Galesburg, IL – The Midwest Conference has tabbed five Prairie Fire baseball players as all-league performers.
Two outfielders, an infielder, a utility player, and a pitcher for Knox were among the 14 players named on Wednesday to the MWC South Division First Team.
Sophomore Jackson White (Grayslake, IL, Grayslake Central), who primarily played center field, is an all-conference first team selection for the second straight year.
The four others joining White on the first team are sophomore outfielder Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates), junior first baseman Ryan Hoffman (Sugar Grove, IL, Marmion Academy), junior Caleb Weaver (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) – who played in the infield, outfield, and was penciled in as the DH during the season – and first-year hurler Nathaniel Grady (Antelope, CA, Oakmont).
White led the team with a .371 batting average, which ranked sixth in the Midwest Conference, hit one home run and had 18 RBI. He was second on the team in hits (39) and on base percentage (.448).
Smoy and Weaver were second on the squad with .346 batting averages. Smoy had 37 hits, scored 22 runs and drove in 21, all third on the team. His two triples tied Weaver for team-high honors.
Weaver was the Prairie Fire’s biggest run producer. Among his team-high 45 hits were 11 doubles, six home runs, and two triples to go along with 38 RBI.
Weaver ranked fourth in the conference in homers, runs batted in, slugging percentage (.600), and total bases (78), while he was seventh in doubles.
Hoffman hit .321 with one home run and 16 RBI. His 21 walks and .451 on base percentage (.491 in conference games) led the team and he was second in runs scored with 25.
Knox had three other players that batted over .300, two that had at least 30 hits, and nine players in all had double-figure runs batted in. The team finished the season with a .283 batting average and scored 6.3 runs per game.
Grady appeared in 11 games, including five starts, and his 3.53 ERA was the lowest among the team’s starting pitchers and ranked fifth in the Midwest Conference. Opponents batted just .240 against him, the fourth-lowest average off a starting pitcher in the league.
Grady also ranked second among the conference’s starters in fewest hits and earned runs allowed, was third in fewest total runs allowed, and he was fifth in fewest walks allowed. In five appearances against MWC opponents – including three starts - Grady had a 1-1 record with a 1.71 ERA. League opponents hit a lowly .173 against him and he surrendered only four earned runs on 13 hits in 21 innings pitched.
In addition, five members of the pitching staff won at least two games, three won three or more and one posted four victories.
Knox, picked to finish third in the MWC South in the 2012 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, had one of its best seasons in terms of victories in two decades.
The Prairie Fire finished second in the MWC South Division with a 7-5 record to advance to the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time since 2008. The team’s 16 wins were the most since the 1992 squad posted 18 victories. Knox added eight more wins in 2012 compared to the 2011 season and significantly improved on last year’s 3-9 mark in conference games.
The All Midwest Conference selections from the South and North Divisions, along with the individual awards, are online at http://www.midwestconference.org/news/2012/5/16/BB_0516122651.aspx
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