May 10, 2016

Baseball cleans house in NSAA Award Program

Bellevue collected a total of 23 awards in the year-end coaches voting

MADISON, S.D. -- The North Star Regular-Season and Tournament Champion Bellevue University baseball team led the conference award program, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. Bellevue placed 12 players on the all-conference teams, collected a pair of major awards, and landed seven of the nine Gold Glove winners.

Junior right-handed pitcher Ben McKendall was chosen as the NSAA Pitcher of the Year and head coach Duane Monlux was selected as NSAA Coach of the Year.

All-NSAA First Team selections from Bellevue were; OF Joe Moran, OF Trevor Jones, DH Derik Bontempo, RHP Ben McKendall, LHP Braulio Torres-Perez, and RHP Leland Tilley.

The Bruins chosen for the all-NSAA Second Team were; C Jake Browne, 2B Ross Feeley, 3B Matt Evans, OF Colton Nash, RHP Todd Nicks, RHP Aaron Bain.

Bellevue also had a pair of Honorable Mention selections in 1B Joe Mancuso and RHP Tony Monroy.

Earning distinction on the Gold Glove Team were C Jake Browne, 1B Todd Nicks, 2B Ross Feeley, 3B Matt Evans, SS Connor Garrison, RF Colton Nash, and LHP Braulio Torres-Perez.

Coach Monlux (Coach of the Year) has led the Bruins to a 47-9 record to date and a No. 2 NAIA National Ranking. Bellevue captured the North Star Regular Season and Tournament Championships, their 15^th regular-season and 13^th tournament championship in program history. The award is the fifth of Monlux's career and his second at the BU helm.

Ben McKendall (Pitcher of the Year, First Team all-NSAA) won the conference Triple Crown for pitchers leading the league in Wins (11), ERA (1.53), and Strikeouts (111). He walked just 13 batters in an even 100 innings on the hill and held the opposition to a .192 batting average. He logged at least seven innings in 12 of his 13 starts and struck out 10 or more on five occasions.

Aaron Bain (Second Team all-NSAA) started the year in the 'pen before becoming BU's very reliable fourth starter. In 10 appearances (7 starts) Bain pitched to a 4-1 record and 3.86 ERA. He struck out 35 batters against just 10 walks in 42.0 innings on the bump.

Derik Bontempo (First Team all-NSAA) led the league with 69 RBI and hit a robust .417 which was good for second in the league among qualifiers. Bontempo led the Bruins with 29 extra-base hits, including team-bests of 18 doubles and 10 RBI. He scored 44 runs and split time between left field and DH.

Jake Browne (Second Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) served as the Bruins iron man behind the plate, appearing in 51 games. He caught nearly 30 percent of would-be base stealers (16-56). He also handled the bat well, hitting .340 with 10 extra-base hits and 36 RBI in the middle of the BU order.

Matt Evans (Second Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) had a strong debut season for Bellevue at the hot corner. He hit .356 while scoring 40 runs and driving in 22. He committed just four errors in 116 chances at third base for a .966 fielding percentage.

Ross Feeley (Second Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) played the keystone position to near-perfect, playing 44-straight errorless games to begin the season and closing out with a .991 fielding percentage. He reached base at a .462 rate and scored 52 runs from the second position in the BU order.

Connor Garrison (Gold Glove) appeared in 50 games, about half as a defensive replacement late in games but held his own at the dish. He batted .280 and scored 24 runs on the season. Garrison fielded at a .958 clip in 95 chances in the infield.

Trevor Jones (First Team all-NSAA) served as the very able table setter for this year's squad. He hit .403 and reached base at a .453 clip while showcasing some pop from the leadoff spot. He piled up 15 extra-base hits and drove in 40 runs. Jones tied for the team-lead with eight stolen bases and led the way with 56 runs scored.

Joe Mancuso (Honorable Mention all-NSAA) spent the better part of the last month tearing up opposing pitchers. After putting up a .200 average through mid-April, Mancuso went on a tear. He worked his average up to .398 and hit eighth home runs (13 XBH) in 93 at-bats.

Tony Monroy (Honorable Mention all-NSAA) split time between serving as a mid-week starter and relief pitcher posting a 3-1 record with a 4.89 ERA in 35 innings of work and racking up 30 strikeouts.

Joe Moran (First Team all-NSAA) came on when the Bruins returned from their Florida trip when he became eligible to play. He produced a team-best .517 average and pounded out 17 extra-base hits in just 32 games while primarily patrolling left field.

Colton Nash (Second Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) had another strong power season for the Bruins. He hit .353 with 17 extra-base hits and drove in 43 runs, which was good for second on the ball club. His 49 runs scored was third among Bruins and he committed just one error in right field on the season.

Todd Nicks (Second Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) was a two-time NSAA Pitcher of the Week during the season as a two-way player, splitting time between pitching and first base. He put up a 9-1 record and 2.49 ERA and struck out 72 over 65.0 innings spanning 12 starts.

Leland Tilley (First Team all-NSAA) was the top closer in the conference, piling up seven saves and recording an 8-1 record in 19 appearances (18 in relief). In 32.0 innings of work he pitched to a 1.97 ERA and averaged a team-best 10.13 strikeouts per game (36 total).

Braulio Torres-Perez (First Team all-NSAA, Gold Glove) won three conference Pitcher of the Week Awards on the season. He was second on the club with 89.2 innings pitched as he racked up a 9-1 record and posted a 2.81 ERA. He struck out 84 batters and walked just 18.

Next up for the Bruins will be the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. The nine sites – which host five teams apiece – have been announced. Pairings and game times will be released via a selection show on Friday, May 13 at 3 p.m. The winners of each of the five Opening Round brackets advance to Lewiston, Idaho where they will join Lewis-Clark State to make up the 10-team Avista-NAIA World Series.

Major Award Winners

Player of the Year: Landon Uetz, Jamestown
Pitcher of the Year: Ben McKendall, Bellevue
Freshman of the Year: Mitchell Keeran, Waldorf
Coach of the Year: Duane Monlux, Bellevue

All-Conference First Team

Position	Name	Year	School	Hometown
C	Jake Harris	Sr.	Dakota State	Helena, Mont.
C	Quinn Irey	So.	Jamestown	Bismarck, N.D.
1B	Joe Demers	Jr.	Valley City State	Grafton, N.D.
2B	Drake Yoshioka	Jr.	Mayville State	Waipahu, Hawaii
3B	Landon Uetz	Jr.	Jamestown	West Fargo, N.D.
SS	Brandon Alvarez	Sr.	Viterbo	Indio, Calif.
UT	Michael Keeran	Jr.	Waldorf	Clear Lake, Iowa
OF	Joe Moran	Jr.	Bellevue	Scottsbluff, Neb.
OF	Trevor Jones	Sr.	Bellevue	West Richland, Wash.
OF	Nico Kelly	Jr.	Jamestown	Chicago Heights, Ill.
OF	Angel Ramos	Sr.	Viterbo	Huntington Park, Calif.
DH	Derik Bontempo	Jr.	Bellevue	Federal Way, Wash.
SP	Ben McKendall	Jr.	Bellevue	Los Angeles, Calif.
SP	Tanner Dahl	Sr.	Jamestown	West Fargo, N.D.
SP	Braulio Torres-Perez	Sr.	Bellevue	Auburn, Wash.
SP	Brad Bennett	Jr.	Jamestown	Hillsboro, Ore.
RP	Leland Tilley	Sr.	Bellevue	Exeter, Calif.

All-Conference Second Team

Position	Name	Year	School	Hometown
C	Jake Browne	Jr.	Bellevue	West Richland, Wash.
C	Dondrei Hubbard	Jr	Mayville State	Houston, Texas
1B	Rowdy Dove	Sr.	Mayville State	Pryor, Okla.
2B	Ross Feeley	Sr.	Bellevue	Tehachapi, Calif.
3B	Matt Evans	So.	Bellevue	Omaha, Neb.
SS	Westin Hinkel	Sr.	Jamestown	Gillette, Wyo.
UT	Brady Anderson	Sr.	Valley City State	Jamestown, N.D.
OF	Jake Hignite	Sr.	Dickinson State	CleElum, Wash.
OF	Colton Nash	Sr.	Bellevue	Bonney Lake Wash.
OF	Jordan Hofer	Fr.	Dakota State	Sioux Falls, S.D.
OF	Jesse Spangler	So.	Presentation	Holbrook, Ariz.
DH	Ian Barker	Sr.	Dakota State	Independence, Mo.
SP	Todd Nicks	Jr.	Bellevue	Bakersfield, Calif.
SP	Dylan Deavy	Sr.	Jamestown	Moorhead, Minn.
SP	Aaron Bain	Sr.	Bellevue	Cambridge, Ont.
SP	David Whitaker	Sr.	Valley City State	La Crescenta, Calif.
RP	Sean Getchell	Jr.	Dickinson State	Billings, Mont.

Gold Glove Team

Position	Name	Year	School	Hometown
C	Jake Browne	Jr.	Bellevue	West Richland, Wash.
1B	Todd Nicks	Jr.	Bellevue	Bakersfield, Calif.
2B	Ross Feeley	Sr.	Bellevue	Tehachapi, Calif.
3B	Matt Evans	So.	Bellevue	Omaha, Neb.
SS	Connor Garrison	Sr.	Bellevue	Sedro-Woolley, Wash.
LF	Kory Wolden	So.	Jamestown	West Fargo, N.D.
CF	Jesse Spangler	So.	Presentation	Holbrook, Ariz.
RF	Colton Nash	Sr.	Bellevue	Bonney Lake, Wash.
P	Braulio Torres-Perez	Sr.	Bellevue	Auburn, Wash.