Alex Berta |
Cody Flynn |
Matt Krueger |
Kyle Lode |
Matt Shilney |
MADISON, Wis. (May 14, 2008) - Junior outfielder Cory McCullick led a contingent of six Edgewood College baseball players honored on the All-Northern Athletics Conference teams, released today. McCullick was named to the first team, while teammates Alex Berta, Cody Flynn, Matt Krueger and Kyle Lode earned honorable mention. Lode and fellow freshman Matt Shilney were named to the all-rookie team.
McCullick, a native of Hudson, Ill., earns his second consecutive first team all-conference honor after hitting .366 and starting every game of the season in center field. He led the Eagles in both triples with four and home runs with three. He was a constant threat on the basepaths, swiping 22 bases, good for second in the NAC. He was caught stealing just once all season. His 51 runs scored tied the single season school record set by teammate Karl Reynolds in 2006.
Berta, McCullick’s high school teammate from Normal Community West high school, led the team in hitting with a .384 batting average. This is Berta’s first conference award since being named first team and Lake Michigan Conference Rookie of the Year and in 2006. He started 33 games this season at second base and had an on-base percentage of .486 highest among all of Edgewood College’s regular starters.
Flynn of Eureka, Calif., closes out his career as Edgewood College’s all-time leader in both wins (22) and strikeouts (239). Flynn earned postseason honors in each season of his career, winning first team awards in 2005 and 2007 and honorable mention in 2006 and 2008. This year, Flynn went 3-3 with a 3.35 earned run average in eight starts. Flynn allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of his eight appearances and struck out six or more batters three times.
A sophomore righthander, Krueger had an immediate impact in his first year with the Eagles, going 5-0 with a team-best 2.54 earned run average. The Madison native and West High School graduate fired four complete games and two shutouts, including a 4-0 victory over NAC co-champion Rockford College. Krueger struck out 30 hitters and walked just 10 in 46 innings of work.
Lode was another surprise newcomer for Edgewood College going 3-2 in his freshman season. Lode, a native of Homer Glen, Ill., started eight games for the Eagles and fired two complete games, including an 11-0, one-hit shutout of Maranatha Baptist on April 7. Opposing hitters batted just .270 against Lode, the lowest average against any of the Eagles regular starting pitchers.
Shilney, another native of Homer Glen and a high school teammate of Lode, earned the starting position at first base and played in 35 games. He batted .319 and led the Eagles with 32 runs batted in. Shilney’s season was highlighted by three three-hit games and a nine-game hitting streak during the NAC portion of the schedule. Shilney shared the team lead in doubles with nine and was second in at-bats with 138 official trips.
Edgewood College finished 21-17 this year and sixth in the Northern Athletics Conference with a 13-9 record.