Nine Earn Ohio Athletic Conference Postseason Awards

The Heidelberg College baseball team placed nine players on the 2007 Ohio Athletic Conference Baseball Team and two on the Academic All-OAC Teams. The nine postseason honorees led all teams in the OAC. Earning a spot on the first team was Alex Rutter (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green), Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles) and David Paddock (Westerville, Ohio / North), while Tyler Tocco (Dublin, Ohio / Coffman), Matt Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) and Andrew McFarland (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison) were named to the second team. Rounding out the list of all-conference accolades were honorable mention honorees Tony Pawlowicz (Montpelier, Ohio / Montpelier), Jack Bault (Randolph, Ohio / Waterloo) and Steve Calevro (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg). Rutter and Decker earned a spot on the Academic All-OAC Team.

The 2007 all-league honorees were voted on by the league head coaches at their annual spring meeting held in conjunction with the OAC Tournament, while the academic honorees were selected by the OAC faculty representatives. To earn an OAC academic award the student-athlete must have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, be a starter or key reserve and be in at least his second year of participation in the sport.

Rutter, a senior first baseman, earned his first all-conference honor for his career. He concluded the year with a team-high 44 RBI and four triples, while ranking second with 59 hits and third with 33 runs scored. In the classroom Rutter carried a 3.45 gpa as a political science major. Rutter was an unanimous selection to the all-academic team.

Wentworth led a solid crop of outfielders from center field with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 98 chances. A sophomore, Wentworth led the team with a .423 batting average, in hits with 69 and in runs scored with 48, while tying for the team-lead in doubles with 10 and stolen bases with 14.

In just two seasons, Paddock has proved to be an integral part of the Heidelberg pitching staff. It is the second-straight season that Paddock has been named to the all-conference team, earning honorable mention honors in 2006. For the year, Paddock led the way with a 2.96 earned run average, to go along with a 7-4 record. He struck out 48 batters in 73.0 innings of work.

 Earning his third-straight All-OAC honor was Tocco. Tocco, a senior, was named to the honorable mention team in both 2005 and 2006. Tocco has been calling the action from behind the plate for the last three seasons. In 2007, Tocco was second on the team with 34 runs, while standing third with 49 hits and seven doubles. Along the way Tocco batted .343 and knocked in 24 runs.

Decker has picked up his second-consecutive all-league athletic and academic honors in 2007. A senior short stop, Decker tied for the team lead with 14 stolen bases, while standing second in batting average (.377) and third in hits (57). Off the diamond, Decker graduated with a cumulative gpa of 3.42 as a business administration and sports management major. In 2006, Decker earned a spot on the Academic All-OAC Honorable Mention list.

McFarland, a junior right handed pitcher, picked up his first postseason honor in 2007. On the mound for Heidelberg, McFarland boasted an overall record of 7-1, including a 4-1 mark against league foes. In 63.1 innings of work, McFarland struck out a team-high 49 batters and gave up just 78 hits. For the year he owned a 3.69 ERA.

Earning his second postseason honor was Pawlowicz. Pawlowicz, a sophomore third baseman, earned first team honors in his freshman campaign. In 2007, Pawlowicz led the way with nine home runs, while standing second with 35 RBI. For the season, Pawlowicz batted .293 (41-for-140), with 26 runs scored.

Bault and Calevro round out the list of all-conference honorees for Heidelberg. Both Bault and Calevro have picked up their first postseason honors of their careers. Bault joined Wentworth in the outfield in 2007. At the plate, Bault batted .346 (26-for-133), scored 33 runs and knocked in 27 runners.

Calevro, a junior, posted a 6-1 record on the mound for Heidelberg. He struck out 18 batters, while owning a 5.20 ERA.

Heidelberg, under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Matt Palm, concluded the season with an overall record of 28-15 and a 13-5 mark in the OAC. Along the way Heidelberg claimed a share of its second OAC Regular Season Title and earned the right to host the 2007 OAC Tournament.