Specialty Award Winners, All-MAC Baseball Teams Announced
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - Ball State junior Kolbrin Vitek, the 2010 MAC Player of Year highlights the 30-player all-conference squad that was announced today by the league office in conjunction with the MAC Tournament (May 26-29). Central Michigan's Jesse Hernandez was named MAC Pitcher of the Year, while Toledo skipper Cory Mee was chosen as Coach of the Year. In addition, Central Michigan relief pitcher Dietrich Enns was named the MAC's Freshman of the Year. The league's 12 head coaches conducted the voting for the 15-member first and 15-member second All-MAC teams.
Vitek becomes the sixth Ball State all-time to receive the honor and the first since Brad Snyder garnered the accolade in 2003. Vitek has already been named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List for the nation's top player and the John Olerud Award Watch List for the nation's top two-way player. He leads the MAC in runs scored (71), is second in home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.718) and is third in RBI (68) while also leading the MAC on the mound with a 3.27 ERA. He is batting a team-high .368 on the season and has tallied a team-high 81 hits, including 20 doubles. Vitek, a preseason All-American selection, has been equally impressive on the mound as he has a 3-4 record as a weekend starter and has posted two saves on the year in a team-high 74.1 innings of work. In league action, he has a 3-2 record with two saves and lowers his team-best ERA to 2.72 in 53.0 innings of work while averaging 7.47 strikeouts per game.
CMU'S Hernandez paced the Chippewa rotation with a 6-1 MAC record, tied for the most wins in league play, and the third-best ERA among starting pitchers in league games at 3.48. The senior right-hander went 8-2 overall in 2010 with a 4.07 ERA and tossed a complete-game shutout against Eastern Michigan in the season's final weekend to help the Chippewas earn their 12th MAC championship. Hernandez needs just one win to become the 15th player in program history to win at least nine games in a season.
Central Michigan's Enns led the MAC in conference ERA (1.23), batting average against (.168) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.82) with a 4-0 record. His 1.37 overall ERA ranks fifth in the nation and his 4.95 hits per nine innings leads the nation and helped him post an unblemished 6-0 record entering the MAC Tournament.
Toledo' Mee has led the Rockets to one of the best seasons in school history this season. The Rockets have registered their first 30-win season since 1999 campaign and UT's 33 wins this year are tied for third most in school history, one behind the 1977 squad's 34-win total. Toledo's 19-8 (.704) MAC record this season is the Rockets' best conference mark since posting a 23-9 (.719) ledger in the 1999 campaign and UT's 19 MAC wins are the second-most league wins in school history. Toledo has finished in second place in the MAC's West Division each of the last two seasons The only other time the Rockets have finished second or better in the West was a runner-up showing in 1999.
A complete list of this year's All-MAC Teams/Specialty Award Winners is listed below...
MAC Player of the Year - Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State, 2B/P
MAC Pitcher of the Year - Jesse Hernandez, Central Michigan, RHP
MAC Freshman of the Year - Dietrich Enns, Central Michigan, LHP
MAC Coach of the Year - Cory Mee, Toledo
2010 MAC Baseball All-MAC First Team
C- Zach Dygert, Ball State
1B- Nate Theunissen, Central Michigan
2B- Brad Agustin, Buffalo
3B-Joe Corfman, Toledo
SS- Jon Berti, Bowling Green
OF-Anthony Gallas, Kent State
OF- Gauntlett Eldemire, Ohio
OF- Robbert Maddox III, Ohio
SP- Jesse Hernandez, Central Michigan
SP-Perci Garner, Ball State
SP-Kevin Leady, Bowling Green
SP- Kendall Lewis, Eastern Michigan
RP- Dietrich Enns, Central Michigan
DH-Matt Delewski, Toledo
Utility -Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State
2010 MAC Baseball All-MAC Second Team
C- John Turk, Akron
1B- Ian Nielsen, Ball State
2B- Evan Campbell, Kent State
3B-Travis Shaw, Kent State
SS-Jared Hoying, Toledo
OF-T.J. Blanton, Bowling Green
OF- Adam Eaton, Miami
OF-Chris Dudics, Toledo
SP-Robert Sabo, Kent State
SP- David Starn, Kent State
SP- Matt Suschak, Toledo
SP-Mike Hamann, Toledo
RP-Trent Howard, Central Michigan
DH-Matt Pitzullo, Bowling Green
Utility -- Derek Spencer, Bowling Green
