2017 G-MAC Baseball All-Conference Teams

The Malone University baseball team was well-represented when the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced its All-Conference Teams Tuesday night at the postseason awards banquet in Mason, Ohio on the eve of the G-MAC Tournament. Malone, the #2 seed in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament, landed a total of 10 players on the All-Conference First, Second, and All-Freshman Teams.
 
In addition, Malone pulled a clean sweep of the top individual awards as senior leftfielder Keanan Locke was voted the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year, junior lefthander Roscoe Blackburn was named the G-MAC Pitcher of the Year, and rookie centerfielder Nate Cobb was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year.
 
Locke and Blackburn were joined on the All-Conference First Team by sophomore catcher Matt Noel and senior reliever Gunnar Smeyres. Senior rightfielder Brenden Wells, junior starting pitcher Joshua Hurford, and second baseman Zach Mottice were all voted to the All-Conference Second Team. Cobb and Mottice were selected to the All-Freshman Team along with pitchers Eric Mullet and Kyle Kovach.
 
Keanan Locke, of Minerva, Ohio (Minerva HS), had a phenomenal senior season in which he hit .413 with seven homeruns and 47 RBI. He ranked second in the conference in hitting and tied for second in homeruns. Locke led the league in RBI, doubles (18), total bases (105), and slugging percentage (.700). Additionally, the talented senior ranked 5th in OBP (.455), 7th in total hits (62), and 8th in runs scored (35).  He also stole seven bases and played error-free defense in the outfield. In the final weekend of the season, Locke became Malone's all-time record-holder in career doubles (53).
 

Roscoe Blackburn, a Worthington, Ohio native (Thomas Worthington HS), earned the G-MAC honor after an outstanding junior season in which he posted a 4-1 record with a 0.64 earned run average in 56.1 innings pitched. Blackburn not only led the G-MAC in ERA, but also all of DII. He started the season on a 40.2 innings-streak without giving up an earned run and has allowed an earned run in only two innings since. The 6'3" southpaw finished second in the conference in strikeouts (62) and led all starting pitchers with a .220 batting average against. Among the 44 base hits he allowed this season, only six (all doubles) went for extra bases.
 

Nate Cobb, of Massillon, Ohio (Jackson HS), ignited the Malone offense from the top of the order where he hit .358 with a .447 OBP. The freshman speedster reached base in 46 of 48 games this season and led the G-MAC in both runs scored (47) and stolen bases (24). He ranked 2nd in the league with five triples, 6th in hits (63), 6th in walks (23), and 8th in OBP. The Pioneers were 27-4 when he scored at least one run and, defensively, Cobb led all G-MAC outfielders with 121 putouts.
 

Matt Noel, a Tallmadge, Ohio native (Tallmadge HS), was rewarded as the First-Team All-Conference catcher after a season in which he led the conference with a .415 batting average and a .491 OBP. He also finished 8th in the conference in both hits (59) and slugging (.521). The second-year backstop recorded 12 doubles, a homerun, and 33 RBI as well as 34 assists from behind the plate. Noel not only led all G-MAC catchers in hitting, he led all catchers of DII and ranked 23rd in the nation overall.
 

Gunnar Smeyres, of Massillon, Ohio (Canton Central Catholic HS), was one of two relief pitchers named All-Conference First Team. He appeared in 22 games for the Pioneers, posting a minuscule 0.98 ERA along with 27 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. Smeyres led the conference with nine saves and held opponents to just 14 hits and a .149 batting average against. The senior righty was brilliant down the stretch, surrendering just one unearned run over his final 19 innings pitched.
 

Brenden Wells, a Beloit, Ohio native (West Branch HS), was named Second Team All-Conference for the second straight season. Wells wrapped up his senior campaign hitting .367 with three homeruns and 32 RBI. He finished second in the league in hits (65), runs (42), triples (5), and total bases (96), and was 6th in slugging (.542). Wells was the owner of a 24-game hitting streak at one point in the season and had 21 multi-hit games. Defensively, he finished with 102 putouts and two outfield assists.
 

Joshua Hurford, from Sebring, Ohio (Sebring McKinley HS), picked up Second Team All-Conference honors for the second time in his career after also receiving the honor as a freshman. The junior righty went 6-0 on the year and tied for the conference-lead in wins. He also finished just behind Blackburn and Smeyres with a 1.51 ERA and held opponents to a .224 batting average. Hurford registered 42 strikeouts in 47.2 innings and recorded four complete games and two shutouts, including a no-hitter against Alderson Broaddus on April 1st.
 

Zach Mottice, from Massillon, Ohio (Jackson HS), was named the Second Team All-Conference second baseman after producing a remarkable rookie campaign in which he hit .379 with 27 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He finished 6th in the G-MAC with a .451 OBP and ranked ninth in hitting. Among freshmen, Mottice led the conference in both categories. Over the second half of the season, Mottice hit .440 while playing exceptional defense at second base. He is one of just three players to be named to both the All-Conference Team and the All-Freshman Team.
 

Eric Mullet, a native of Berlin, Ohio (Hiland HS), was one of four pitchers named to the G-MAC All-Freshman Team. The 5'9" righty went 5-2 during his rookie campaign with 38 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched. Mullet finished the year with a 3.92 ERA and tossed two complete games; one of which was a one-hit shutout against Wheeling Jesuit on April 20th. Among G-MAC freshman pitchers, Mullet was second in strikeouts and third in innings pitched.
 

Kyle Kovach, a native of Huron, Ohio (Huron HS), was voted to the All-Freshman Team after posting a 2-0 record with a 3.71 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched. After beginning the year in the bullpen where he earned two saves, Kovach transitioned into the starting rotation where he picked up victories over Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan. On the season, he allowed just three extra-base hits and limited opposition to a .233 batting average.
 

To view the complete list of G-MAC All-Conference Award winners, click on the link on the top of the page.