Wichita State’s Hilliard earns All-MVC baseball honors
Wichita State junior outfielder Sam Hilliard represents the Shockers on the All-Missouri Valley Conference baseball team.
Hilliard, from Mansfield, Texas, leads WSU with a .337 batting average, 47 RBI and four triples. His seven home runs and 14 doubles rank second on the team. He made 10 starts as a pitcher and is 1-3 with a 6.09 ERA.
In 21 MVC games, Hilliard hit .366 with five home runs and seven doubles.
First baseman Ryan Tinkham and outfielder Daniel Kihle were named to the second team. Shortstop Trey Vickers, reliever John Hayes and catcher Gunnar Troutwine received honorable mention.
Tinkham, a junior, leads WSU with nine home runs, 18 doubles, a .444 on-base percentage and a .562 slugging percentage. He is hitting .330 with 40 RBI. Kihle, a junior, is hitting .305 with 18 steals and four home runs. He hit. 349 in 21 MVC games with three home runs.
Vickers, a freshman, hit .302 in MVC games and .262 for the season. Troutwine, also a freshman, drove in 14 runs in 18 MVC games and hit .271 with three home runs. He is hitting .278 for the season. Hayes has a 2.91 ERA with three saves and a 6-2 record. In nine MVC appearances, he is 3-2 with a 1.71 ERA and two saves.
Evansville centerfielder Kevin Kaczmarski, the nation’s leader with a .478 batting average, is the Joe Carter Player of the Year. Missouri State pitcher Jon Harris was named Pitcher of the Year. Illinois State pitcher Jacob Hendren was named Newcomer of the Year and Missouri State third baseman Jake Burger Freshman of the Year. Missouri State shortstop Joey Hawkins earned Defensive Player of the Year.
Missouri State coach Keith Guttin won his fifth MVC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Bears to an 18-3 conference record, the program’s best.
All-MVC
First team
1B — Mason Snyder, Illinois State
2B — Drew Turbin, Dallas Baptist
3B — Jake Burger, Missouri State
SS — Camden Duzenack, Dallas Baptist
C — Daniel Salters, Dallas Baptist
UT — Paul DeJong, Illinois State
DH — Daniel Sweet, Dallas Baptist
OF — Sam Hilliard, Wichita State
OF — Kevin Kaczmarski, Evansville
OF — Tate Matheny, Missouri State
SP — Matt Hall, Missouri State
SP — Jon Harris, Missouri State
SP — Jacob Hendren, Illinois State
RP — Brandon Koch,
RP — Bryan Young, Missouri State
Joe Carter Player of the Year — Kaczmarski
Pitcher of the Year — Harris
Newcomer of the Year — Hendren
Freshman of the Year — Burger
Defensive Player of the Year — Joey Hawkins, SS, Missouri State
Dan Callahan Coach of the Year — Keith Guttin, Missouri State
Second team
1B — Justin Paulsen, Missouri State
1B — Ryan Tinkham, Wichita State
2B — Joe Kelch, Illinois State
3B — Spencer Gaa, Bradley
SS — Joey Hawkins, Missouri State
C — Drew Carlile, Bradley
OF —Tagg Duce, Dallas Baptist
OF — Justin Wall, Dallas Baptist
OF — Daniel Kihle, Wichita State
OF — Isaac Smith, Bradley
SP — Elliot Ashbeck, Bradley
SP — Jeff Degano, Indiana State
SP — Aaron Hauge, Southern Illinois
RP —Chance Adams, Dallas Baptist
RP — Matt Dennis, Bradley
Honorable mention
Paul Solka, 1B, Bradley; Dylan Becker, 2B, Missouri State; Chris Godinez, 2B, Bradley; Andy Young, 3B, Indiana State; Trey Vickers, SS, Wichita State; Gunnar Troutwine, C, Wichita State; Steve Adkins, SP, Bradley; Brodie Harkness, SP, Evansville; John Hayes, RP, Wichita State; Sean Stutzman, RP, Dallas Baptist
All-Defensive
Chane Lynch, 1B, Dallas Baptist; Drew Turbin, 2B, Dallas Baptist; Nash Knight, 3B, Dallas Baptist; Joey Hawkins, SS, Missouri State; Daniel Salters, C, Dallas Baptist; Tagg Duce, OF, Dallas Baptist; Kevin Kaczmarski, OF, Evansville; Tate Matheny, OF, Missouri State, Jacob Hendren, P, Illinois State
This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Wichita State’s Hilliard earns All-MVC baseball honors."