APPLETON, Wis. - Seniors Tim Saunders and Austin Blaski were named to the 2012 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-American first team. Marietta College baseball has now had 115 All-American selections, including at least one in 36 of the last 37 years.
Junior catcher Alex Toth was named to the 2012 ABCA/Rawlings National Gold Glove team as the nation's best defensive catcher.
Toth has played errorless ball this spring and has gunned downed 19 of the 30 opposing runners trying to steal a base on him.
Saunders, the ABCA Mideast Region and Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year, leads the Pioneers with a .438 batting average, 85 base hits, seven triples, five home runs, 76 runs scored and 41 stolen bases. He needs one triple to tie the school career record of 23.
Named the National Pitcher of the Year by D3baseball.com, Blaski was also tabbed both the ABCA Mideast Region and OAC Pitcher of the Year. He currently leads all divisions of the NCAA with 13 victories. Blaski has an incredible 0.88 earned run average and has 111 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings of work. He has held opposing hitters to a miniscule .192 batting average.
In order to be eligible for ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors, a player must be a first team All-Region selection.
In addition to Saunders and Blaski, the Pioneers had two other first team All-Mideast Region picks.
Senior pitcher Brian Gasser and junior outfielder Aaron Hopper were first team selections.
Gasser, the National Co-Player of the Year in 2011, has posted a 10-3 record with a 3.24 earned run average this spring. He was named first team All-OAC and has notched 67 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings of work.
Hopper is one of two Pioneers to start every game this spring. He is currently third on the team with a .358 batting average. He leads the Etta Express with 21 doubles and 57 runs batted in and is tied with Saunders with five home runs.
Senior closer Kyle Lindquist, Toth and junior first baseman Evan Brockmeier were named to the All-Mideast Region second team, while senior second baseman Kirby Becker was honorable mention.
Lindquist, a first team All-OAC honoree, ranks among the Division III leaders with seven saves. He is 1-0 with a 1.41 earned run average and has recorded 33 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings pitched.
Lindquist has walked just four batters and held opposing hitters to a .172 batting average.
A second team All-OAC selection, Toth is hitting .318 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 34 runs batted in. He was named to both the OAC and Mideast Region All-Tournament teams.
Brockmeier, along with Hopper, has started every game this spring. The first team All-OAC honoree is second on the team with a .368 batting average, 49 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases. He has collected 71 base hits including 10 doubles and two triples.
Becker and his middle infield partner, Saunders, make up one of the best defensive tandems in the nation. Becker is fielding .955 and has committed just 10 errors this season. Hitting in the top two spots in the batting order, Becker is currently batting .356 and is second on the team with 53 runs scored.
Becker and Toth were also named to the ABCA/Rawlings Mideast Region Gold Glove team at their respective positions.
