Tiffin, Ohio – May 26, 2010 – The Heidelberg University baseball team continues to make a statement in the Mideast Region. Today, Heidelberg’s Ricardo Lizcano (Toledo, Ohio / Roy C. Start) was named the Mideast Region Player of the Year, while Andy Lowe (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll) was tabbed the Mideast Region Co-Pitcher of the Year with Paul Uhl of Thomas More College. It is the first time in the history of the program that Heidelberg has earned top honors in the region.
On Monday, the duo joined six of their teammates on the All-Mideast Region Team. Lizcano and Lowe were named to the first team, along with Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield), Jason Lash (Strongsville, Ohio / Strongsville), Willie Brechun (Canton, Ohio / Canton Central Catholic) and Ethan Holt (Galion, Ohio / West Holmes). Gar Keen (Sparta, Ohio / Highland) was named to the second team and Brian Koehl (Sylvania, Ohio / Sylvania Northview) was an honorable mention selection.
Lizcano has made an impact from the onset of the season. His first all-region honor joins his All-OAC First Team nod and his selection as the OAC’s Jack Rafeld Player of the Year. He has been a mainstay in the starting line up the entire season, spending the majority of his time in right field. At the plate he leads the team in batting average (.456), runs scored (74), home runs (15) and runs batted in (67). He shares team honors with Brechun with 88 hits. In the field, Lizcano owns a .982 fielding percentage in 171 chances.
It is the third time overall that Lowe has been voted to the all-region team and it’s the second straight year he has landed on the first team. Joining his all-region nod is his second straight OAC Kent Tekulve Pitcher of the Year honor and his OAC First Team selection. The junior closer has recorded 12 saves on the year, topping his own school record he has tied in each of his first two seasons. He owns a 2.47 earned run average to lead the staff. Along the way he has struck out 48 and owns an overall record of 4-1. Last weekend he recorded a win and two saves to earn Mideast Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Heidelberg is in the midst of preparing for the Division III World Series set for May 28-June 1 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis. The Berg earned a spot at the World Series after winning the Mideast Regional Championship last weekend. The Berg is riding a 17-game winning streak heading into the World Series and owns an overall record of 40-6. Aside from its regional title this season, the Berg claimed its fifth Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship and its fourth OAC Tournament trophy.
The Berg, and 11th-year head coach Matt Palm, open up action at the World Series against Johns Hopkins University on Friday, May 28. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. central standard time. Heidelberg is ranked no. 2 in the nation according to D3baseball.com, while John Hopkins enters the series at no. 1.