Four Missouri Western baseball players earned First Team Daktronics NCAA Division II Baseball All-Central Region and Michael Schulze was named the region Player of the Year. Bubba Dotson, Grant Fink and Brandon Simmons were the also named to the first team.
Michael Schulze, the MIAA Player of the Year, is second among all Division II hitters with a .456 average which leads the Central Region while his 94 hits are the most in the country. He’s also second in the nation and leads the Central Region with 70 runs, and is seventh nationally and second in the region with a .527 on-base percentage.
He’s also one of the toughest players to strikeout, with 20.6 at bats per strikeout which is third in the region and 18th in the nation. He ranks among the regional league leaders in several other offensive statistics including RBI, slugging percentage, doubles and stolen bases.
His all-around hitting has produced 130 total bases, seventh most in Division II and third in the region. He’s among the semifinalists for College Baseball Lineup’s Josh Willingham Most Valuable Player Award and has hit safely in 47 of 50 games on the season while taking the Griffon’s to the NCAA Central Region Tournament with a 13-game hitting streak. He’s set single season team records for runs scored and hits.
In his two years as a Griffon, Schulze is a .408 hitter (161-395) with 31 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 31 stolen bases.
Grant Fink earned his first First Team honor and was named to First Team All-MIAA for the first time in his career. Fink finished the season second on the team with a .405 batting average. He leads the team with a .731 slugging percentage and tied a MWSU single season record with 14 home runs. He has 68 hits to go along with 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and 49 RBI. Fink has a hit in 37 of the 51 games he has played in which included a 20 game hitting streak.
Bubba Dotson earned First Team honors for the first time in his career and was a First Team All-MIAA honors for the first time in his career after hitting .366 with 13 home runs. He hit three grand slams on the season and is second on the team in RBI with 59. Dotson is also second on the team in stolen bases with 13 and has hit 15 doubles and three triples. Dotson has 71 hits to go with 59 runs scored and a .675 slugging percentage. Dotson was named MIAA Hitter of the Week on March 12, 2013.
Brandon Simmons becomes the Griffons first ever MIAA Pitcher of the Year selection and earned his second First Team All-MIAA honor this past season. This was also his first time being selected to the First Team All-Region team. Simmons has been outstanding this season sitting with a 11-1 record. Simmons has won 10 or more games twice and broke the MIAA and MWSU record for wins in a career. He currently has won 35 games. Simmons sits third in the MWSU record book in strikeouts with 226 and complete games with 19. On the season Simmons has started and appeared in 13 games with three complete games. He holds a 2.91 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched.
— MWSU Sports Information —