Ball State University Athletics
Baseball America Names Three Cardinals To Top Prospect List
September 02, 2009 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State junior second baseman/right-hander Kolbrin Vitek (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan), redshirt sophomore right-hander Perci Garner (Dover, Ohio/Dover) and sophomore outfielder Nathan Koontz (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf) were named to Baseball America's Top Prospect list for the 18 different summer college leagues and Team USA. The Cardinals are the only team in the Mid-American Conference with multiple players on the, while Toledo is the only other MAC school represented.
Vitek earned the Cardinals' highest spot on the list as he was picked as the top prospect in the Great Lakes League (GLSCL) after finishing the season at Lake Erie. He won the league's first Triple Crown in 23 years as he hit .400, tallied six home runs and drove in 38 runs. He also stole 10 bases and was named the GLSCL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
Vitek earned First Team All-MAC honors last season as a sophomore playing primarily at third base. He was second on the team and sixth in the MAC with a .389 batting average. He also led the MAC in doubles (25), was second in RBI (67), third in slugging percentage (.736), third in total bases (153) and was fourth on the mound in opponent batting average (.268).
Garner made a name for himself in the Great Lakes League as well, as he was tabbed the second best prospect in the league. He made 11 appearances for Stark County and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA. He struck out 16 batters in 12.0 innings and only allowed one extra base hit all summer. Garner appeared in 17 games in his first season with BSU baseball team and posted a 1-0 record with a 4.95 ERA. He worked 20.0 innings last spring and struck out 24 batters out of the bullpen.
Koontz rounded out the Cardinals on the list as he was chosen as the ninth best prospect in the New York Collegiate Baseball League after playing for Webster. He posted a .281 batting average in 135 at-bats while notching a pair of home runs. Last spring, Koontz appeared in 23 games while making 11 starts for the Cardinals. He posted a .273 batting average on the year and recorded four multiple-hit games as a true freshman.
Baseball America ranked the top 30 prospects from the Cape Cod League, the top 20 from Team USA and the top 10 prospects from the 17 other summer leagues for a total of 220 players.
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