Three Teams Snap Up GLVC Baseball Postseason Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University senior second basemen Mikey Kocen, Flyers senior pitcher Brendan Lawry, Missouri S&T freshman second baseman Bricen Smith, Maryville University freshman second baseman Jace Burton and Lewis University head coach Mike Vucsko have earned major postseason awards for the 2025 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Baseball season, the league office announced on Tuesday.
 
Kocen claimed Player of the Year, Lawry took home Pitcher of the Year, Smith and Burton garnered Co-Freshman of the Year, and Vucsko was dubbed Coach of the Year by his peers. In total, 51 student-athletes claimed All-Conference honors, while 15 were chosen as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honorees for the sport and Lincoln University was named the team sportsmanship award winner.
 
The All-Conference awards are nominated and voted on by league coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Player of the Year: Mikey Kocen, Senior, Second Base, Lewis

• Named the seventh Flyer to win GLVC Player of the Year
  • Unanimously chosen
• Led league in GLVC-only games through 118 at-bats for batting average (.449), slugging percentage (.992), on-base plus slugging (1.516), home runs (17), RBI (48), total bases (117), and runs scored (46), second in league-only games in hits (53), and fifth in doubles (11).
• Recorded the best mark in the league for slugging percentage (.877), on-base plus slugging (1.396), and runs scored (59), ranking second in batting average (.427), on-base percentage (.519), hits (73), RBI (58), and home runs (18), and third in triples (4).
• Started in 48 games for the Flyers.
• Named GLVC Player of the Week on Mar. 17
• Earns second-straight selection to All-GLVC First Team

 
Pitcher of the Year: Brendan Lawry, Senior, Left-handed Pitcher, Lewis

• Earns second Pitcher of the Year honor for Lewis after Jake Karaba in 2023.
• Went 8-0 in eight GLVC starts through 41.1 innings, ranking fourth in league for opponent batting average (.219) and runs allowed (19), ranking fifth in strikeouts (52), sixth in hits allowed (33), and seventh in earned run average (4.14).
• Recorded a 10-0 overall record in 11 starts through 57.1 innings, pacing league in runs allowed (23) and earned runs (23), ranking second in earned run average (3.61) and opponent batting average (.207), third in hits allowed (43), and seventh in strikeouts (69).
• Earns first career selection to All-GLVC First Team, is one of two unanimous selections to the First Team

 
Co-Freshman of the Year: Bricen Smith, Second Base, Missouri S&T

• Claims third Freshman of the Year award for Missouri S&T after Thomas McCormick won in 2006, and Matt Knickerbocker won in 2017.
  • Fourth time a co-Freshman of the Year has been awarded
• Third on team and top-40 in the league with an overall batting average of .336 (42-125), adding a .528 slugging percentage to go with a .417 on-base percentage and .945 on-base plus slugging.
• Tallied four triples to place third in the league, added 42 hits, seven doubles, three home runs,14 walks, seven hit-by-pitches, and went 13-for-14 in the stolen base department.
• In GLVC games, slashed .253/.381/.373/754, to go with 19 hits, two doubles, two triples, one home run, 11 RBI, 11 walks, seven hit-by-pitches, and going 8-for-9 in stolen bases.
• Started 34 games for the Miners.

 
Co-Freshman of the Year: Jace Burton, Second Base, Maryville

• Claims second Freshman of the Year award for Maryville after Andrew Naegel won in 2012.
  • Fourth time a co-Freshman of the Year has been awarded
• 11th in the league in batting average (.377), 14th in on-base percentage (.466), and 55th in on-base plus slugging (.933)
• Tallied 46 hits, 15 RBI, and went 7-for-11 in stolen bases
• In GLVC games, slashed .400/.487/.505/.992, to go with 39 hits, 15 RBI, and going 7-for-11 in stolen bases
• Started 39 games for the Saints.

Coach of the Year: Mike Vucsko, Lewis

• Named Coach of the Year for the first time while being the eighth time a Lewis mentor has won the award after Tim McDonough was tabbed as such in 2013, and Irish O’Reilly in 1982, 1986, 1987, 1990, and 1992)
• Managed the Flyers to a 36-14 overall record and 24-8 Conference mark, claiming the GLVC Regular Season title and No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament.
• Guided five players to All-GLVC distinction, including Player of the Year Mikey Kocen, and Pitcher of the Year Brendan Lawry as well as four on the First Team and four on the Second Team.
   

Lewis led all league programs with eight honorees. University of Illinois Springfield followed with six players, while Drury, Maryville, and Missouri S&T had five each. University of Indianapolis, Quincy University, and Rockhurst University had four honorees. University of Missouri-St. Louis had three, with McKendree University, William Jewell College, and Upper Iowa University earning two, and Lincoln earing one spot on the All-GLVC Teams.
 
The league also recognized Lincoln as its GLVC Baseball James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award team recipient, as well as 15 student-athletes 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 in May.
 
A complete list of the 2025 All-GLVC teams and postseason honorees can be found below.
 
GLVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Mikey Kocen, Sr., 2B, Lewis #
GLVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR:  Brendan Lawry, Sr., SP, Lewis
GLVC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:  Bricen Smith, 2B, Missouri S&T, Jace Burton, 2B, Maryville
GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR:  Mike Vucsko, Lewis #
 

FIRST TEAM Mark Kattula, R-Sr., 1B, UIS Mikey Kocen, Sr., 2B, LEWIS Ethan Bowers, Jr., SS, UIS Jackson Crider, R-Fr., 3B, DU # Michael Laudando, Sr., UT, RU Jordan Phillips, R-Sr., UT, WJC George Bilecki, Jr., OF, LEWIS Austin Bode, R-Jr., OF, UINDY Cain Headrick, Sr., OF, LEWIS Matt Mateo, Jr., OF, QU Adonis Forte, Sr., OF, RU Will Beckham, R-So., DH, S&T Ivan Dahlberg, Jr., C, UIS Brendan Lawry, Sr., SP, LEWIS # Ben Gregory, Jr., SP, MU Braden Smith, So., SP, MU Mark Decicco, Jr., SP, UIS Roman Harrison, Jr., SP, QU Seth Masters, R-Sr., RP, UIS Luc Fuller, Sr., RP, DU    # Unanimous Selection

SECOND TEAM Chris McDevitt, Sr., 1B, LEWIS Wyatt Morgan, Gr., 2B, DU Peyton Bittle, So., SS, MCK Cole Nelson, Sr., 3B, LEWIS Cole Christman, Gr., UT, MU Sage McMinn, R-Jr., UT, MCK Thane Meiners, Jr., UT, UIU Gunnar Wicklund, Gr., OF, UIU Nick Lukac, Sr., OF, UINDY Drew Baugus, So., OF, S&T Miguel Padron, Jr., OF, LIN Ambrose Russo, Gr., OF, MU Andrew Buescher, Sr., DH, UMSL Jason Krol, Sr., C, LEWIS Gage Hayes, Jr., SP, DU Ty Rauser, Jr., SP, MU Jake Schisler, So., SP, S&T Jake Canent, Sr., SP, RU Esteban Hernandez, Gr., SP, UIS Jackson Bruno, So., RP, LEWIS Austin Bestul, Sr., RP, UINDY   * Extra Member Due to Tie

HONORABLE MENTION Connor Bain, Jr., OF, DU Diego Cardenas, R-Jr., SP, UINDY Garrett Meyer, Jr., OF, S&T Ethan Morrow, Sr., SP, S&T  Bryce Nicolay, R-Fr., SP, UMSL Braedon Stoakes, Sr., OF, UMSL Ben Dahlof, Jr., OF, QU Kobe Essien, Sr., SP, QU  Matthew Brimacombe, Sr., OF, RU Evan Jilbert, Sr., OF, WJC

 
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP HONOREES
Zach McKinnis, DU
Mark Kattula, UIS
Cole Hampton, UINDY
Ian Nguyen, LEWIS
Miguel Padron, LIN
Nathan Beaton, MU
Javier Garcia, MCK
Keaton Scott, S&T
Cooper Blythe, UMSL
Brandon Pickus, QU
Patrick Wind, RU
Cayden Shaver, SBU
Cole Eggerding, TSU
Bryce Hall, UIU
Ben Click, WJC
 
GLVC JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Lincoln