May 18, 2021

ICCAC Division II Baseball Hands Out League Honors

With the Division II season wrapped up, the ICCAC highlighted the players that have earned spots on the 2021 All-Region teams. Special awards were handed out as well, with the Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year being awarded.

Six of the eight teams had a player selected to the First Team, with Northeast, Southeastern, and Kirkwood all receiving three selections. DMACC, Iowa Central, and Ellsworth each had one player named to First Team.

Infielder Alex Pendergast, the 2021 ICCAC Division II Player of the Year, led the Division II conference in multiple offensive categories including a .422 batting average, 62 hits, and 62 RBI. He was also one of the top home run hitters with nine ICCAC home runs, sixth-most in the ICCAC. His 14 homers overall are the third most. Pendergast made the switch from second base to shortstop all while keeping the offense rolling. He was a key figure for a Kirkwood team that averaged over .330 as a team and claimed the Region XI Championship.

Ellsworth's TJ Truso was named the Defensive Player of the Year as the infielder recorded 56 putouts and 83 assists with a fielding percentage of .952 for the year and .960 in conference play. The sophomore was a part in turning 15 double plays while only committing seven errors on nearly 150 total chances.

Todd Rima was awarded the Coach of the Year after leading Kirkwood to the top spot in the regular season with a record of 36-19 (30-12 ICCAC). He and the Eagles also rallied to a regional tournament title.

In the postseason Rima led his group to a sweep over Iowa Lakes in the first round. After advancing to the double-elimination second round, Kirkwood dropped the second game and needed three wins in a row to claim the title. They would outscore opponents by 16 runs over the next three games to move on to the District Championship after a 9-6 win in 10 innings over Iowa Central.

Kirkwood's Pendergast was joined by Eagle outfielders Joel Vaske and Josh Fitzgerald. Vaske showcased his offensive prowess consistently throughout the season as he finished second in home runs (12) and RBI (60). He was also a top base stealer with 19 and as a scorer, he found the plate 48 times.

Fitzgerald had a conference batting average of .396 with a league-leading 14 home runs and 40 RBI. With 71 runs, he led the league in that category. He also was the leader in total bases with 111.

Finishing right behind Kirkwood, Northeast tallied a 28-14 conference record and 37-24 overall after regional tournament play.

Pitcher Preston Tenney led the conference in innings pitched (55) and strikeouts (59). Tenney had an ERA which stood at 4.09. In all, he fanned 91 in 86 innings pitched in 2021.

Tenney was joined by infielder Zane Zielinski and outfielder Colin Lynam.

Zielinski racked up 55 hits including three triples and two home runs.

Lynam was one of the best hitters in the ICCAC finishing in fourth in hits (55), third in average (.399), and fourth in total bases (99).

Southeastern's relief pitcher Reece Wissinger headlined the selections for the Blackhawks. Wissinger recorded a league-leading six saves in 10 appearances. The freshman was nearly unhittable as he recorded 21 strikeouts in 11.2 innings with a 0.77 ERA.

Joining Wissinger were two COVID-freshman infielders, Arturo Disla and Carlos Medina.

Disla had a .371 average with 12 home runs and 49 RBI along with nine doubles, slugging .734 in the conference. Medina boasted a .375 average with 51 hits, top 10 in both categories.

DMACC's selection came at the catcher position as Jackson Fisher earned the selection. Fisher was a solid defensive catcher all season and added to his impressive ways by slashing .304/.371/.506 with 10 doubles, two triples, and six home runs.

Rounding out the pitching selections, Iowa Central's do it all guy Matthew Wilkinson earned the selection for the Tritons. Wilkinson only started in five games this year but appeared in nine. With a record of 6-1 he also picked up a save in 33.2 innings. He had an ERA of 1.87.

The designated hitter slot came from Ellsworth. Carlos Aranda had a very good year at the plate. He was a top ten hitter with a slash line of .367/.471/.597 to go along with eight home runs and 33 RBI. His 16 stolen bases and 36 runs showcased his baserunning abilities once he got on base.

The All-Region teams were voted on by the coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players. All statistics are from conference play only unless specified.

First Team All-Region
#	Name	School	Year	Pos.
1	Jackson Fisher	DMACC	CO-Fr.	C
12	Matthew Wilkinson	Iowa Central	Fr.	SP
10	Preston Tenney	Northeast	CO-Fr.	SP
5	Reese Wissinger	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	RP
5	Alex Pendergast	Kirkwood	Fr.	INF
3	Zane Zielinski	Northeast	Fr.	INF
19	Arturo Disla	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	INF
3	Carlos Medina	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	INF
21	Joel Vaske	Kirkwood	CO-So.	OF
18	Josh Fitzgerald	Kirkwood	CO-Fr.	OF
1	Colin Lynam	Northeast	CO-So.	OF
27	Carlos Aranda	Ellsworth	So.	DH

Second Team All-Region
#	Name	School	Year	Pos.
8	Sam Manwarren	Northeast	Fr.	C
1	Kaleb Krier	DMACC	Fr.	SP
20	Reece Beuter	Kirkwood	Fr.	SP
37	Frankie Cresta	Kirkwood	CO-So.	RP
1	Ben Nippolt	DMACC	CO-Fr.	INF
18	Trey Morris	Ellsworth	Fr.	INF
7	Derek Kay	Iowa Central	So.	INF
25	Kyle Moeder	Kirkwood	CO-Fr.	INF
26	Parker Dorrance	Northeast	Fr.	INF
1	Cadyn Schwabe	DMACC	CO-Fr.	OF
15	Ryan Wickman	Iowa Central	So.	OF
7	Chase Moseley	Kirkwood	CO-Fr.	OF
23	Trevor Burkhart	Kirkwood	CO-So.	DH

Honorable Mention All-Region
#	Name	School	Year	Pos.
20	Dean Bedell	Iowa Lakes	So.	C
1	Cade Moss	Kirkwood	CO-Fr.	C
20	Collin Kramer	NIACC	CO-Fr.	SP
9	Chase Keeney	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	SP
47	Andrew Long	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	SP
24	Frank Volkers	NIACC	Fr.	RP
6	Alex Potter	Northeast	So.	RP
23	Brock Johnson	Iowa Central	Fr.	INF
25	Oscar Sanabria	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	INF
44	Austin Simpson	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	INF
21	Kainoa Torres	Ellsworth	So.	OF
44	Noah Juliar	NIACC	Fr.	OF
6	Noel McGarry Doyle	Southeastern	Fr.	OF
32	Lincoln Riley	Southeastern	CO-Fr.	OF