EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Wednesday that Kentucky Wesleyan College senior centerfielder Jordan White has been named the 2012 GLVC Player of the Year for baseball. White was selected by the conference coaches and recognized for his efforts at an awards banquet that preceded the 2012 GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament, which begins on Thursday in Evansville, Ind. In addition to White, University of Indianapolis’ Donovan Drake and Gary Vaught were named the GLVC Pitcher and Coach of the Year, respectively, while Maryville redshirt freshman outfielder Andrew Naegeli was tabbed as the league’s Freshman of the Year. A total of 67 student-athletes from both the GLVC East and West Divisions were also recognized as All-Conference honorees.
White is the first-ever KWC baseball standout to be named GLVC Player of the Year and just the second to earn a major postseason conference award, as Rick Wood was honored as the league’s Tri-Freshman of the Year in 2001. In starting all 49 games for the Panthers this year, White hit .402 at the plate with 75 hits, 19 doubles, six home runs and two triples in addition to registering 33 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. The Leitchfield, Ky., native amassed 116 total bases on the season, slugging at a .624 clip and boasting an on-base percentage of .420 in 186 plate appearances. A third-team All-Conference honoree in 2010 and a first-team selection last year, White was one of two outfielders to be unanimously selected to the East Division first team this season.
Drake is the first Indianapolis hurler to be named as the league’s Pitcher of the Year and only the fourth Greyhound player to earn a major postseason conference honor, as UIndy picked up Freshman of the Year honors in 1996, 2001 and 2008. A native of Whiteland, Ind., Drake owns a 7-1 record on the year with a league-leading 1.20 ERA, which ranks eighth nationally in Division II. He has thrown six complete games and five shutouts on the season, and recently picked up GLVC Pitcher of the Week honors after fanning 18 batters in a two-hit shutout over Southern Indiana on April 27. Currently, Drake ranks first in the conference in shutouts (5), second in opposition batting average (.192), third in complete games (6) and strikeouts (79), and fourth in wins (7). Drake was also unanimously selected Wednesday as one of four first-team All-GLVC East Division pitchers.
Naegeli has faced quite the adversity en route to his Freshman of the Year honor. A sophomore in the classroom, Naegeli had surgery on his right shoulder in May 2010 and was prepared to open his freshman campaign with the Saints in 2011. In the first game of the season, he reinjured his shoulder and missed the remainder of the year. Naegeli was granted a medical hardship waiver last season and returned in 2011-12 for his first season on the field with the Saints. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Naegeli hit .394 in 160 plate appearances this past year – an average that ranked third overall in the conference. The West Division second-team selection, who is also Maryville’s first GLVC Freshman of the Year honoree for baseball, posted 63 hits, six doubles and a triple, as well as 30 runs scored and 15 RBIs during the regular season.
Vaught claims the second GLVC Coach of the Year award of his 18-year career at UIndy, as the Greyhound mentor was also recognized by his peers in 2001. Indianapolis earned the 2012 GLVC East Division title and the No. 1 seed for this week’s GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament, following a regular season that saw the Greyhounds go 37-13 overall and 26-8 in league play. In addition to Drake, Vaught guided 10 standouts to either first- or second-team All-Conference honors this year.
A total of nine players were voted unanimously by the coaches as first-team All-Conference selections. Drake and White were joined on the East Division team by Lewis senior outfielder Mike Bolling and Bellarmine junior pitcher Kyle Grana. On the West Division team, Rockhurst junior outfielder Patrick Chandler, senior first baseman Ryan Porter, and junior hurler Mark Sappington joined Missouri S&T senior outfielder Lee Voth-Gaeddert and senior designated hitter Andy Hall as unanimous first-team selections.
A complete list of the 2012 GLVC All-Conference honorees follows:
FIRST-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Phil Smith, Jr., NKU
2B – John Brennan, Sr., UWP
SS – Brad Vance, Sr., USI
3B – Tyler O’Daniel, Jr., UINDY
C – Nick Whitty, Jr., UINDY
OF – Jordan White, Sr., KWC#
OF – Mike Bolling, Sr., LEWIS#
OF – Ben Albano, So., LEWIS
OF – Andrew Brauer, Sr., LEWIS
DH – Scott Mourey, Sr., UINDY
UT – Jon Wandling, So., KWC
SP – Kyle Grana, Jr., BU#
SP – Donovan Drake, Sr., UINDY#
SP – JaVaun West, Sr., UINDY
SP – Eric Meyerchick, Sr., SJC
RP – Brett Loeding, Jr., NKU
SECOND-TEAM EAST DIVISION
1B – Kal Scheler, Sr., BU*
1B – Jake Hartley, Jr., UINDY*
2B – Scott Lawley, Jr., UINDY
SS – Michael Page, Sr., UINDY
3B – Jake Roberts, Jr., SJC
C – Kyle Roden, Sr., BU
OF – Nate Koontz, Sr., UINDY
OF – Matt Maringer, Sr., UINDY
OF – Max Colaner, Sr., NKU
OF – B.J. Willis, Jr., USI
DH – Kyle Kapka, So., LEWIS
UT – Mike Schroeder, Jr., LEWIS*
UT – Brad Clement, Jr., NKU*
SP – Phil Forbis, Jr., BU
SP – Pat Lahey, Sr., LEWIS
SP – Mike Nastold, Jr., NKU
SP – Scott Cole, Sr., USI
RP – Justin Strohmeier, Jr., BU
FIRST-TEAM WEST DIVISION
1B – Ryan Porter, Sr., RU#
2B – Brett Neill, Jr., DU
SS – Caleb Cole, So., DU
3B – Scott Bradbury, Sr., RU
C – T.J. Dailey, Sr., RU
OF – Lee Voth-Gaeddert, Sr., MS&T#
OF – John Pilackas, Jr., UMSL
OF – Aaron Priestes, Jr., QU
OF – Patrick Chandler, Jr., RU#
DH – Andy hall, Sr., MS&T#
UT – Drake Austin, Jr., QU
SP – Will Landsheft, So., DU
SP – Zach Gronek, Sr., MS&T
SP – Jeremy Butler, Sr., UMSL
SP – Mark Sappington, Jr., RU#
RP – Harry Dunsford, Jr., MS&T
SECOND-TEAM WEST DIVISION
1B – Colton Jones, Jr., DU*
1B – Curran Collins, Sr., QU*
2B – Tyler Gans, So., RU
SS – Clint Wobbe, So., MS&T
3B – Trevor Nathanson, Jr., UMSL
C – Josh Caffery, Sr., MS&T
OF – Matt Borgschulte, Jr., DU
OF – Maury Wilmes, Sr., DU
OF – Nathan Blessman, Sr., UIS
OF – Andrew Naegeli, Fr., MU
DH – Taylor Holman, Jr., UMSL
UT – Charlie Mohr, Jr., UMSL
SP – Kyle Robertson, Jr., MS&T
SP – Mark Himmelberg, Sr., RU
SP – Matt McDaniel, Jr., QU
SP – Josh Tols, Jr., RU
RP – Brian Thompson, Sr., QU
2012 GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jordan White, Sr., Kentucky Wesleyan
2012 GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Donovan Drake, Sr., Indianapolis
2012 GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Andrew Naegeli, Maryville
2012 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Gary Vaught, Indianapolis
# Indicates Unanimous Selection
* Indicates Tie in Voting