Mustang baseball nabs five league honors

OLATHE, Kan. -- Ashton Schwab was a first-team selection, Trent Hoogerwerf and Joel Vaske landed on the second team, and Riley Rundquist and Josh Fleming received honorable mention for the 2024 Heart of America baseball season when all-conference honors were announced this week.

Schwab was 7-0 in 12 appearances, including nine starts. The left-hander finished with 71 strikeouts and 30 walks with a 2.88 earned run average over 59-1/3 innings. He threw two complete games while limiting opponents to a .247 batting average.

Hoogerwerf, a catcher, and Vaske, the team's left fielder, were Mount Mercy's top two hitters, with Hoogerwerf leading the way with a .357 batting average in 43 games. He finished with 11 doubles, a triple, and four home runs to go along with a team-best 34 RBIs. Hoogerwerf was also the Heart of America's Gold Glove catcher.

Vaske hit .346 in 48 games. He blasted a team-high 10 home runs and drove in 23 while slugging at .622. Vaske also walked 31 times and maintained an on-base percentage of .491.

Despite being limited by injury, Rundquist was third on the squad with a .343 batting average, six doubles, three homers, and 15 RBIs in 24 games. In 13 appearances, mostly in relief, Fleming put together a 6-1 record. The right-hander threw 43-2/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA and 33 strikeouts against only 10 walks.

2024 Heart of America Baseball Awards
Pitcher of the Year: Abel Madueno (William Penn)
Co-Player of the Year: Bobby Nichols (Central Methodist), Brycen Sherwood (MidAmerica Nazarene)
Coach of the Year: Nate Breland (Central Methodist)

Click here for the complete list of 2024 all-conference honors.