Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Places Four On All-MAC Teams
May 20, 2009 | Baseball
Junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (Selma, Ind./Wapahani), sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) and junior catcher Zach Dygert (Angola, Ind./Angola) were named First Team All-MAC while freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen (La Porte, Ind./La Porte) earned Second Team All-MAC honors. The All-MAC teams are determined by a vote of the 12 league head coaches.
Hazelbaker, the Cardinals' leadoff hitter, won the MAC regular season batting title by 19-points as he posted a .426 average on the year. He also holds a 39-point advantage over all players in the MAC in on-base percentage as he reaches base at a .547 clip this year. He also leads the league in runs (73), walks (45) and triples (8). He is third in stolen bases (29), fourth in slugging percentage (.718), fifth in total bases (140) and eighth in doubles (16).
Vitek was named to the First Team All-MAC as the At-Large/Utility selection after finishing fourth in the MAC with a .394 batting average. He also led the MAC in doubles (24), was second in RBI (60), second in slugging percentage (.737), third in total bases (146) and was sixth on the mound in opponent batting average (.277). He led the conference in MAC games with a .455 average and a .828 slugging percentage against conference foes as he drove in 30 runs. He also posted a 4-2 record with a 5.96 ERA in 10 starts this season as part of the weekend rotation.
Dygert picks up his second All-MAC honor after earning Second Team All-MAC honors last season as a sophomore. He becomes the first Cardinal to earn All-MAC accolades in back-to-back seasons since Brad Snyder earned honors in 2002 and 2003. Dygert led all MAC catchers with 55 RBI and 17 doubles while posting a .344 batting average. He finished MAC play batting .365 this season while driving in 24 runs and scoring 23 against MAC foes.
Nielsen, who earned the honors in the At-Large/Utility position, becomes the first Ball State freshman to earn All-MAC honors since Ben Snyder accomplished the feat in 2005. Nielsen led all MAC freshmen in batting with a .354 average, in RBI with 52 and hits with 73. He also tallied 14 doubles and nine home runs while posting a .573 slugging percentage. He has posted 23 multiple-hit contests and 15 multiple-RBI games this season.
Ohio's Marc Kraus was named the MAC Player of the Year while Bowling Green's Brennan Smith was named MAC Pitcher of the Year. Falcons' head coach Danny Schmitz was named MAC Coach of the year while Kent State left-hander Andrew Chafin earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors.
MAC Player of the Year
Marc Krauss, Ohio, 3B
MAC Pitcher of the Year
Brennan Smith, Bowling Green, RHP
MAC Freshman of the Year
Andrew Chafin, Kent State, LHP
MAC Coach of the Year
Danny Schmitz, Bowling Green
All-MAC First Team
C- Zach Dygert, Ball State
1B- Tom Nurre, Miami
2B- Logan Meisler, Bowling Green
SS- Ryan Shay, Bowling Green
3B- Marc Krauss, Ohio
OF- Jeremy Hazelbaker, Ball State
OF- Gauntlett Eldemire, Ohio
OF- Adam Eaton, Miami
SP- Brennan Smith, Bowling Green
SP- Matt Erwood, Miami
SP- Chris Rigo, Ohio
SP- Matt Malewitz, Bowling Green
RP- Andrew Chafin, Kent State
DH- Matt Skirving, Eastern Michigan
At-Large/Utility- Kolbrin Vitek, Ball State
All-MAC Second Team
C- Tyler Elkins, Bowling Green
1B- Greg Rohan, Kent State
2B - Jimmy Rider, Kent State
SS- Jim Gulliver, Eastern Michigan
3B- Derek Spencer, Bowling Green
OF- Jared Humphreys, Kent State
OF- Jordin Hood, Northern Illinois
OF- Hayden Johnston, Ohio
SP- Dan Taylor, Central Michigan
SP- Trent Howard, Central Michigan
SP - Matt Kuna, Toledo
SP- Corey Chaffins, Eastern Michigan
RP- Jon Pokorny, Kent State
DH- Robert Maddox, Ohio
At-Large/Utility- Brandon Besl, Ohio; Ian Nielsen, Ball State
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