YSUsports.com - Three Penguins Named First-Team Mid-Con

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May 17, 2001
Baseball: Three Penguins Named First-Team Mid-Con
     Elmhurst, Ill. -- The Youngstown State baseball team had three student-athletes named First-Team All-Mid-Continent Conference led by junior pitcher Brad Hennessey who was named the league's co-pitcher of the year.
     Hennessey, senior catcher Todd Santore and freshman outfielder Kendall Schlabach represented the Penguins on the first team. Hennessey earned pitcher-of the-year accolades along with Oral Roberts' Michael Rogers.
     Hennessey closed the regular season with a 6-4 mark, and has allowed only one earned run in his last 26.0 innings of work. He struck out 115 batters in just 81.2 innings this season, and currently ranks fourth in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings. Hennessey went 5-2 in Mid-Con play with a 2.35 ERA. He was named the Mid-Con Pitcher of the Week on May 16.
     Valparaiso junior outfielder/pitcher Mark Pedersen earned Mid-Con Player of the Year honors, while junior outfielder Brian Wolotka was tabbed as the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Valparaiso head coach Paul Twenge was cited as the Mid-Con Coach of the Year.
     Pedersen was an all-around threat for the Crusaders this season, earning first-team all-conference honors as both a pitcher and outfielder. Pedersen batted .374 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs. He scored 54 runs and collected 80 base hits, a new team single-season record. Valparaiso’s everyday centerfielder, Pedersen slugged eight of his career-best 13 home runs duringMid-Con play. He also shined on the mound, posting a 7-1 record and 3.54 ERA in nine starts. Pedersen went 5-0 with four complete games in league play.
     Oral Roberts' Rogers returned from after sitting out nearly two years and became one of the most successful pitchers in the nation. He went 13-0 during the regular season, striking out 128 batters and posting a league-low 1.94 ERA. Rogers, who ranked second in wins and 16th in ERA in the most recent NCAA statistical report, went 5-0 and posted a 2.12 ERA in Mid-Con play, helping the Golden Eagles to a 24-1 Mid-Con record and their fourth straight Mid-Con regular-season crown.
     Wolotka took the Mid-Con by storm in his first season in the league. A Butler University transfer, Wolotka belted a school-record 18 home runs during the regular season, while batting .330 and driving in 53 runs. He hit 10 of his homers during the Mid-Con season, including seven in one series at Chicago State, which earned him National Player of the Week honors. Wolotka batted a sizzling .398 in conference play, driving in 27 runs, and is currently tied for 21st in the NCAA in home runs per game.
     Finally, Twenge skippered his Valparaiso team to an amazing turnaround this season. After posting a 14-42-1 record last season, the Crusaders put up a 27-27 record during the regular season in 2001, including a 14-10-league mark. This is the first time in Twenge’s career that he¹s been named Mid-Con Coach of the Year.