |
Eureka |
| INF | Jared Storment | Greenville |
| OF |
Eddie Bargmann |
Principia |
| OF |
Nick Bohlmann |
Westminster |
| OF |
Eric Phillis |
MacMurray |
| DH |
Ryan Mosby |
Spalding |
| UT | Kory Vire |
Spalding |
| SLIAC | All-Sportsmanship Team | |
| Player | School | |
| Tyler Gosnell | Blackburn | |
| Steve Buttice |
Eureka | |
| Miguel Villegas |
Fontbonne | |
| Jason Collingwood |
Greenville | |
| Alex Payne |
Iowa Wesleyan | |
| Dillon Hodges |
MacMurray | |
| Dallen Russell |
Principia | |
| Blake Patterson |
Spalding | |
| Matt Wollnik |
Webster | |
| Tanner Branneky |
Westminster |
