(April 30, 2008 - Ann Arbor, Mich.) -- Outfielder Alex Hoover (Sr. - Shelbyville, Mich.) finished the regular season with a remarkable .439 batting average with a trio of home runs and 45 runs batted in. His average is the highest ever and breaks a 23-year record held by Jay Biesenthal when he hit .420 in 1985. For his efforts, Hoover became Concordia's first ever Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Year as league coaches chose the outfield in shared award with Madonna's Kevin Zerbo. All told, the Cardinals had 11 different players honored on the eve of the conference tournament,

In addition to his record-breaking average, Hoover is three RBI from the school record set by Eric Cassidy in 2005 with 47. Hoover is also three singles away from breaking into the season top ten; one walk away from the school record and the honor of being the only player ever with 30 or more bases on balls; while his .539 on-base percentage is second only to Biesenthal's .545 in the '85 season.

Hoover is winding up a stellar career as well as he is sixth in total games played (147), should finish at least fifth in career at-bats, fourth in hits, sixth in runs scored, third in runs batted in (only one of three to ever have 100 or more), sixth in singles, sixth in doubles, ninth in triples, ninth in home runs, first in bases on balls, fourth in total bases, fifth in extra base hits, second in hit by pitches, and first in total defensive putouts.

Hoover wasn't the only Card honored as second baseman Aaron Hacias (Jr. - Sterling Heights, Mich.) made a serious claim that he will be in the running next year to give Concordia back-to-back Player of the Year recipients.

Hacias finished the regular season with a .366 average with 19 doubles (tied for the school record), three triples, five home runs and 37 RBI. With such a strong season at the plate and steady play in the field, Hacias was named to the All-Conference team as the league's best second baseman.

While Hacias and Hoover were driving the offense, Justin Gauthier (Sr. - Muskegon, Mich.) was anchoring the pitching staff as a starter and reliever. Gauthier was named one of the four best pitchers in the conference and barely missed being named the Pitcher of the Year.

Gauthier finished the regular season with a league best seven wins (7-1 record) with a 2.28 ERA and a pair of saves. In 67 innings, Gauthier allowed only 68 hits, 17 earned runs, 26 walks with 42 strikeouts.

Gauthier set the school record for wins in a season, eclipsing the previous high of four that was held by many. With his start tomorrow to open the playoffs, a strong outing by Gauthier should move him into the second spot all-time for innings pitched in a season while he is mere points away from setting the school record for lowest ERA in a season. Should Gauthier pick up another five strikeouts, Gauthier would hold that season mark as well. Gauthier is currently second with six complete games this season, trailing only Rob Reid's 2002 mark of eight.

With two saves on the season, Gauthier holds the career mark with seven as he spent his junior season primarily as the Cardinal's closer.

A quintet of other players were also named to the postseason team as the five were selected as Honorable Mention All-Conference. Offensively, Tony Pounders (So. - Livonia, Mich.) and Ben Sprague (Jr. - DeWitt, Mich.) gave the Cards a strong left-side infield duo as the shortstop and third baseman were chosen for strong seasons as well.

Pounders enters the playoff with a .312 average (83 points higher than his freshman campaign) with four doubles, three triples a home run and 22 RBI. Pounders also leads the team with 11 times being hit by a pitch and a strong 10/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. More important is the strong defense he brings at the important shortstop position. For his defensive acumen, Pounders was awarded the WHAC Gold Glove award at shortstop for the second consecutive season.

Sprague gave the Cards a solid third hitter that pitchers had to contend with on a daily basis. Manning the hot corner, Sprague ended the regular season with a .335 average with eight doubles, a triple and five home runs (tied with Hacias for the team lead).

Three pitchers also earned Honorable Mention status as Drew Linder (Sr. - Bellevue, Ohio), Brent McNeil (So. - Springboro, Ohio) and Brad Roettger (Fr. - Sterling Heights, Mich.) gave Concordia four honorees on the hill.

Linder finished the regular season 4-4 with a 3.71 ERA, while newcomers McNeil and Roettger were equally strong and give Concordia a solid 1-2 punch for next season. McNeil, the lefty, is 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA with a 3/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio while Roettger, a rookie, had the best first-year ever as he posted a perfect 5-0 mark with a 4.57 ERA.

While Concordia (27-20) broke the school record for wins this season and earned their third trip to the playoffs in four seasons, they weren't limited to only their on-field abilities.

Four team members earned accolades for their efforts in the classroom while one was also chosen for the character he represents in all walks of life.

Caleb Case (Sr. - Hastings, Mich.) was named to the All-Academic team this season while also being named the Cardinals representative to the WHAC Champions of Character team. Case will be graduating in May from the Education program at Concordia and will do his student teaching in the fall.

Joining Case on the All-Academic squad were true juniors Sprague and Tyler Maxey (Jr. - Dimondale, Mich.) and sophomore-eligible Zach Johnston (So. - Ionia, Mich.), who is a junior academically. Sprague is a Business major, while Maxey is majoring in Criminal Justice and Johnston is Pre-Law with a Communications emphasis.

Concordia will look to make their first ever trip to the NAIA Regionals next week if they are able to advance through the conference playoffs which begin Thursday, May 1. Concordia will take on Indiana Tech in the tournament's first game at 10:00 a.m. and will play Madonna at a time to be determined in the second round.

Case