Horizon League Announces 2018 #HLBase All-League Teams and Award Winners

May 22

Lance Rinker

INDIANAPOLIS — Wright State, UIC, and Northern Kentucky highlighted the #HLBase all-league and specialty awards as selected by the league’s head coaches. Wright State’s Gabe Snyder was voted Player of the Year, while a pair of UIC pitchers — Ryan Campbell and Charlie Cerny — were tabbed Pitcher of the Year and Relief Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Northern Kentucky slugger Griffin Doersching was selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year, and Wright State second-year head coach, Jeff Mercer, was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.

Wright State’s all-time leader for home runs and RBI, Snyder becomes the first Raider to be selected as Horizon League Player of the Year since Tristan Moore in 2012. In his final collegiate campaign, Synder posted a .360 batting average with 15 homers and 70 RBI this season — all league-leading marks. In 28 Horizon League contests, the redshirt senior clubbed 10 home runs and drove in 40 runs. His .685 slugging percentage is the top mark in the conference.

Among Horizon League pitchers with six or more wins, Campbell’s 1.69 ERA was the lowest mark of all. The senior right-hander recorded wins in seven of his 12 starts and recorded 63 strikeouts while issuing just 19 walks. A UIC pitcher has been named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year in three of the past four seasons.

Cerny, the third consecutive UIC player to be tabbed Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year, appeared in 20 games, with 16 of those appearances coming in relief. The junior right-hander finished the season ranked 10^th in the Horizon League with 55 strikeouts and 15^th in innings pitched (49.2). Cerny was one of only of only eight players, and the only reliever, to record five or more wins from the mound this season.

As a true freshman, Doersching was one of just three players in the Horizon League — alongside Snyder and Youngstown State’s Trey Bridis — to hit 13 or more home runs. Doersching batted .243 this season and finished fourth in the conference with 49 RBI. He is the first Northern Kentucky player to be named Horizon League Freshman of the Year.

In his second season with the Raiders, Mercer posted a .706 winning percentage to earn the league’s Coach of the Year award and help Wright State clinch its ninth regular-season title in program history. The Raiders recorded victories in 36 of their 51 contests, including five consecutive wins to close the regular season. Throughout two seasons, Mercer has led Wright State to a 43-15 record in Horizon League play and a 39-8 record at Nischwitz Stadium.

Player of the Year: Gabe Snyder (R-Sr.), Wright State
Pitcher of the Year: Ryan Campbell (Sr.), UIC
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Charlie Cerny (Jr.), UIC
Freshman of the Year: Griffin Doersching (Fr.), Northern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Jeff Mercer, Wright State

All-League First Team
C: Aaron Ackerman (R-So.), UIC
1B: Gabe Snyder (R-Sr.), Wright State
2B: Matt Morrow (Sr.), Wright State
3B: Ben Chally (Sr.), Milwaukee
SS: Chase Slone (Jr.), Wright State
LF: Will Haueter (R-Jr.), Northern Kentucky
CF: Trey Bridis (Sr.), Youngstown State
RF: Peyton Burdick (R-So.), Wright State
DH: Griffin Doersching (Fr.), Northern Kentucky
SP: Austin Schulfer (Sr.), Milwaukee
SP: Ryan Campbell (Sr.), UIC
SP: Ryan Weiss (R-So.), Wright State
RP: Charlie Cerny (Jr.), UIC

All-League Second Team
C: Tyler Bordner (Jr.), Milwaukee
1B: Chad Roberts (Sr.), Northern Kentucky
2B: Trevor Schwecke (So.), Milwaukee
3B: Seth Gray (So.), Wright State
SS: Jeff Wehler (Fr.), Youngstown State
LF: JD Orr (Jr.), Wright State
CF: Devin Rybacki (R-Jr.), Milwaukee
RF: Blaze Glenn (So.), Youngstown State
DH: Zane Harris (R-Fr.), Wright State
SP: Jake Lee (R-Sr.), Oakland
SP: Jacob Key (So.), UIC
SP: Collin Floyd (Jr.), Youngstown State
RP: Derek Hendrixson (R-Sr.), Wright State

All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school; ties not broken)
Zach Nogalski, Milwaukee
Patrick Tomfohrde, Milwaukee
Andrew Bacon, Northern Kentucky
Griffin Doersching, Northern Kentucky
Collin Hohman, Northern Kentucky
Mario Camilletti, Oakland
Ryan Lin-Peistrup, UIC
Quincy Hamilton, Wright State
Zane Harris, Wright State
Jakob Brustoski, Youngstown State
Nick LaBrasca, Youngstown State
Lucas Nasonti, Youngstown State
Jeff Wehler, Youngstown State

HORIZON LEAGUE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2018 Horizon League Baseball Championship will take place May 23-26, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Regionals. The Horizon League tournament will be played at Nischwitz Stadium on the campus of Wright State University. For more information regarding the tournament, visit the Championship Central page by clicking here.