Josh Lee (Lipscomb) hits for the 2014 Dutchmen.
Brandon Nylin, Herkimer CC- Nylin, who will pitch for the Dutchmen in the upcoming season, tossed four shutout innings to pick up the victory in Herkimer’s opening game of the NJCAA Division III World Series. The sophomore allowed three hits and struck out three batters, allowing the Generals to pull away for a 10-2 victory. The win was Nylin’s fourth of the season, keeping his record an undefeated 4-0. The Generals currently sit 1-1 in the World Series after a defeat on Sunday night.
Josh Lee, Lipscomb- Lee, a member of the 2014 Dutchmen, helped his Lipscomb Bisons to the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Lee hit .308 on the tournament and drove in three runs, including two in the championship game. Lee scored twice in the team’s 9-5 victory over Stetson earlier in the tournament, and drove in a run. The senior then drove in runs on a single and a sacrifice fly in the tournament championship game, an 8-7 victory over top-seeded North Florida. Lipscomb’s title win was the second in school history.
Danny Hrbek, Radford- An infielder on the 2014 Dutchmen, Hrbek helped guide the Highlanders to their first ever Big South championship by reaching base six times in 13 plate appearances in Radford’s four game tournament run. Hrbek scored twice in the team’s opening game, providing the winning margin in a 5-3 win over Longwood. His biggest impact came in the tournament championship game against Coastal Carolina, as the sophomore reached base in each of his four plate appearances, scoring a run to open the scoring. The Highlanders would eventually walk off in the bottom of the ninth to claim the conference title and the NCAA Tournament spot.
Austin Foote, Indiana- The 2014 PGCBL All-Star closed Indiana’s victory over Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, played at Target Field in Minneapolis. Foote did not allow a run or a hit in his inning of work, which followed two hitless, scoreless innings of work from 2013 Dutch Thomas Belcher. The efforts of Foote and Belcher were part of a late-season surge by the Hoosiers, who won 11 of their final 14 games, including a pair of sweeps in conference play.
Zach Remillard, Coastal Carolina- Albany’s only two-time PGCBL All-Star, Remillard led the Chanticleers to the title game in the Big South Conference with five hits and four runs batted in over the team’s four games. The infielder’s best game came in the second round, as Remillard went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored in an 8-0 victory over Winthrop. Remillard drove in his runs with a double in the fifth inning and a single in the sixth. The cleanup hitter drove in a run and scored another in the championship game before the Chanticleers fell in the ninth to Radford.
Sean Spicer, Baylor- Spicer finished his senior season at Baylor by playing a major role in both of Baylor’s victories in the Big 12 Tournament. The 2013 Dutchmen first tossed 2.1 innings without allowing an earned run in the Bears’ 6-5 upset of top-seeded TCU. He then retired the final two Texas Tech hitters to eliminate the Red Raiders, picking up his eighth save in his final collegiate appearance. Spicer struck out a career high 31 hitters and a walked a career low 10 batters in his final season with the Bears.
Matt Dacey, Richmond- The 2013 PGCBL Home Run Derby champion ended his season with five hits over three games in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Despite dropping both games, the third baseman went 2-for-4 and 3-for-5, respectively in his final two games. The slugger’s season ended with a .313 batting average, 52 RBIs, and 17 home runs, a mark among the top ten in Division I baseball. Dacey is the first Spider to lead the team in home runs in consecutive seasons in over a decade.
Nate Rupiper, Memphis- The Memphis captain, who played for the 2013 Dutchmen, aided the Tigers in going 2-2 in the American Athletic Conference tournament. His best game came in the team’s second elimination contest, a 4-1 victory over South Florida. The designated hitter went 3-for-4 with three singles, and was part of two run-scoring innings for the Tigers. Rupiper has made 22 starts for the Tigers this season, and has hit .286 in 91 at-bats.
