VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- A total of 11 Bellevue University baseball student-athletes were named all-conference by the North Star Athletic Association on Thursday evening at the annual NSAA Baseball Banquet.
Nine Bruins were selected as first team honorees, including the entire starting infield (Travis Tanaka, Riley Baasch, Cody Banks, Kory Longaker, and JT Patterson), a pair of outfielders (Stuart Eurich and Tommy Hansen), and a pair of pitchers pitchers (Stephen Knapp and Jarrett Poh).
Tanaka has made himself comfortable atop the lineup as the Bruins' table-setter. On the year he ranks third on the team in batting average (.391) and leads the way with a .495 on-base percentage. He has 19 extra-base hits and 45 RBI as he's split 50 games between catcher and DH. Additionally, Tanaka was chosen as Bellevue's Champion of Character recipient.
Baasch got off to a slow start but rebounded nicely as he hit .373/.486/.735 in NSAA games and racked up 14 extra-base hits – including eight home runs – and 30 RBI while drawing 14 walks and striking out just 10 times. For the season, he is currently slashing .330/.414/.589 with 26 extra-base hits and 48 RBI. His 11 homers rank second on the team. The Bruins' first baseman leads the country in both total chances (462) and putouts (423).
Banks has been a solid, reliable player on both sides of the ball while manning the keystone for the Bruins. In playing all 53 games, he has put up a .374/.442/.533 line that includes 20 extra-base hits. His 68 hits ranks him in the Top 50 nationally and he has totaled 35 RBI and 51 runs scored on the year. He has erred just twice in 204 chances at second and the NSAA cited him on Mar. 25 as the league's Player of the Week.
Longaker, the 2018 NSAA Player of the Year, has put up nearly identical numbers in his senior season for Bellevue slashing .397/.466/.672 with 35 extra-base hits and 50 RBI while again playing exceptional defense at shortstop. He currently ranks second nationally in doubles (22) and assists (145), third in runs scored (72), eighth in hits (81), 10th in total bases (137), 35th in slugging percentage and 42nd in batting average. He earned NSAA Player of the Week honors back on Apr. 23.
Eurich has been a strong defensive centerfielder for the Bruins while putting up a solid .329/.419/.455 slash line and playing all 53 games to this point. He has totaled 15 extra-base hits, 33 RBI, and ranks second on the club with 14 stolen bases.
Hansen has been a key addition to the Bruin lineup. Playing in 45 games, he has found a home batting fifth and playing right field. On the year, he is hitting .360/.494/.566 with 16 extra-base hits, 34 RBI, and 47 runs scored. He has been even better in league play (.378/.540/.664) and he has not been thrown in his seven stolen base attempts. He has handled all 63 chances that have come his way without incident.
Poh has formed a strong 1-2 punch with Knapp atop the Bruins' rotation. The southpaw is 7-0 in 11 appearances – nine starts – with a 1.52 ERA. He has struck out 56 batters in 65.1 innings and logged six complete games, including four shutouts. Allowing just 11 earned runs on the year, Poh ranks sixth in the NAIA in ERA, 31st in hits allowed per nine innings (6.47), and 35th in opponent batting average (.202). He earned NSAA Pitcher of the Week honors back on Mar. 25.
Earning second team all-NSAA accolades were Austin Alexander and Hunter Jury.
Alexander is hitting .303/.346/.516 on the season with 14 extra-base hits and 34 RBI. He has been even better in conference play with a slash line of .350/.403/.600 with seven extra-base hits and 20 RBI in 16 league games.
Jury is slashing at a .270/.372/.390 clip with six extra-base hits and 20 RBI to his credit. Those numbers are elevated in conference play as evidenced by a .333/.455/.444 line in 12 games.
Colton Walker and Derek Browne each picked up honorable mention all-conference nods
Walker sports a 5-2 record to go along with a 3.91 ERA for the year. He has totaled 43 strikeouts, good for third on the team, in 53.0 innings of work over 13 appearances including eight starts.
Browne, the Bruins' closer, is 5-1 with a save and 3.64 ERA on the season. In 15 appearances, including one start, he has racked up 29 strikeouts in 29.2 innings on the hill.
A total of seven Bellevue players found their way onto the NSAA Golf Glove team. Featured as Gold Glovers were Travis Tanaka (C), Riley Baasch (1B), Cody Banks (2B), JT Patterson (3B), Kory Longaker (SS), Tommy Hansen (OF), and Jarrett Poh (P).
In addition to earning first team all-NSAA honors, three Bruins were also cited in the league's major awards program with JT Patterson and Stephen Knapp earning Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, and Duane Monlux named Coach of the Year.
Player of the Year:
JT Patterson: Patterson leads the Bruins in numerous offensive categories and is one of the most dangerous hitters in the NAIA. Nationally, he ranks second in RBI (77), fourth in total bases (150), fifth in home runs (21), seventh in slugging percentage (.824), and eighth in runs scored (63). Last week he became the first known NAIA player to record three separate three-home runs games in the same season. Three times this season Patterson was named the NSAA Player of the Week (Mar. 4, Apr. 22, Apr. 29).
Pitcher of the Year:
Stephen Knapp: Knapp has been Bellevue's most consistent pitcher this season and has put up strong numbers while consistently facing quality competition in the non-conference schedule and serving as the Bruins' game one starter on weekends. He ranks among the national leaders in numerous categories backed by a strong 9-2 record and 1.87 ERA. He is seventh nationally in walks allowed (1.17 per nine innings), 13th in ERA, 16th in walks allowed (10), 18th in wins, 29th in opponent batting average (.196), and 30th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.43). He was named the NSAA Pitcher of the Week three times this season (Mar. 4, Mar. 11, Apr. 8).
Coach of the Year:
Duane Monlux: Coach Monlux earns his third (2016, 2017, 2019) NSAA Coach of the Year Award and the seventh Conference Coach of the Year Award of his 18-year career (MCAC: 2013; DAC: 2006, 2007, 2009). He picked up his 600th career coaching victory earlier this season and is just one win away from having guided Bellevue to their seventh 40-win season in the last eight years.
Bellevue (39-14 | 23-1 NSAA) opens play in the 2019 NSAA Tournament as the top seed tomorrow against sixth-seeded Viterbo University. First pitch from Valley City's Charlie Brown Memorial Baseball Field is scheduled for 11 a.m.
