Burlea, Wall win top GMAC honors
Posted: Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Northwestern pitcher Mihai Burlea and shortstop Grant Wall headline the 2007 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference baseball team.
Burlea, a native of Botosani, Romania, was named pitcher of the year, Wall player of the year and Luke Langefeld of Sioux Falls was named coach of the year.
Burlea owns a 10-0 record. He was the winner in all six of his GPAC starts, hurling four complete games, two of them shutouts, and fashioned a 1.98 earned run average. The junior also led the GPAC in strikeouts with 95.
Northwestern has qualifed for the NAIA Region III tournament and will take a 33-15 record and the sixth seed into a first-round game Wednesday against top-seeded Dickinson State (31-9) of North Dakota Wednesday at Lewis and Clark Park (1 p.m.).
Wall, a sophomore shortstop from Mountain Lake, Minn., led the GPAC in doubles (19), runs scored (45) and total bases (99). He also hit .413 and was 14-for-14 in stolen bases.
Northwestern's other first-team pick was senior designated hitter Michael Janssen, who hit .377 with three homers and 31 RBIs.
Along with Burlea, Morningside's junior Josh Hansen and senior Heath Horsley were named first-team pitchers, along with Bryan Dutcher of Doane and David Andersen of Dakota Wesleyan.
Hansen, a graduate of West Monon High School, was 7-4 with a 3.47 ERA and Horsley, a Lawton-Bronson grad, was 7-3 and led the Mustang staff with a 2.64 ERA. The all-loop picks each had two shutouts.
Hansen struck out 61 batters in 72.2 innings and Horsley fanned 54 in 61 innings.
Briar Cliff's lone first-team pick was utility infielder Chris Stevenson, a senior shorstop from Fullerton, Calif.
Stevenson will lead the Chargers into the Region III tournament. Coach Boyd Pitkin's team (26-18), seeded fourth, will meet third-seeded Jamestown (28-14) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Lewis and Clark Park.
In the 4 o'clock game Wednesday, second-seeded Sioux Falls (26-17) squares off with fifth-seeded Dakota State (38-10). The four-day double-elimination tourney concludes Sunday with the title game at 1 p.m.
FIRST TEAM
Catchers: Jake Roy, Jr., Dakota Wesleyan; Dan Nash, Jr., Midland Lutheran
first base: Tony Tysinger, Sr., Sioux Falls
Second base: D.J. Yearger, Sr., Hastings
Shortstop: Grant Wall, Soph., Northwestern
Third base: Aaron Boyer, Sr., Sioux Falls
Utility infielder: Chris Stevenson, Sr., Briar Cliff
Designated hitter: Michael Janssen, Sr., Northwestern
Outfielders: Ky Kouzmanoff, Sr., Hastings; Kyle Thompsen, Sr., Sioux Falls; Mitch Vernon, Sr., Doane; Zach Williams, Sr. Concordia.
Pitchers: Mihai Burlea, Jr., Northwestern; Josh Hansen, Jr., Morningside; Heath Horsley, Sr., Morningside; Bryan Dutcher, Sr., Doane; David Andersen, Sr., Dakota Wesleyan.
SECOND TEAM
Catchers: David Manceaus, Soph., Morningside; Travid DeJong, Jr., Dordt
First base: Jake Jansen, Soph., Northwestern
Second base: Choc Bowen, Sr., Doane
Shortstop: Chris Knutson, Sr., Midland Lutheran
Third base: Michael Smith, Sr., Dana
Utility infielder: Cole Knippling, Sr. Mount Marty
Designated hitter: Bryan Campos, Soph., Sioux Falls
Outfielders: Tom Kohl, Jr., Morningside; Joe Heitritter, Jr., Northwestern; Rob McClemens, Sr., Mount Marty; Sean Curtis, Sr., Dana
Pitchers: Brett Swim, Jr., Sioux Falls; Jared Jacobs, Sr., Briar Cliff; Chris Baker, Jr., Dakota Wesleyan; Ryan Gorsett, Sr., Briar Cliff
GOLD GLOVE TEAM
Catcher -- Brian Burks, Sr., Hastings. First base -- Jeff Butcher, Sr., Briar Cliff. Second base -- Billy McDonald, Jr., Mount Marty. Shortstop -- Chris Stevenson, Sr., Briar Cliff. Third base -- Nolan Koehn, Fr., Midland Lutheran. Pitcher -- Tom Hranac, Jr., Nebraska Wesleyan. Outfielders -- Rob McClemens, Sr., Mount Marty; Tom Kohl, Sr., Morningside; Kyle Thompson, Sr., Sioux Falls.
HONORABLE MENTION
Briar Cliff: Jeff Butcher, Mike Schwartz, Stephen Keane, Trent Schneider, Andrew English
Dordt: Dillon Peters, Nate Daane, Chris Liebhart, Bobby Lutke
Morningside: Nick Paulsen, Eric Delich, Jason Engleman
Mount Marty: Rand Thygeson, Billy McDonald, Trey Krier, Kevin Kunz, Matt Kemp
Northwestern: Codie Zeutenhorst, Austin Malone, Dusty Meyn, Jake Koerselman, Justin Lane, Matt Gray
Burlea, a native of Botosani, Romania, was named pitcher of the year, Wall player of the year and Luke Langefeld of Sioux Falls was named coach of the year.
Burlea owns a 10-0 record. He was the winner in all six of his GPAC starts, hurling four complete games, two of them shutouts, and fashioned a 1.98 earned run average. The junior also led the GPAC in strikeouts with 95.
Northwestern has qualifed for the NAIA Region III tournament and will take a 33-15 record and the sixth seed into a first-round game Wednesday against top-seeded Dickinson State (31-9) of North Dakota Wednesday at Lewis and Clark Park (1 p.m.).
Wall, a sophomore shortstop from Mountain Lake, Minn., led the GPAC in doubles (19), runs scored (45) and total bases (99). He also hit .413 and was 14-for-14 in stolen bases.
Northwestern's other first-team pick was senior designated hitter Michael Janssen, who hit .377 with three homers and 31 RBIs.
Along with Burlea, Morningside's junior Josh Hansen and senior Heath Horsley were named first-team pitchers, along with Bryan Dutcher of Doane and David Andersen of Dakota Wesleyan.
Hansen, a graduate of West Monon High School, was 7-4 with a 3.47 ERA and Horsley, a Lawton-Bronson grad, was 7-3 and led the Mustang staff with a 2.64 ERA. The all-loop picks each had two shutouts.
Hansen struck out 61 batters in 72.2 innings and Horsley fanned 54 in 61 innings.
Briar Cliff's lone first-team pick was utility infielder Chris Stevenson, a senior shorstop from Fullerton, Calif.
Stevenson will lead the Chargers into the Region III tournament. Coach Boyd Pitkin's team (26-18), seeded fourth, will meet third-seeded Jamestown (28-14) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Lewis and Clark Park.
In the 4 o'clock game Wednesday, second-seeded Sioux Falls (26-17) squares off with fifth-seeded Dakota State (38-10). The four-day double-elimination tourney concludes Sunday with the title game at 1 p.m.
FIRST TEAM
Catchers: Jake Roy, Jr., Dakota Wesleyan; Dan Nash, Jr., Midland Lutheran
first base: Tony Tysinger, Sr., Sioux Falls
Second base: D.J. Yearger, Sr., Hastings
Shortstop: Grant Wall, Soph., Northwestern
Third base: Aaron Boyer, Sr., Sioux Falls
Utility infielder: Chris Stevenson, Sr., Briar Cliff
Designated hitter: Michael Janssen, Sr., Northwestern
Outfielders: Ky Kouzmanoff, Sr., Hastings; Kyle Thompsen, Sr., Sioux Falls; Mitch Vernon, Sr., Doane; Zach Williams, Sr. Concordia.
Pitchers: Mihai Burlea, Jr., Northwestern; Josh Hansen, Jr., Morningside; Heath Horsley, Sr., Morningside; Bryan Dutcher, Sr., Doane; David Andersen, Sr., Dakota Wesleyan.
SECOND TEAM
Catchers: David Manceaus, Soph., Morningside; Travid DeJong, Jr., Dordt
First base: Jake Jansen, Soph., Northwestern
Second base: Choc Bowen, Sr., Doane
Shortstop: Chris Knutson, Sr., Midland Lutheran
Third base: Michael Smith, Sr., Dana
Utility infielder: Cole Knippling, Sr. Mount Marty
Designated hitter: Bryan Campos, Soph., Sioux Falls
Outfielders: Tom Kohl, Jr., Morningside; Joe Heitritter, Jr., Northwestern; Rob McClemens, Sr., Mount Marty; Sean Curtis, Sr., Dana
Pitchers: Brett Swim, Jr., Sioux Falls; Jared Jacobs, Sr., Briar Cliff; Chris Baker, Jr., Dakota Wesleyan; Ryan Gorsett, Sr., Briar Cliff
GOLD GLOVE TEAM
Catcher -- Brian Burks, Sr., Hastings. First base -- Jeff Butcher, Sr., Briar Cliff. Second base -- Billy McDonald, Jr., Mount Marty. Shortstop -- Chris Stevenson, Sr., Briar Cliff. Third base -- Nolan Koehn, Fr., Midland Lutheran. Pitcher -- Tom Hranac, Jr., Nebraska Wesleyan. Outfielders -- Rob McClemens, Sr., Mount Marty; Tom Kohl, Sr., Morningside; Kyle Thompson, Sr., Sioux Falls.
HONORABLE MENTION
Briar Cliff: Jeff Butcher, Mike Schwartz, Stephen Keane, Trent Schneider, Andrew English
Dordt: Dillon Peters, Nate Daane, Chris Liebhart, Bobby Lutke
Morningside: Nick Paulsen, Eric Delich, Jason Engleman
Mount Marty: Rand Thygeson, Billy McDonald, Trey Krier, Kevin Kunz, Matt Kemp
Northwestern: Codie Zeutenhorst, Austin Malone, Dusty Meyn, Jake Koerselman, Justin Lane, Matt Gray
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