May 11, 2007

Eight members of the Wayne State baseball team earned All-Conference accolades from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, including outfielder Ryan LaPensee (LaSalle, Ont./St. Thomas of Villanova) who was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

LaPensee led the Warriors (seventh in the GLIAC) in batting average (.406) and stolen bases (16, sixth in the GLIAC), and finished second on the team in runs scored (45) as well as fourth in hits (58), on-base percentage (.447), and slugging percentage (.524). He reached base as the leadoff hitter 24 times in 46 chances (.522).

Among the recipients of First Team All-GLIAC accolades were redshirt senior first baseman Jon Weisman (Woodhaven, Mich.), redshirt junior outfielder Derek Ranck (Clarkston, Mich.), junior outfielder Tony Hines (Detroit, Mich./Mumford), and sophomore starting pitcher Anthony Bass (Trenton, Mich.).

Earning Second Team honors were junior infielder Brett Witczak (Hudsonville, Mich.) and senior starting pitcher Kyle Hill (Mississauga, Ont./St. Michael's).

LaPensee and senior catcher Bob Schmidt (Oxford, Mich.) were awarded All-GLIAC Honorable Mention recognition.

Weisman, a three-time All-GLIAC award winner (Honorable Mention in 2005, Second Team in 2006) set career-highs in batting average (.340), home runs (11), RBI (48), total bases (100), slugging percentage (.694), walks (24), and on-base percentage (.439). He became Wayne State's all-time leader in home runs, doubles, extra-base hits, and total bases, and games played.

Ranck, Wayne State's Most Valuable Player, finished with the second-highest batting average (.403) on the team and eighth-best in the GLIAC. He also had a team- and conference-best 73 hits, four shy of matching Frank Jeney's school record of 77. Ranck drove in 48 runs, had 15 doubles and 96 total bases, and posted a team-best 24 multiple-hit games.

Hines, who along with Ranck was one of two Warriors to start all 51 games, hit .355 this season, third-highest on the team and 10th in the GLIAC. He led the squad in on base percentage (.462), runs scored (48), RBI (51), triples (4), total bases (115), and walks (30). Hines had 19 multiple-hit games, second only to Ranck, and tied Ranck with a team-high 14 multiple-RBI games.

Bass led the Warrior pitching staff (and tied for GLIAC lead) with eight victories and finished second in the GLIAC in innings pitched (77.1) and sixth in strikeouts (64). His 3.38 earned run average was third-best in the conference. He also made a team-high 15 appearances and posted five complete games.

Witczak batted .347 with 61 hits (second-most on the team), 37 RBI, and 37 runs scored. He had just three errors in 176 chances at second base (.983 fielding percentage) and helped turn 18 of the team's 33 double plays. He accumulated a 28-game errorless streak March 25-April 29 and was one of three Warriors to play in all 51 games.

Hill, who went 6-4 and finished third in the GLIAC with a 2.52 ERA, led the conference with a 0.76 walks per game average, allowing only six walks this season while totaling 50 strikeouts. Hill ranks second all-time in career innings pitched (271.1) and complete games (20) and fifth in games pitched (50). On May 5, he became WSU's all-time leader with 45 career starts and matched the school record of 24 career victories.

Schmidt, who also served frequently as a designated hitter, had a .311 batting average with 11 doubles, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored. He ranked third on the team in on-base percentage (.457) and walks (19) while posting a team-best .389 average with runners on base. He also recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.