GPAC

[Baseball] Baseball Brings Home GPAC Accolades

Accolades for the 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) baseball season were announced on Tuesday and the co-champion Doane Tigers were among the leaders on the list. Doane placed 13 players on the all-conference list, earned three GPAC Gold Glove awards, and brought home one of the Hauff Mid-America Sports honors. Doane is one of two teams in the NAIA Opening Round tournament which started on Monday.Head Coach Josh Oltmans was named the GPAC Coach of the Year after leading the Tigers to a 21-7 conference record. Doane, predicted to finish seventh prior to the season, won their first conference title since 2014. Earlier this season, Oltmans surpassed 100 career wins in a victory over William Penn and 100 wins at Doane in a victory over Dakota Wesleyan.Doane has put together a strong defensive unit, leading to three GPAC Gold Glove honors. As a unit, the team has a .960 fielding percentage and is chasing the 2011 season record of a .961 fielding percentage. The Tigers had four gold glove honors in 2014 and three in 2012, both seasons in which they qualified for the opening round tournament. Lukas White (SO/Castaic, Calif.) is Doane's first gold glove selection at first base, posting a .994 fielding percentage with 311 putouts and 22 assists in 335 chances. Jaryn Nakamoto (SR/Aiea, Hawaii) is the third Tiger shortstop to receive the honor. He posted .940 fielding percentage with 50 putouts, 122 assists, and turned 24 double plays. Nate Mensik (FR/Pleasant Dale, Neb.) carried over the tradition of strong defense in right field as he became the sixth Tiger to earn the honor. He posted eight assists, a school record for an outfielder, to go with a .986 fielding percentage, and 65 putouts.Receiving First Team All-GPAC honors were Lukas White, Talon Little (JR/Lincoln, Neb.), and Andy Theiler (JR/Arlington, Neb.). Earning Second Team honors were Jaryn Nakamoto, Joe Osborn (FR/Hickman, Neb.), Jack Tillman (SO/Omaha, Neb.), Jordan Wisner (JR/Anaheim Hills, Calif.), and Travis Cowan (JR/Lakewood, Colo.). Honorable mention All-GPAC honors were received by Aaron Forrest (FR/Peoria, Ariz.), Kyler Beekman (FR/Elkhorn, Neb.), Tucker Catlett (SR/Lincoln, Neb.), Luke LaChance (FR/Littleton, Colo.), and Thaniel Trumper (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.).White was the selection at first base, posting a .418 batting average with a school record 81 hits through the conference tournament. He has 19 doubles and 12 home runs, posting a .701 slugging percentage and a .496 on-base percentage.Little was selected at third base, breaking the school record for home runs in a season with 16. He is hitting .347 this season with 14 doubles and a team-high 54 runs driven in. Little has a .674 slugging percentage and a .411 on-base percentage.Theiler was one of four outfielders selected and is hitting .359 with a team-high 57 runs scored. He has eight doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs to go with 51 runs driven in. Theiler has a .682 slugging percentage and a .419 on-base percentage with a team-high 18 stolen bases.Nakamoto was selected at shortstop, posting a .344 batting average and 42 runs driven in. He has 12 doubles, two triples, and two home runs on the season to go with a .479 slugging percentage.Osborn set the Doane freshman record for home runs, currently with 11, and was recognized in the outfield. He is hitting .300 with freshman records for doubles with 14 and runs driven in with 40.Tillman is hitting .322 and was selected at catcher. He has six doubles, one triple, and two home runs while driving in 11 runs. In conference games, Tillman hit .404 on the season.Wisner, recognized as a pitcher, has tied the school record for wins with nine (9-1) and has a team-leading 3.25 earned run average. In 55.1 innings pitched, he has 69 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .215 batting average.Cowan, also a pitcher, is 6-4 on the season with a 4.76 earned run average and two complete games pitched. He has 79 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched with opponents batting .239 against him.Beekman and Forrest join the list of pitchers recognized. Beekman sits at 5-0 this season, second-most wins for a freshman, with a 3.92 earned run average. He has 25 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work and two saves. Forrest has set the freshman record for strikeouts in a season with 57 in 56.0 innings of work. He has a 3-2 record with a 4.34 earned run average and one save.Catlett is the Tigers' second catcher to receive honors. He is hitting .356 with three doubles and three home runs. He has driven in 21 runs and holds a .984 fielding percentage behind the plate.LaChance moved into the starting lineup midseason and is hitting .309 with 33 runs scored. He has four doubles, a triple, and a home run to go with 13 runs driven in. He is second on the team with 17 stolen bases.Trumper was recognized as a relief pitcher and has set the Tigers' freshman record with seven saves this year and is two shy of the single-season Doane record. He is 3-2 on the year with a 4.83 earned run average. Trumper has 53 strikeouts in 41.0 innings of work.