AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — Fresh off of winning the program's 30th Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament Championship on Saturday, six Pioneers were named to the 2015 All-OAC Team Monday (May 11) morning. Senior third baseman
Ryan Hanahan (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) was named the Dr. Bob Fisher Player of the Year.
Joining Hanahan on the first team is junior pitcher
Christian Herstine (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area). Senior first baseman
Mitch Geers (West Chester/Lakota East), senior catcher
Chris Winpigler (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) and freshman second baseman
Chris Petrucci (Farmington, W.Va./Notre Dame) earned second team honors, while sophomore pitcher
Tommy Crowl (Cincinnati/Summit Country Day) was honorable mention.
Hanahan's selection as Player of the Year is Marietta's 23rd since the award was started in 1978. He joins an elite group that includes former All-Americans Tim Saunders, Chris Sidick, Jay Coakley, Josh Streit and Joe Thomas, to name a few.
Hanahan, an honorable mention pick last season, leads the OAC in numerous offensive categories incuding hits (71), doubles (17), triples (5), runs batted in (58) and is second in home runs (9). His .384 batting average is tops on the Marietta roster.
A first team honoree a year ago, Herstine is 6-3 with a 1.79 earned run average and two saves as the staff ace this spring. He leads the OAC with 85.2 innings pitched. Herstine's ERA ranks second in the conference, while his 70 strikeouts is third.
Geers, a three-time all-conference selection, is one of the toughest outs in Division III baseball. In addition to his solid .345 batting average, Geers has been walked 34 times and gotten hit by 17 pitches giving him a .489 on base percentage, tops in the OAC. He also leads the league with 55 runs scored.
The Most Outstanding Player in the OAC Tournament, Winpigler earned second team recognition for the second straight season. The Pioneer backstop is hitting .352 and ranks second in the conference with 51 runs batted in. His 62 hits and six home runs are second best on the team.
Becoming an everyday player for the Etta Express as a freshman is an extremely rare accomplishment, but Petrucci has made it look easy. The slick-fielding infielder has turned 31 doubles plays and is fielding an impressive .966 on the season. At the plate, Petrucci is batting .343 with 37 runs scored, 23 RBI and a team-leading 12 stolen bases.
The left-handed throwing Crowl quickly established himself as the Pioneer's No. 2 starters and has held that spot in the rotation all season. He is currently 6-3 with a 4.22 earned run average and one save.
Marietta, under the direction of 12th-year Head Coach
Brian Brewer, begins its quest for a seventh national championship Wednesday (May 13). The Pioneers will travel to Demorest, Ga. To play in the South Regional being hosted by Piedmont College.
The Etta Express earned the No. 4 seed and will face No. 3 seed Birmingham-Southern College in the opening round. Rhodes College is the top seed, followed by Pacific Lutheran University, Birmingham-Southern, Marietta, Emory University and Methodist University. The Pioneers are making their record 40th trip to the NCAA Tournament, dating back to its first appearance in 1971. Marietta has advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series a record 22 times winning national titles in 1981, 1983, 1986, 2006, 2011 and 2012.
Fans can follow the Etta Express all season long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
