Eight members of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) baseball team have been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI All-Region Baseball Team. And DMACC baseball coach David Pearson has been named the Region XI Coach of the Year.
Sophomores Austin Murr of Stillwater, Minn., and Calen Schwabe of Thompson, N.D., have been named to the first team, Murr as an infielder and Schwabe as an outfielder.
Sophomores Morgan Holmes of Minneapolis, Minn., and Evan Salmon of Urbandale were named to the second team, Holmes as a catcher and Salmon as a designated hitter, and sophomores Kaden Peterson of Luther, Will Moritz of West Des Moines and Denver Blinn of West Fargo, N.D., and freshman Carter Troncin of Urbandale received honorable mention recognition. Peterson and Moritz were recognized as pitchers and Blinn and Troncin as infielders.
Murr led the Bears in hitting this season, batting .403 behind a 62-154 performance that included 16 doubles, six triples and six home runs. He was also DMACC's leading run producer with 54 runs batted in and he scored 47 runs. Murr, who finished the year with a .510 on-base percentage and a .701 slugging percentage, finished fourth in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) in batting average.
Schwabe batted .346 with a .471 on-base percentage and a .421 slugging percentage. He had 46 hits in 133 at-bats, including eight doubles and a triple. Schwabe drove in 27 runs and scored 42 runs.
Holmes batted .262 behind 28 hits in 107 at-bats. His hits included seven doubles, a triple and two home runs. He drove in 24 runs and scored 23 runs. Holmes finished the season with a .423 on-base percentage and a .402 slugging percentage.
Salmon hit .333 on 32 hits in 96 at-bats with eight doubles and a team-high seven home runs. He had 37 RBIs and scored 30 runs. Salmon ended the year with a .496 on-base percentage and a .635 slugging percentage.
Peterson and Moritz were members of DMACC's pitching staff. Peterson was 5-1 with a 3.78 earned run average. He worked 33 and a third innings, allowing 19 runs, 14 earned runs, on 30 hits. Peterson struck out 34 batters and walked 20.
Moritz was 2-0 with one save. He pitched 34 and two-thirds innings, allowing 10 runs, nine earned runs, on 24 hits. Moritz struck out 21 batters and walked 12.
Blinn compiled a .282 batting average this season, collecting 40 hits in 142 at-bats. His hits included 13 doubles, a triple and six home runs. Blinn drove in 30 runs, scored 47 runs and was successful on 18 of 22 stolen base attempts, finishing fifth in the conference. Blinn compiled a .391 on-base percentage and a .514 slugging percentage.
Troncin ended the season at .310 in hitting with a .382 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage. He had 44 hits in 142 at-bats, including 13 doubles, a triple and three home runs. Troncin drove in 39 runs and scored 33 runs.
Pearson, in his third season at DMACC, led the Bears to a 38-17 record and a 21-7 record in the ICCAC, giving the DMACC its first league championship since 2014. The Bears were ranked as high as 19th in the NJCAA Division II poll this season and took a No. 1 seed into the Region XI Division II Baseball Tournament. DMACC saw its season end with an 8-3 loss to Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NENEB) in an elimination game in tournament play.