INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced Wednesday that Quincy University senior outfielder Ryan Synder has been named the unanimous GLVC Player of the Year for the 2016 season, while Bellarmine University sophomore Hunter Spencer was selected as GLVC Pitcher of the Year. The two conference standouts were selected by the league coaches and recognized for their efforts at an awards reception that preceded the 2016 GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament, which begins on Thursday in Westfield, Indiana. In addition, University of Indianapolis newcomer Kyle Ofloff was tabbed as GLVC Freshman of the Year and Missouri S&T head coach Todd DeGraffenreid was recognized by his peers as GLVC Coach of the Year. A total of 67 student-athletes from both the GLVC East and West Divisions were also recognized as All-Conference honorees.
Snyder earned the respect of each conference coach in the postseason voting after finishing a regular season in which he led the GLVC in batting average (.458), hits (82), runs scored (66), runs batted in (78), home runs (19) and total bases (162), while ranking second in doubles (19). In conference games only, the St. Louis, Missouri native paced the league at the plate (.470) as well as in runs (37), hits (47), RBI (36) and home runs (11). His .905 slugging percentage and .530 on-base percentage also ranked first in the GLVC. Among all NCAA Division II players, Synder ranks second in RBI, third in slugging percentage, fourth in total bases, seventh in batting average, eighth in home runs, ninth in runs scored, 12th in on-base percentage and 25th in hits. He has started in each of the 49 games played this season, helping Quincy to a 35-14 mark overall and an 18-10 record in league play, which earned the Hawks the West Division’s No. 2 seed in this week’s GLVC Baseball Championship Tournament. Snyder is the fifth Hawk to ever earn the league’s top honor and the first since Nick Tindall was recognized as the GLVC’s best player in 2013.
Spencer paced the GLVC on the mound with a 6-2 mark overall and a 1.89 earned run average, a mark that also rates 15th in NCAA Division II. He appeared in 13 contests, starting eight games, and going the distance in four of those outings. In 66.2 innings pitched, he ranked first in the conference in runs allowed (18), tied for first in earned runs allowed (14), and tied for fourth in hits allowed (56). In per-game averages, he rated first in runs allowed (2.43), second in hits allowed (7.56), and 10th in walks allowed (1.76). The Scottsburg, Indiana native also held the opposition to a .225 batting average, which ranked second in the league. He is the second Knight to earn GLVC Pitcher of the Year as Michael Thompson was honored in 2009. The award was first established in 2002.
Orloff was selected by the coaches as the league’s top freshman after compiling a .344 batting average in 157 plate appearances, where he registered 54 hits, 14 doubles, five home runs, and 50 RBI with 29 runs scored. His 50 RBI ranked fifth in the GLVC this season. The Greyhound infielder started in 43 of the 45 games this year, and was also recognized as a first-team All-GLVC honoree at the utility position. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Orloff becomes the fourth Greyhound to be named GLVC Freshman of the Year and the first since Chris Sarroff in 2008.
DeGraffenreid becomes the first S&T skipper to earn GLVC Coach of the Year, having just guided the Miners to the outright West Division title on the heels of six straight wins. With a 34-15 overall record, which includes a 19-9 mark in league play, the Miners enter the conference tournament ranked third in the GLVC in both hitting and pitching, as they boast a .312 team batting average and a team earned run average of 4.02. DeGraffenreid, now in his 13th season at S&T, mentored two Miners to first-team All-GLVC accolades in junior outfielder Eli Miller and senior pitcher Aaron Bedsworth, as well as four second-team honorees in sophomore catcher Justus Nelson, sophomore pitcher Dan Borek, junior pitcher Ethan Krenning, and senior pitcher senior outfielder Tyler Bodenstab.
The East Division First and Second Teams, as well as the West First Team, are made up of 16 players, while ties in the voting extended the West Second Team to 19 selections. Six players were named unanimous selections to their positions on the first team, including Southern Indiana senior outfielder Kyle Kempf and UW-Parkside junior designated hitter Kyohei Makita from the East, and Quincy’s Snyder, junior first baseman David Jacob, and senior utility standout Justin Blechle, along with William Jewell junior catcher Garrett McKinzie from the West.
The league also recognized 16 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced next week.
A complete list of All-GLVC performers and major postseason award winners can be found below.
2016 GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RYAN SNYDER, SR., OF, QUINCY
2016 GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Hunter Spencer, So., SP, Bellarmine
2016 GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Kyle Orloff, UT, Indianapolis
2016 GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Todd DeGraffenreid, Missouri S&T
FIRST TEAM ALL-GLVC – EAST DIVISION
Cole Metcalfe, Sr., 3B, BU
Hunter Spencer, So., SP, BU
Jes Staples, Sr., OF, BU
Trey Hannam, Jr., OF, UIS
Anthony Asalon, Sr., 2B, UINDY
Colin Hawk, Sr., 1B, UINDY
Matt Kaplanis, Sr., SP, UINDY
Kyle Orloff, Fr., UT, UINDY
Dylan Stutsman, So., RP, UINDY
Zach Aring, Jr., SP, SJC
Brendan Rivera, Jr., OF, SJC
Ryan Bertram, Sr., USI
KYLE KEMPF, SR., OF, USI
Kyle Niemeier, Sr., SS, USI
Tyler Jandron, So., SP, UWP
KYOHEI MAKITA, JR., DH, UWP |
FIRST TEAM ALL-GLVC – WEST DIVISION
Zack Ruckman, So., 2B, MU
Eli Miller, Jr., OF, S&T
Aaron Bedsworth, Sr., SP, S&T
Kurt McGuire, Sr., SP, UMSL
Austin Simokaitis, Sr., RP, UMSL
JUSTIN BLECHLE, SR., UT, QU
Matt Hilmes, So., DH, QU
DAVID JACOB, JR., 1B, QU
Brandon Ley, Sr., SP, QU
Dominic Miles, Jr., OF, QU
RYAN SNYDER, SR., OF, QU
Seth Soto, Jr., 3B, RU
David Stober, Jr., OF, RU
Nick Agliolo, Jr., SS, TSU
Austin Kretchmar, Sr., SP, WJC
GARRETT MCKINZIE, JR., C, WJC |
| |
|
SECOND TEAM ALL-GLVC – EAST DIVISION
Austin Warner, Sr., SP, BU
Jason Galeano, JR., DH, UIS
John Sechen, Fr., C, UIS*
Alex Ritchie, Sr., C, UINDY*
Jake Shaw, Jr., SP, UINDY
Joe Trennepohl, Sr., UINDY
Brandon Collins, Jr., OF, LEWIS
Sam Cybulski, So., SS, LEWIS
Austin Mastela, Sr., OF, LEWIS
Joe Sparacio, Sr., 1B, LEWIS
Neal Tyrell, So., 2B, LEWIS
Hamilton Carr, Sr., OF, USI
TJ Decker, Sr., RP, USI
Trent Gunn, Sr., 3B, USI
Drake McNamara, So., UT, USI
Colin Nowak, Jr., SP, USI
Devin Williams, Jr., SP, USI
|
SECOND TEAM ALL-GLVC – WEST DIVISION
Robbie Gordon, Sr., SP, MU
Dalton Schumer, So., SS, MU*
Tyler Bodenstab, Sr., OF, S&T
Dan Borek, So., SP, S&T
Ethan Krenning, Jr., RP, S&T
Justus Nelson, So., C, S&T*
Justin Busekrus, Sr., OF, UMSL
Jose Ortiz, Sr., OF, UMSL
Nick Ulrey, Jr., C, UMSL*
Brynn Martinez, So., SS, QU*
Jake Peterson, Sr., SP, QU
Jake Walters, Jr., 2B, QU
Michael Lydon-Lorson, Jr., SP, RU
Joey Mancuso, Gr., C, RU*
Brandon Mikulka, Gr., DH, RU
Henry Weiler, So., UT, RU
David Gambino, Jr., 1B, TSU
TJ Wood, Sr., OF, TSU
Andrew Miller, Sr., 3B, WJC
|
UNANIMOUS SELECTION IN ALL CAPS
*Members due to a tie
2016 JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD NOMINEES
Joe Patzelt, BU
Matt Diekemper, DU
Gabe Acevedo, UIS
Matt Kaplanis, UINDY
Joe Sparacio, LEWIS
Troy Payton, MU
Isaac Fisher, MCK
Tyler Bodenstab, S&T
Jose Ortiz, UMSL
Brynn Martinez, QU
Brett Marr, RU
Josh Bynum, SJC
Hamilton Carr, USI
Peter Young, TSU
Jake Kolasinski, UWP
Billy Kirkpatrick, WJC