TULSA, Okla.-After an extremely successful regular season, five members of the Centenary baseball team were honored to the All-League team highlighted by junior Boone Whiting's Pitcher of the Year award.
Senior designated hitter Michael Tompkins, senior outfielder Cliff Shepard, junior left-hander Stephen Tromblee and sophomore righty Seth Lugo were all named Second Team All-Summit League.
Whiting received a First Team All-Summit League nod to accompany his Pitcher of the Year accolade after recording a league-leading 112 strikeouts on the year, ranking ninth in the nation. Whiting's 32 walks give him a 3.5 to one strikeout to walk ratio, while his 12.92 strikeouts per nine innings ranks fourth nationally. Of those 112 strikeouts, 62 came against league opponents.
The righty was a perfect 4-0 in the league and 6-1 on the season with a 3.23 ERA, second in the league. He also held batters to a league-low .221 batting average on the season. In 41.1 innings pitched, the Oakdale, Calif., native allowed just 17 earned runs. The junior also had one shutout and one complete game on the year, while also earning a save vs. Western Illinois on May 18.
Tompkins hit .313 during the regular season, was second-best on the team with 35 RBI and had a solid slugging percentage of .438 with five home runs primarily as Centenary's designated hitter. In the last regular season weekend at IPFW, Tompkins belted two home runs.
Shepard paced the Gents in almost every offensive category throughout the season as he hit a consistent .365, had a team-best 72 hits, 20 doubles, 48 RBI and six home runs. The senior outfielder has started and played in all 52 regular season games and was named Summit League Player of the Week earlier this season.
Tromblee was one of three Centenary pitchers to be recognized to this years All-Summit League team as he helped the Gents to a league-low 4.98 ERA in conference play. As a relief pitcher, Tromblee posted a 2-2 mark with a 5.06 ERA and a team-high four saves during league play alone.
Lugo, a right-handed starter came on strong during league play, posting a 2-1 record and a 3.34 ERA. In 29.2 innings pitched against Summit League opponents, Lugo struck out 24 batters. On the season, Lugo notched two saves in six relief appearances.
First Team
Joel Blake, South Dakota State 1B Jr. Langley, British Columbia
Bo Cuthbertson, Southern Utah 2B So. Glendale, Ariz.
Jesse Sawyer, South Dakota State 3B Jr. Calgary, Alberta
Tyler Saladino, Oral Roberts SS Jr. San Diego, Calif.
Nick Baligod, Oral Roberts OF Jr. Fairfield, Calif.
John Lee, South Dakota State OF Sr. Mason City, Iowa
Billy Stitz, South Dakota State OF Jr. Burnsville, Minn.
Taylor Shaw, Southern Utah C Fr. Pleasant View, Utah
Seth Furmanek, Oral Roberts DH Sr. Gilbert, Ariz.
Joe Goldenberg, Southern Utah UTL Fr. Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Bryce Smolen, Oral Roberts SP Jr. Houston, Texas
Blake Trienen, South Dakota State SP Jr. Osage City, Kan.
Boone Whiting, Centenary SP Jr. Oakdale, Calif.
Trever Vermeulen, SDSU RP Jr. Mitchell, S.D.
Second Team
Bucky Aona, Southern Utah 1B Sr. Makakilo, Hawai'i
Tommy Jablonski, Oakland 2B Jr. Rochester Hills, Mich.
Shaun VanDriessche, IPFW 3B Sr. New Haven, Ind.
Eric Cain, South Dakota State SS So. Littleton, Colo.
Chris Elder, Oral Roberts OF Jr. Suisun City, Calif.
Cliff Shepard, Centenary OF Sr. Anthem, Ariz.
Joey Winecki, Oral Roberts OF Jr. Bryant, Ark.
Zach Briggs, South Dakota State C So. Dallas, Texas
Michael Tompkins, Centenary DH Sr. College Place, Wash.
Jason Summers, Western Illinois UTL Sr. Kent, Wash.
Matt LaMothe, Oakland SP So. Troy, Mich.
Seth Lugo, Centenary SP So. Bossier City, La.
Zach Wentz, North Dakota State SP So. Bismarck, N.D.
Stephen Tromblee, Centenary RP Jr. Columbus, Texas
Player of the Year, Tyler Saladino, Oral Roberts
Pitcher of the Year, Boone Whiting, Centenary
Newcomer of the Year? Tyler Saladino, Oral Roberts??
Coach of the Year? Ritchie Price, South Dakota State
No. 3 seed Centenary will open play during The Summit League tournament on Thursday at 7:00 pm against No. 2 seed Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla. All game action can be followed at www.orugoldeneagles.com.
