Horizon League Baseball Award Winners Announced

INDIANAPOLIS -- Milwaukee claimed four of the five baseball awards for the 2013 season, the Horizon League announced on Tuesday.

Sophomore second baseman Michael Porcaro (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) was named the Horizon League Player of the Year while freshman catcher Mitch Ghelfi (La Crosse, Wis./La Crosse Central) was named the Newcomer of the Year and senior right-hander Jake Long (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Wisconsin Rapids) was named the Pitcher of the Year.

Porcaro led the Horizon League with a .326 batting average and 40 runs scored. He also ranked second with 39 RBI and tied for third with 63 hits, including 14 doubles, four triples and a home run. The sophomore went 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts and was hit by a pitch five times. Defensively, the second baseman posted a .971 fielding percentage, committing just six errors in 123 total chances.

Ghelfi batted .321, good for eighth in the Horizon League. He collected 43 hits, including nine doubles, one triple and three home runs. The freshman scored 18, recorded 17 RBI and went 6-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Defensively, the freshman catcher posted an incredible .995 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 194 total chances, throwing out 16 of 29 would-be base stealers.

Long went 7-3 with four complete games and three shutouts in 12 games (nine starts). His seven wins were good for second-most in the Horizon League while his 1.82 ERA paced the conference and his 74.0 innings pitched were the ninth-most. The senior held opponents to a .245 batting average and allowed just six extra-base hits all season. From mid-to-late March, Long was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on three consecutive occasions.

For leading Milwaukee to a Horizon League regular season title despite contending with inclement weather throughout the season, Scott Doffek earned Coach of the Year honors. The Panthers went 28-19 overall and 14-7 in conference play, earning the No. 1 seed in this week's Horizon League tournament. Milwaukee faced adversity from Mother Nature all season, playing only 13 games at Henry Aaron Field and one at Miller Park, home of the Brewers. The squad won each of those contests, including three-game sweeps of UIC and Youngstown State.

The only award not claimed by a Panther was Relief Pitcher of the Year, which went to Valparaiso junior Karch Kowalczyk (Peru, Ill./La Salle-Peru). Kowalczyk went 1-0 with nine saves in 19 relief appearances. He allowed just one run in 21.2 innings pitched for a miniscule 0.42 ERA while posting a .149 batting average against. The right-hander issued just six walks while recording 16 strikeouts. Kowalczyk even added nine hits at the plate, including three doubles. He scored four runs and drove in 10.

First Team All-League
P – Jake Long, Milwaukee
P – Tomas Michelson, UIC
C – Garrett Gray, Wright State
1B – Alex Grunenwald, UIC
2B – Michael Porcaro, Milwaukee
SS – Spencer Mahoney, Valparaiso
3B – Drew Dosch, Youngstown State
OF – Kieston Greene, Wright State
OF – Chris Manning, Valparaiso
OF – Derek Peake, Milwaukee
DH – Will Fadness, Milwaukee
UTIL – Andrew Bain, Valparaiso

Second Team All-League
P – Karch Kowalczyk, Valparaiso
P – Cole Webb, Valparaiso
P – Mike Schneider, Milwaukee
C – Josh White, Youngstown State
1B – John Loeffler, Valparaiso
2B – Tanner Vavra, Valparaiso
SS – Phil Lipari, Youngstown State
3B – Joe Betcher, UIC
OF – Tyler Detmer, UIC
OF – Jonathan Capasso, Milwaukee
OF – Luke Meeteer, Milwaukee
DH – Ryan Boss, UIC
UTIL – Ryan Solberg, Milwaukee

All-Newcomer Team (Not position specific)
P – Ian Lewandowski, UIC
P – Cole Webb, Valparaiso
P – Lance Horner, Youngstown State
P – Chris DeBoo, Valparaiso
C – Mitch Ghelfi, Milwaukee
C – Josh White, Youngstown State
1B – Pat Wilson, Milwaukee
SS – Andres Ortegano, UIC
OF – Nick DiNello, Youngstown State
OF – Mark Fowler, Wright State
OF – Kieston Greene, Wright State
OF – Bryce Hara, Valparaiso