Several baseball players receive honors from SSAC

WALESKA, Ga. – Several members of the 2008 Reinhardt College baseball team were honored with postseason awards from the Southern States Athletic Conference on Wednesday night. In a vote of the 10 SSAC head coaches, Reinhardt had two First Team All-SSAC performers, two players named Second Team All-Conference, a pair of newcomers selected to the All-Freshman Team and one member of the Gold Glove Team. Additionally, the Eagles had 10 players – more than any other school – earn a place on the All-Academic Team.

 

Garnering First Team All-SSAC honors for Reinhardt were Daniel Jape, a senior outfielder/first baseman from Woodstock, Ga., and Jarrod Willis, a junior outfielder out of Douglasville, Ga. Entering the SSAC Tournament, Jape was hitting .352 with team highs of 17 home runs and 80 RBIs while Willis was leading the Eagles in batting (.410 average), hits (75), doubles (19), runs scored (72), total bases (131), slugging percentage (.716), on-base percentage (.530) and stolen bases (14). Willis was also Reinhardt's lone member of the SSAC Gold Glove Team.

Greg Ihlenburg, a senior first baseman/outfielder from Canton, Ga., and Michael Willis, a sophomore outfielder/pitcher out of Douglasville, received Second Team All-Conference accolades. Ihlenburg finished the regular season with a .380 batting average, leading the club in walks (37), while Michael Willis hit .350 with a team-high three triples.

Earning spots on the 10-member SSAC All-Freshman Team were Ryan McDowell, a pitcher from Acworth, Ga., and Harry Nutter, an infielder out of Jonesboro, Ga. McDowell developed into one of the Eagles' top pitchers, finishing the regular season with a 3-1 record and 4.56 ERA, while Nutter made 44 starts during the regular year, batting .286 with 52 runs scored and a team-best eight sacrifice hits.

Making the SSAC All-Academic Team were senior pitcher Dan Audia (Woodstock, Ga.), sophomore infielder Brad Blalock (Grayson, Ga.), senior pitcher Joseph Bracelin (Canton, Ga.), senior pitcher Jonathan Byers (Dalton, Ga.), freshman infielder Trey Cherry (Macon, Ga.), senior catcher Zach Dickens (Canton, Ga.), Ihlenburg, Jape, McDowell and senior pitcher Adam Wangcharoen (Powder Springs, Ga.).

Reinhardt ended the regular season at 28-26 overall and in seventh place in the conference standings at 10-17. The Eagles are currently taking part in the SSAC Tournament, which is being hosted by Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.