Five Among Semifinalists For D-II Player of the Year Award
May 14, 2012 - Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL)
Five players from teams in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League have been selected as semifinalists for the 2012 Tino Martinez Award. The award is given to the National Player of the Year in NCAA Division II. Overall, 55 players were chosen as semifinalists for the award. The semifinalists included at least six players from each of the eight regions that compiled NCAA Division II. A list of finalists will be released on May 21 and the award winner will be announced at the conclusion of the Division II World Series which runs from May 26 through June 2nd.The full list of semifinalists can be found here.
Central Region - Ben Kincaid (Watertown 2010), Minnesota State
South Region - Carlos Asuaje (Oneonta 2011), Nova Southeastern
South Central Region - Rene Solis (Watertown 2012), St. Mary's (Texas)
South Central Region - Jonathan Perez (Watertown 2012), St. Mary's (Texas)
Southeast Region - Kyle Koeneman (Amsterdam 2010), Carson Newman
Ben Kincaid (Watertown 2010) is a senior outfielder and pitcher at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn. The Mavericks, with a record of 44-10, won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tournament championship and will host the 2012 NCAA Central Regional. Kincaid was tabbed All-NSIC second team. On the mound, the Eau Claire, Wisc., native boasts a 6-3 record with a 2.74 earned run average over 12 appearances. He has struck out 65 batters and walked 15 in 65.2 innings pitched and has accumulated four complete games. The senior is second on the team in ERA, innings and strikeouts. At the plate, he holds a .357 batting average, 51 hits in 41 games and 25 RBI. Kincaid tallied three multi-hit games in the NSIC tournament and batted .364. He had seven of his eight hits in MSU's final three games.
Carlos Asuaje (Oneonta 2011) is a sophomore infielder at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Sharks won 33 regular season games and were selected to participate in the NCAA South Regional. Asuaje, the 2011 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, won the 2012 SSC batting championship with a .414 batting average. He topped the highly-competitive loop in batting average, hits (72) and doubles (23). Through 46 games, Asuaje leads his Nova Southeastern squad in batting average, hits, runs scored (49), doubles, walks (28) and on-base percentage (.500). He also has two triples, five home runs, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases. The sophomore has recorded 23 multi-hit games this season and at one time, he had a team season high 19-game hitting streak. Defensively, Asuaje boasts a .983 fielding percentage with just four errors in 229 total chances.
Rene Solis (Watertown 2012) is a sophomore starting pitcher at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. The second nationally-ranked Rattlers won the Heartland Conference and carry a 44-8 record into the NCAA regionals. Solis was named All-Heartland Conference first team. The durable starter holds a 12-2 record with a 1.50 earned run average. He has struck out 99 batters in 102.0 innings and thrown a team high seven complete games. Solis leads the Rattlers in strikeouts and innings pitched and his .179 opponents' batting average is the best among all St. Mary's starters. In the conference tournament, the San Antonio, Texas, native tossed a complete game five-hit shutout and struck out six in a win over Newman (Texas).
Jonathan Perez (Watertown 2012) is a redshirt junior relief pitcher at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Perez is the closer for the second nationally-ranked Rattlers of the Heartland Conference. Perez was tapped All-Heartland Conference first team at closer. He has been nearly unhittable with 16 saves in 24 overall appearances. His 16 saves are tied the most in NCAA Division II. The San Antonio, Texas, native is 0-1 with a 0.64 earned run average. He has 28 strikeouts in 28.0 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .158 batting average. Perez is first on the Rattlers in games pitched, earned run average and saves. The redshirt junior pitched in two games in the conference tournament and racked up one save and two scoreless innings.
Kyle Koeneman (Amsterdam 2010) is a senior infielder and pitcher at Carson-Newman University. He was the Player of the Year in the South Atlantic Conference. The senior slugger appeared in 49 games and was among the Division II national leaders in home runs (20), slugging percentage (..883) and walks (58). Koeneman entered the first full week of May ranked second nationally in home runs per game (0.46) and slugging percentage and fifth in walks per game (1.04). He accumulated 136 total bases, 60 hits, 48 runs, 16 doubles, four sacrifice flies and a .548 on-base percentage. Defensively, he committed just four errors in 420 chances. As a pitcher, Koeneman went 3-1 with three saves and a 4.60 earned run average over 11 appearances. The Louisiana State transfer struck out 10 in 15.2 innings and finished fourth on the team in victories. Koeneman was named Carson-Newman's Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
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Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League Stories from May 14, 2012
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