West Burlington, IA- The Iowa Community College Athletic Association Conference (ICCAC) has released the Division II All-Region Baseball teams and Southeastern Community College’s head coach Justin Schulte took home Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, while Abrahan Rios was named Defensive Player of the Year.
In his 20th season at the helm for the Blackhawks, the three-time Coach of the Year winner led the team to his second consecutive ICCAC regular season title with a 29-4 record after being voted to finish third in the conference this season and needed only three more outs to finish as conference tournament champs.
Additionally, under his leadership, Schulte helped SCC fly as high as being ranked 3rd nationally and currently sit in 6th with a 48-13 record. If the Blackhawks earn an at-large bid for the NJCAA World Series, then it would be their third straight appearance.
Abrahan Rios was a force at the plate with a 0.294 batting average and had the ability to push across runs with 34 RBIs for the season, but he also possessed an elite glove. Rios committed only two errors in 52 games and recorded 228 outs in ICCAC play, which ranked second in the conference.
The Blackhawks had five players earn a spot on the All-Region First Team and Second Team, along with one Honorable mention.
Michael Farina took home First Team infielder. The sophomore ranked 5th in the conference in batting with an 0.379 average as he also slashed 0.497 on-base and 0.612 slugging. He also managed to crush eight home runs and tally 21 doubles on the year, which helped bring home 82 runs. He also sported a 0.959 fielding percentage.
In the outfield was Jackson Petsche, as his 0.985 fielding percentage ranked 8th in the ICCAC. Additionally, he produced a slash line 0.374/0.494/0.632 with his nine home runs leading the team. Petsche accumulated 66 RBIs for the season.
The Blackhawks got strong seasons on the mound from two freshmen in starting pitcher Keaton Fenn and relief pitcher Zach Moorman. Sophomore Owen Thomson also took home First Team honors as a relief pitcher.
Earning a spot on the All-Region Second Team was: Rios as a catcher, Efrain Osorio as a utility, Caleb Klein as an outfielder, Trey O’Neil as a relief pitcher, and Maddux Frese as a starting pitcher. Andrew Hamlett was an Honorable Mention as a starting pitcher.
Up Next
SCC will find out if they are in the NJCAA World Series on Tuesday, May 20th, after 4 pm when they announce the brackets and matchups.