Four from Baseball Named to ABCA All-Region Teams
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four members of the Mitchell College baseball team were named to ABCA/Rawlings All-New England teams on Wednesday, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Junior Al Jordan Johnson was one of four pitchers and 15 players named to the first team while senior outfielder Kenneth Olszewski earned a spot on the second team. Junior pitcher Tyler Shamas and senior catcher Ryan Goodwin both grabbed spots on the third team.
The 2015 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee. All-Region first-team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors.
Johnson, the New England Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year and an all-conference first team selection, enjoyed a career year in which he went 10-1 and set the program record for single season wins. He posted a career-low ERA of 2.58 over 59.1 innings and struck out 56 batters while issuing only 17 walks. He went 6-0 in league play and ranked second in the NECC with a 1.27 ERA.
Olszewski batted a team- and career-high .399 over 39 games and finished with 12 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 32 RBI and 41 runs scored. He also set the program record for single season hits (59) and finished his career ranked fourth on the all-time hits list with 146 in three seasons. The two-time all-conference first team selection was also named the most valuable player of the 2015 NECC Championship.
Shamas went 7-2 on the hill and posted a 2.59 ERA over 48.2 innings, finishing with 39 strikeouts against only 16 walks. The right-hander also became Mitchell's all-time winningest pitcher with 23 career victories on his resume. He went 6-0 in league play and led the NECC with a 1.22 ERA, earning his third straight all-conference first team nod.
Goodwin wrapped up his two-year career at Mitchell by batting .365 with team highs of 42 RBI and 17 doubles. A rock behind the plate, he started all 39 games and caught nearly every inning while handling a pitching staff that ranked among the nation's best in ERA during the regular season. He also threw out 13 runners on the base paths and earned all-conference first team honors for the first time in his career.
The foursome led the Mariners to a 16-2 record in conference play and secured the program's second consecutive and fourth overall NECC Championship. Mitchell (32-7 overall) also set a school record for single season victories and was consistently ranked in the NEIBA's weekly regional poll.
Mitchell's season came to an end in the NCAA Championship. The Mariners, making their third NCAA appearance, lost games to nationally-ranked Salisbury University and Kean University in the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Click here for the complete list of the ABCA All-Region Teams
