The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) announced its baseball All-Conference Teams and postseason awards at its annual banquet on Tuesday night on the eve of the G-MAC Championship Tournament in Mason, Ohio.
 
Senior lefthander Roscoe Blackburn led a Malone University contingent of award-winners, earning his second consecutive G-MAC Pitcher of the Year honor along with a First Team All-Conference selection. Freshman right fielder Turner Hill was named to the All-Conference Second Team and was picked as the G-MAC Freshman of the Year. He was joined on the Second Team by sophomore pitcher Eric Mullet while shortstop Joe Crank and first baseman Todd Ropp were named Honorable Mention.
 
Roscoe Blackburn, of Worthington, Ohio (Worthington HS) was outstanding during his senior season as he posted an 8-2 record with a 2.25 ERA on his way to being the named the G-MAC Pitcher of the Year. Blackburn tied for the league-high in wins and finished second among qualifying pitchers in ERA. He tossed four complete games, including three shutouts, and finished fifth in the G-MAC with 73 strikeouts.
 
The southpaw led the league in innings pitched (84.0), WHIP (1.00), and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.32) as he held opponents to a .206 batting average. Over spring break, he collected a career-high 15 strikeouts in a one-hit, nine-inning gem against Notre Dame (OH). In a 3-2 win over Findlay in April, he pitched all 10 innings in a complete game victory. Blackburn also picked off 13 baserunners on the season, more than every G-MAC team except for Ohio Valley, which totaled 13 exactly.
 
Turner Hill, a Marietta, Ohio native and two-time first team All-Ohioan at Marietta High School, transitioned seamlessly into the college game as he became the second consecutive Pioneer to earn G-MAC Freshman of the Year. Hill posted a team-high .357 batting average, highest among G-MAC freshman, fourth G-MAC among outfielders, and eighth best overall. His team-high .474 OBP was fifth in the G-MAC, second among G-MAC outfielders, and highest among G-MAC freshmen.
 
Hill collected 51 hits on the season, including three homeruns, three doubles, and two triples. He scored 37 runs, collected 21 RBI, and stole 11 bases. The patient lefthander drew 31 walks and was the toughest player in the conference to strike out at one every 14.3 at bats. A model of consistency, Hill reached base via hit or walk in 40 of his 42 starts. In one of the games in which he didn't reach base via hit or walk, he executed a sac bunt that led to the game-tying run in the 5-2, seven-inning win over Ohio Dominican. In the other game, he reached on an error, stole second base and scored the only run in a 1-0 win over Alderson Broaddus.


 
Eric Mullet, of Berlin, Ohio (Hiland HS), landed on the All-Conference Second Team following a phenomenal sophomore season in which he went a perfect 8-0 and led the G-MAC with a 1.99 ERA. He pitched three complete games and totaled 65 strikeouts over 68.0 innings pitched. The crafty righty posted a 1.13 WHIP, third best in the conference, and held opponents to a .218 batting average.
 
Mullet dominated G-MAC competition, posting a 7-0 mark with a 1.96 ERA and 53 Ks in 55 IP over eight league starts. In the only start in which he didn't earn the victory, he allowed just one unearned run while adding nine strikeouts over eight innings in a no-decision against Trevecca. Mullet, a G-MAC All-Freshmen selection last season, recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts in a win over Davis & Elkins in March.


 
Joe Crank, of Louisville, OH (Louisville HS), did a little bit of everything for the Pioneers this season, hitting .292 with a .437 OBP and a team-high .494 slugging percentage on his way to earning Honorable Mention All-Conference. He led Malone with 14 doubles, four triples, and 33 RBI and tied for the team lead in homeruns (3). Crank scored 41 runs, walked 32 times, and was a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases. He had 12 multi-hit games, including back-to-back contests with three doubles during spring break, and 10 multi-RBI games, including a season-high four RBI performance with a grand slam homerun against Walsh. The versatile shortstop also finished second in the G-MAC with 121 fielding assists.


 
Todd Ropp, a senior first baseman from Walnut Creek, OH (Hiland HS), the recipient of those fielding assists, finished second in the G-MAC with 356 putouts. In addition to his work in the field, Ropp excelled at the plate, batting .309 while tying for the team lead in hits (51) and homeruns (3). He also collected 10 doubles, a triple, 31 runs scored, and 31 RBI while posting a .392 OBP and a .436 slugging percentage. Ropp totaled 15 multi-hit games, including a season-high four-hit, four-RBI performance in a win over nationally-ranked Minnesota State during spring break. He matched the four-RBI effort against Wheeling Jesuit in late April when he belted a pair of two-run homers.


 
The Pioneers, who finished 32-16 this season and 18-9 in conference, open up the G-MAC Championship on Wednesday, May 9th at 12:00 pm at Prasco Park against Ohio Valley University.
 
To view the entire list of G-MAC Awards and All-Conference honorees, click here.