Division II Baseball Selects 2022's All-Region Teams
One of the most competitive seasons of ICCAC Division II Baseball was completed last weekend with the Region XI Tournament. After the six-team double-elimination tournament was complete, Kirkwood repeated as Region XI Champions with a 23-16 win over Southeastern who rallied to win four straight and force the if-necessary game.
Today, the ICCAC Division II Baseball All-Region teams were released to recognize this season's top performers.
Headlining the First Team was the 2022 ICCAC Division II Baseball Player of the Year, Kirkwood outfielder Chase Moseley. Moseley had a monster season and is the current NJCAA stat leader in hits (88), total bases (171), and RBI (78). Moseley's 20 home runs are second-most in the country and his slash line (.484/.588/.940) has each category in the top 7 in the country.
In conference, Moseley led the league in runs (46), hits (61), homers (16), RBI (53), and total bases (125), along with his slash line -- .530 average, .626 on-base, 1.087 slugging.
Moseley was joined on First Team by fellow Eagles Noah Furcht and Tucker Christensen.
Furcht was an infield selection and provided more power in the Eagle's lineup. To date, he has 12 home runs, 66 RBI, and 57 runs scored heading into the District Championship series with Bismarck State (N.D.).
Christensen filled one of the two starting pitcher spots, boasting an unblemished record in 11 appearances. He is 4-0 in 53 innings pitched with a 2.38 ERA and 43 strikeouts. He allowed just six earned runs in conference games -- 31.2 innings. His batting average against was just .208.
The NIACC Trojans put three players on the First Team after surprising the league by earning a No. 2 seed at the Region XI Tournament. The Trojans were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.
Their First Teamers were catcher Cody Kelly, infielder Ike Mezzenga and outfielder Cayden Nicoletto.
Combined the trio hit 45 home runs. Kelly was second in the conference behind Moseley with 19. Mezzenga was third in the league with 15 and Nicolletto had 11. Each had over 40 RBI with batting averages .345 or higher -- Nicoletto hit just under .400 at .398.
After the Trojan's success this season -- first-year head coach Lincoln Hochmuth was named the 2022 ICCAC Division II Baseball Coach of the Year. The Trojans went 21-12 in conference play which included series wins over both ICCAC regional champions, Iowa Western and Kirkwood.
Heading into the regional tournament, NIACC had won 16 of their last 20 games. Their second-place finish among Division II teams was their highest since 2018.
DMACC had three as well after a solid 2022 campaign. Simon Gregersen had the best season of any ICCAC relievers, as voted by the coaches.
Gregersen appeared in 20 games this season and racked up a record of 6-3. He had seven saves as well. In 39 innings he allowed just 30 hits, eight earned runs, and had an ERA of 1.85.
Jake Thilges was one of the team's two best hitters. The sophomore outfielder hit .387 with nine home runs and 53 RBI overall. He was one of the leaders in extra-base hits as he tallied the league's fourth-most doubles (18) and had five triples in 2022, second-most.
Reed Stallman was the other Bear hitter that was voted into the designated hitter spot. Stallman's slash in conference play was outstanding. He hit .459 and had an on-base percentage of .543, both in the top five in ICCAC Division II. He had 51 hits in 32 conference games, good for third-most.
Iowa Central had two selections on First Team in Brett Sears and Caleb Corbin.
The current leader in the country in wins this season is Sears with 11. In 14 starts he earned a decision in each game going 11-3. He pitched 85.1 innings which is third-most in the NJCAA -- and subsequently, he struck out 114 batters, second best. His ERA ended at 3.06.
Corbin filled one of the four infield spots. Corbin hit .407 in conference play and got on base 55% of the time due to his 31 walks, the second-most drawn in the ICCAC. He knocked eight home runs and batted in 45 runs in his 2022 campaign.
Rounding out the First Team list was Iowa Lakes Ben Bach. Bach batted .403 for the season in 47 games, and .343 in the conference. Bach had 10 home runs and 13 doubles overall - and led his team in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and average an on-base percentage.
Earning the Defensive Player of the Year award this season was Taichi Nakao of Southeastern. The Blackhawk second baseman dazzled on the field during the regional tournament -- and was perfect prior to that in conference play. In 70 chances he made every play -- and in 107 chances this season made just two errors.
| First Team All-Region | ||||
| # | Name | School | Year | Pos. |
| 9 | Reed Stallman | DMACC | Fr. | DH |
| 25 | Jake Thilges | DMACC | So. | OF |
| 27 | Simon Gregersen | DMACC | Fr. | RP |
| 4 | Brett Sears | Iowa Central | So. | SP |
| 6 | Caleb Corbin | Iowa Central | Fr. | INF |
| 14 | Ben Bach | Iowa Lakes | So. | INF |
| 2 | Noah Furcht | Kirkwood | Fr. | INF |
| 7 | Chase Moseley | Kirkwood | So. | OF |
| 27 | Tucker Christensen | Kirkwood | So. | SP |
| 10 | Ike Mezzenga | NIACC | Co. Fr. | INF |
| 42 | Cayden Nicoletto | NIACC | So. | OF |
| 51 | Cody Kelly | NIACC | So. | C |
| Second Team All-Region | ||||
| # | Name | School | Year | Pos. |
| 6 | Brodie Kresser | DMACC | Fr. | INF |
| 5 | Nick Baker | Iowa Central | So. | DH |
| 13 | Jalen Martinez | Iowa Central | So. | OF |
| 20 | Kai Reum | Iowa Central | So. | RP |
| 23 | Brock Johnson | Iowa Central | So. | OF |
| 5 | Alex Pendergast | Kirkwood | So. | DH |
| 20 | Joe Simpson | Kirkwood | Fr. | OF |
| 34 | Kyle Hayes | Kirkwood | Fr. | INF |
| 7 | Brandt Thompson | NIACC | Co. Fr. | SP |
| 3 | Zane Zielinski | Northeast | So. | INF |
| 1 | Albert Guzman | Southeastern | CO-FR | C |
| 2 | Jose Sallorin | Southeastern | Fr. | INF |
| 47 | Andrew Long | Southeastern | CO-SO | SP |
| Honorable Mention All-Region | ||||
| # | Name | School | Year | Pos. |
| 43 | Jackson Stewart | DMACC | Fr. | SP |
| 3 | Bryce Hall | Ellsworth | So | OF |
| 44 | Trey Morris | Iowa Central | So. | INF |
| 22 | Bryce Schares | Kirkwood | Fr. | RP |
| 8 | Thomas Gross | NIACC | Co. Fr. | SP |
| 27 | Ben Rosin | NIACC | Fr. | RP |
| 8 | Sam Manwarren | Northeast | So. | C |
| 10 | Preston Tenney | Northeast | So. | SP |
| 19 | Harrison Taubert | Northeast | Fr. | OF |
| 20 | Taylor Gill | Northeast | Fr. | INF |
| 5 | Reece Wissinger | Southeastern | CO-SO | RP |
| 13 | Cole Yearsley | Southeastern | Fr. | OF |
| 24 | Noel McGarry Doyle | Southeastern | Fr. | OF |
Player of the Year: Chase Moseley, Kirkwood
Defensive Player of the Year: Taichi Nakao, Southeastern
Coach of the Year: Lincoln Hochmuth, NIACC
