CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR MAY 11, 2009
Calvin Lands Players on All-MIAA Baseball Teams;
Sietsema/Pocock Receive Player of the Week Honors From MIAA;
Calvin Finishes Second in Commissioner's Cup Race
BASEBALL
Five members of the Calvin baseball team have received All-MIAA honors. Junior
Ben Sietsema and freshman Tyler Berger have been named to the All-MIAA first
team while senior Nate Pocock, junior Matt Schepel and sophomore Keith
Spoelstra have been named to the All-MIAA second team.
A pitcher, Sietsema (Ada/Northpointe Christian HS) is receiving All-MIAA first
team honors for the first time. This spring, Sietsema (7-1) tied for the MIAA
lead in victories with seven. Two of his seven conference wins came against
league champion Adrian which dropped only three league games. Sietsema also
finished third in the MIAA in innings pitched (51.0), fourth in strikeouts (31)
and second in earned run average (2.47). He also led the league in shutouts (3)
and was named MIAA Pitcher of the Week three times.
A native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School,
Berger had a standout first year as Calvin's starting centerfielder. Berger
finished tied for fifth in the MIAA batting race (.409) and was fourth in hits
(38), sixth in runs scored (27), tied for fourth in runs batted in (26), second
in slugging percentage (.656), sixth in on-base percentage (481) and tied for
second in home runs (4). He also commited just one error in 49 total chances
for a sterling field percentage of .980.
A senior from Wayland, Massachusetts, Pocock is receiving All-MIAA second team
accolades as a utility player. A graduate of Wayland (MA) High School, Pocock
was forced to move to the designated hitter spot this spring from the pitcher's
mound because of injuries. In his first year as a starter ad the DH spot,
Pocock batted .386 to rank 10th in the MIAA batting race. Pocock also tied for
second in the MIAA in doubles (10) and was ranked sixth in runs batted in (25),
ninth in on-base percentage (.437) and 10th in slugging percentage (.568).
Calvin's starting shortstop, Schepel batted .369 in league play this spring. A
native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Grand Rapids Christian High School,
Schepel led the league in base on balls with 24. He was also tied for second in
the MIAA in runs scored (32) and in home runs (4). In addition, he tied for
fourth in runs batted (26), was third in stolen bases (8), was fourth in
on-base percentage (.509) and was sixth in slugging percentage (.595).
A native of Oakland, New Jersey, Spoelstra was 4-1 in league play for the
Knights this year. A graduate of Eastern Christian High School, Spoelstra tied
for sixth in the MIAA in strikeouts (27). Opponents batted just .255 in league
play this year, ranking third among MIAA pitchers. Spoelstra's earned run
average in conference play was 3.67, ranking sixth among MIAA pitchers.
Calvin finished the 2009 season in second place in the final MIAA standings
with a conference record of 20-8.
MIAA PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Two members of the Calvin baseball team have received MIAA Player of the Week
honors. Junior Ben Sietsema has been named MIAA Co-Pitcher of the Week along
with Adrian's Ryan Domschot. It marks the third time that Sietsema has received
MIAA Pitcher of the Week accolades this spring.
A native of Ada and a graduate of Northpointe Christian High School, Sietsema
did not allow a run in 11 innings of pitching last week, earning a pair of
wins. He hurled four scoreless innings of two-hit relief as the Knights
defeated MIAA champion Adrian, 7-3, then tossed his league-leading third
shutout of the season, a six-hitter, as Calvin blanked Albion, 6-0.
Meanwhile, Calvin senior designated hitter Nate Pocock has been named the MIAA
Player of the Week. A native Wayland, Massachusetts (Wayland HS) closed out his
career with a flourish, going 13-for-21 at the plate for a .619 average and
driving in 13 runs over six games. In a home doubleheader sweep of Albion, he
went 6-for-7, including three doubles, and drove in five runs. He then finished
his career with home runs in both ends of a road doubleheader sweep of the
Britons, including a two-run shot that provided the margin of victory in a 2-0
Calvin win. It’s the first time Pocock has been honored as Player of the Week
this season.
MIAA COMMISSIONER'S CUP STANDINGS FINAL RELEASE
The final MIAA Commissioner's Cup Standings have been released and Calvin has
finished second behind Hope in all three categories. In the MIAA (overall)
Commissioner's Cup Standings, Calvin finished with 197 points with Hope first
with 208 points. In the men's all-sports standings, Calvin finished one point
behind Hope with 93 points. In the women's all-sports standings, Calvin
finished second with 104 points with Hope winning with 114 points.
During the 2008-09 sports season, Calvin won an MIAA-leading eight league
titles, winning in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer,
men's basketball, women's swimming and diving and men's and women's track and
field.
The Commissioner's Cup is presented to the MIAA member with the best
cumulative finishes in the 18 men's and women's sports sponsored by America's
oldest collegiate conference. It marks the ninth consecutive year that Hope has
won or shared the honor and the 24th time since 1980. A year ago Hope and
Calvin shared the Commissioner's Cup, a first in the 71-year history of the
award.
The Commissioner's Cup has been presented since 1934-35. Hope has won the
award 31 times, followed by Albion with 14, Kalamazoo 13, Calvin 9 and Alma 5.
Final Commissioner's Cup Standings: 1. Hope 208. 2. Calvin 197. 3. Albion 138.
4. Adrian 109. 5. Olivet 104. 6. Alma 97. 7. Trine 94. 8. Kalamazoo 91.
Men’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 94. 2. Calvin 93. 3. Albion 66. 4.
Adrian 58. 5. Olivet 54. 6. Trine 50. 7. Kalamazoo 42. 8. Alma 31.
Women’s All-Sports Standings: 1. Hope 114. 2. Calvin 104. 3. Saint Mary’s
74. 4. Albion 72. 5. Alma 66. 6. Adrian 51. 7. Olivet 50. 8. Kalamazoo 49. 9.
Trine 44.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Mon May 11 23:16:18 2009
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