Baseball Success Leads to All-GPAC Recognition
(note all stats are through the GPAC Tournament)
CRETE, Neb. – Following one of the most successful seasons in program history, Doane Baseball was heavily represented in the postseason awards announced by the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), placing 13 student-athletes on the All-GPAC teams, including three First Team selections and a conference Gold Glove honoree. The honors come as the Tigers currently hold a 44-9 overall record and a 24-4 mark in GPAC play while capturing both the GPAC regular-season and tournament championships.
Head Coach Josh Oltmans was named the GPAC Coach of the Year. This marks the fourth time Oltmans has received the honor since 2021. Earlier this season, he became Doane's all-time wins leader.
Leading the way for the Tigers were first team selections Carter Roth, Grant Sommers and Nicolas Yard. Roth earned First Team honors at second base after putting together one of the top offensive seasons in the conference. The junior hit .443 with 97 hits, 68 runs scored, 20 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and a team-high 66 RBI while adding 17 stolen bases and posting a .981 fielding percentage in 53 starts.
Sommers garnered First Team recognition at shortstop after batting .400 with 82 hits, 57 runs scored, 18 doubles and a team-best 15 home runs. He drove in 60 runs, stole 20 bases and anchored the Tigers' middle infield while starting 52 games.
On the mound, Yard earned First Team honors as a starting pitcher after posting a perfect 7-0 record and a 2.31 ERA in nine starts. He limited opponents to a .220 batting average while striking out 35 batters across 50.2 innings pitched.
Doane added four Second Team selections in Sam Kwapnioski, Tanner Nelson, Gabe Rodriguez and Ethan Merk. Kwapnioski earned Second Team recognition in the outfield after hitting .295 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI and 49 runs scored while drawing a team-high 49 walks and adding a .470 on-base percentage.
Behind the plate, Nelson was named Second Team catcher after batting .439 with 72 hits, 55 RBI and a .518 on-base percentage in 49 appearances. Defensively, he recorded 292 putouts and threw out 12 baserunners attempting to steal.
Rodriguez was honored as a Second Team starting pitcher and also received GPAC Gold Glove recognition at pitcher. He finished the year 8-1 with a 3.65 ERA, tallying 50 strikeouts in 69.0 innings while holding opponents to a .222 batting average. In the field, Rodriguez committed no errors and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Merk rounded out the Second Team selections after serving as one of the conference's top relief pitchers. He made 17 appearances, recorded five saves and posted a 3.38 ERA while striking out 33 batters and limiting opponents to a .190 batting average in 34.2 innings.
The Tigers also placed six student-athletes on the honorable mention list. Brayden Jones earned honorable mention at first base after hitting .325 with nine home runs and 42 RBI while compiling a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 391 chances.
Johnny Vulcano was recognized as an honorable mention utility selection after contributing at second base and in the outfield, batting .339 with 40 RBI and 34 runs scored across 46 starts.
Jett Grossart collected honorable mention honors at designated hitter after batting .362 with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 38 appearances.
On the mound, Garett Klein and Cade Bridges earned honorable mention relief pitcher recognition. Klein made 10 appearances with five saves and 11 strikeouts, while Bridges went 3-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 13 appearances and added 22 strikeouts over 29.0 innings.
Kaden Crawford rounded out Doane's postseason honorees, earning honorable mention as a starting pitcher after going 9-2 with 76 strikeouts across a team-high 74.0 innings pitched.
The 13 All-GPAC honorees underscore the depth of a Doane squad that turned in a historic season thus far, winning conference regular-season and tournament titles before heading into the NAIA Opening Round Tournament in Lincoln.
(generated by ChatGPT)