WEST BURLINGTON - Southeastern head baseball coach Justin Schulte and center fielder Cole Smith picked up special awards from Region 11 on Tuesday, as the pair were named Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the year in DII. Southeastern currently sits at 43-17 overall (23-10 CONF) after finishing second in the DII conference tournament this past weekend. This year marks the third consecutive season of the Blackhawks eclipsing 40 wins, and Schulte's 18th season with a positive record (Schulte has never coached a season posting a losing record).
Cole Smith was named defensive player of the year in Region 11 DII baseball. Smith was perfect in the outfield for the Blackhawks with a 1.000 fielding percentage and committing no errors. Not only was Smith a staple in the outfield, the sophomore also batted .352 and stole 13 bases leading off for the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks earned 2 on the first team all-region team in infielders Kooper Schulte and Sam Skarich. Kooper Schulte earned infield honors as the Blackhawk shortstop had a fielding percentage of .940 and produced 94 putouts. At the plate, Kooper batted .325 with 8 home runs, 45 RBIs, and 54 runs. Skarich was named to the first team as a relief pitcher for the Blackhawks. In conference play, Skarich allowed only 3 earned runs and five hits. Skarich appeared in 14 games and accumulated 2 wins and 6 saves. At the plate Skarich posted an average of .327 with 5 home runs, 33 RBIs, and 35 runs.
On the second team was defensive player of the year Cole Smith, first baseman Caleb Wulf, and starting pitcher Maddux Frese. Wulf accumulated a fielding percentage of .986, improving from .981 the previous year while also documenting a batting average of .355 with 73 RBIs and 55 runs. Frese was a pivotal part to the Blackhawks' success this year. Frese recorded 7 wins in 10 appearances with only 1 loss being addressed to him. Frese pitched in 52.0 innings, and listed 33 strikeouts with an ERA of just 2.08.
On honorable mention for the Blackhawks was catcher Abrahan Rios, infielder Michael Farina, relief pitcher Trey O'Neil, and relief pitcher Chris Ianuzzi. All 4 Blackhawks on the honorable mention team for the Blackhawks are freshmen. Farina led the Blackhawks in home runs with 10, while also listing 53 RBIs and 56 runs. Rios also had a batting average eclipsing .300 with 5 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 38 runs. O'Neil appeared in 26 games for the Blackhawks, noting 3 saves and 5 wins with no losses assigned to him. In 30.0 innings, O'Neil tallied 25 strikeouts for the Blackhawks. Lastly, Ianuzzi provided a strong freshman year for the Blackhawks. Ianuzzi pitched 39.1 innings in 29 appearances. Ianuzzi had 3 wins and 39 strikeouts, for an average of 8.9 strikeouts/9 innings.
The Blackhawks await the NJCAA's selections for the DII national tournament to determine whether they will receive an at-large bid. Of the remaining teams, the Blackhawks have the best record against DI opponents (17-1) with 2 wins over #1 ranked Iowa Western.
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