Program-Record Five Lakers Honored With CCAC Postseason Awards
CHICAGO – A program-record five members of the Roosevelt baseball team were honored with postseason accolades from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the league announced Friday.
Senior Sean Blanchard was the Lakers' only first-team all-conference selection, but Roosevelt had three players named to the All-CCAC Second Team with Bryan Green, Sherman Martin and Diego Munoz. Catcher Hunter Darst and Munoz were both honored with Gold Glove awards for their defensive prowess in the field for the Lakers. It is the first postseason honor for all five Lakers who earned distinctions this season.
Blanchard was the only Lakers player to appear in all 45 games this season for Roosevelt, and made the most of his opportunities at the plate. The Romeoville native hit .350 with six home runs and 39 RBIs while slugging over .500 on the season. He led the team with 63 hits and 40 runs scored, taking advantage of his .429 on-base percentage in the middle of the Lakers lineup this season.
Green led Roosevelt with seven wins this season in 67 innings pitched with a 4.70 ERA in 13 appearances, eight of which were starts. His four-hit complete-game shutout against NCAA Division I Alcorn State earned him CCAC Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season, and he closed the year by striking out seven and allowing just three hits in eight innings against St. Xavier in the CCAC Tournament. The senior from Oak Lawn struck out 50 batters and walked just 22 this season on the bump to aid in his 7-1 record.
Martin quietly had a strong year for the Lakers with a .345 average on 59 hits this season. The Chicago native led the team with 15 stolen bases with his .418 on-base percentage.
Munoz was a lightning rod of offense ahead of Blanchard in the order and batted .388 with a .590 slugging percentage this season. The transfer from Chicago State made an impact in his only year with the Lakers by driving in 42 runs on a team-best 17 extra base hits. His batting average ranks fourth on the all-time list for a single season and he ranked fifth in the CCAC with his 42 RBIs.
"Sean was one of our leaders at the plate all year while hitting in the heart of our order and was great behind the plate as well," Roosevelt head coach Jason Becker said. "BG was dominant all year, highlighted by his win over Concordia (Neb.), one of the best teams in the country this season. Diego and Sherman were both not only solid defensively, but some of our biggest threats at the plate this season."
On the defensive side, few catchers were better at protecting the base paths than Darst. The Avon native threw out 17 runners trying to steal a base, catching 37.8 percent of all would-be base stealers against him. His 17 runners caught stealing are 12th most in the country while his percentage of runners caught stealing is sixth-best among the 87 catchers with at least 11 runners caught stealing. Darst also put up a .981 fielding percentage with 28 assists on the season.
"Hunter was unbelievable behind the dish and was one of the best defensive catchers in the country this season," Becker said. "Diego was smooth throughout the year while playing the hot corner, and it's nice to see the CCAC recognize his outstanding defense."