2009 Daktronics All-Central Region Baseball Team

PUEBLO, Colo. – Mesa State shortstop Matt Bodenchuk and Concordia-St. Paul pitcher Jake Schmidt have been voted as the Daktronics NCAA Division II Central Region Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

Bodenchuk has batted .436 for the Mavericks, chucking 15 home runs and putting up a region-best 82 RBI so far this season. A 2007 first-team selection to the Daktronics all-Central Region team, Bodenchuk redshirted in 2008 and returned for his senior season in 2009, when he was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the year.

Schmidt, the 2009 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year, was an everyday player for Concordia-St. Paul, anchoring the rotation as well as playing in middle infield and centerfield for the Golden Bears. Schmidt pitched in 13 games, going 7-2 and striking out 103 batters in 69 innings. Schmidt was also voted as a first-team selection as a utility player to the Daktronics All-Central Region team and was a first-team all-Central Region selection in 2008.

Mesa State, the top-seeded team in the NCAA Division II Central Regionals, led all schools with four members on the first team. Three schools – Colorado State University-Pueblo, Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State – each boasted two members on the all-region first team.

Three 2009 all-region members, including Schmidt, Mesa State’s second-teamer, outfielder Mike Provencher, and Concordia-St. Paul outfielder, Brenden Furrow, are repeat selections to a Daktronics all-region team. Schmidt, who was a first-teamer in 2008, was joined by Provencher, an all-West Region second-team in 2008 as a shortstop, and Furrow, a second-team selection as a junior.

The Daktronics All-Central Region team was voted upon by sports information directors throughout the Central Region. Each of the 15 first-team all-region selections will now be listed on the Daktronics Division II Baseball All-American ballot, with the announcement of those All-American teams expected Friday, May 22.


2009 DAKTRONICS DIVISION II BASEBALL ALL-CENTRAL REGION TEAMS

Pitcher of the Year: Jake Schmidt, Concordia-St. Paul (Sr., Oakdale, Minn.)
Player of the Year: Matt Bodenchuk, Mesa State (Sr., Boulder, Colo.)

First Team
Catcher: Chris Herbert, Concordia-St. Paul (Sr., Bear Lake, Minn.)
First Base: Andrew Kinney, Southwest Minnesota St. (Jr., Coon Rapids, Minn.)
Second Base: Kevin Becker, Mesa State (Jr., San Jose, Calif.)
Third Base: David Olson, Minnesota-Duluth (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.)
Shortstop: Matt Bodenchuk, Mesa State (Sr., Boulder, Colo.)
Outfield: Jason Fobes, Colorado St.-Pueblo (Sr., Longmont, Colo.)
Outfield: Joe Wendte, Wayne State (Neb.) (Jr., South Sioux City, Neb.)
Outfield: Derek West, Southwest Minnesota St. (Sr., Chamberlain, S.D.)
Designated Hitter: Jason Carr, New Mexico Highlands (Puyallup, Wash.)
Utility: Jake Schmidt, Concordia-St. Paul (Sr., Oakdale, Minn.)
Starting Pitcher: Patrick Lenton, Minnesota St.-Mankato (RJr., Maple Grove, Minn.)
Starting Pitcher: Ryan Sheldon, Nebraska-Kearney (Sr., Kearney, Neb.)
Starting Pitcher: Jason Fronczak, Mesa State (Sr., Bishop, Calif.)
Starting Pitcher: Mario Mattivi, Colorado St.-Pueblo (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.)
Relief Pitcher: Aaron Guinn, Mesa State (Sr., Vancouver, Wash.)


Second Team
Catcher: Tyree Abshire, Metro State College of Denver (Sr., Paonia, Colo.)
First Base: Jordan Stouffer, Metro State College of Denver (So., Fort Collins, Colo.)
Second Base: Jay Breshnahan, Minnesota St.-Mankato (Sr., Edina, Minn.)
Third Base: Blake Cover, Nebraska-Kearney (Jr., Kearney, Neb.)
Shortstop: Matt McConnell, Metro State College of Denver (Sr., Mesa, Ariz.)
Shortstop: Eric Bond, Wayne State (Neb.) (Jr., Blue Springs, Mo.)
Outfield: J.T. Putt, Regis (Colo.) (Jr., Evergreen, Colo.)
Outfield: Christian Garcia, New Mexico Highlands (Jr., San Luis, Ariz.)
Outfield: Brenden Furrow, Concordia-St. Paul (Sr., Johnston, Iowa)
Outfield: Mike Provencher, Mesa State (Sr., El Paso, Tex.)
Designated Hitter: Ben Kincaid, Minnesota St.-Mankato (Fr., Eau Claire, Wisc.)
Utility: Matt Wismann, Colorado St.-Pueblo (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif.)
Utility: Alex Koch, Wayne State (Neb.) (Sr., Omaha, Neb.)
Starting Pitcher: Chris Kimpton, Concordia-St. Paul (Canberra, Australia)
Starting Pitcher: Chad Moreland, Wayne State (Neb.) (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa)
Starting Pitcher: Ross Hellenbrand, Winona State (Jr., Middleton, Wisc.)
Starting Pitcher: Adam Schrader, Southwest Minnesota St. (Jr., Easton, Minn.)
Relief Pitcher: Nathan Kafka, Minnesota St.-Mankato (Sr., Denmark, Wisc.)