(Ann Arbor, MI) - The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) announced their regional baseball awards and nine Cardinals were recognized with Midwest All-Region honors, including Jake Kuhlman and Zach Johnston who earned Regional Player and Coach of the Year respectively. Six different Cardinal earned First Team honors as they were Jake Kuhlman, Tyler Wressel, Trey Acker, Josh Burke, Drew Murphy, and Gus Simon. A pair of Cardinals were able to earn Second Team honors in Blake Weaver and Derek Hebner.
Wressel and Burke are the only two Cardinals to repeat on the NCCAA Midwest All-Regional team with the other six players making their first appearance. Kuhlman becomes the fourth Cardinal to earn Regional Player of the Year as he follows Drew Fleming, Blaine Milheim, and Calvin Syrjala who also earned the same honor.
First Team All-Region
Regional Player of the Year | Jake Kuhlman | Sr | West Bloomfield, Michigan
Kuhlman was the Cardinal's everyday second baseman this season and was 24th in the NCCAA this season with a .401 batting average with 73 hits and 64 Runs which were 7th and 5th respectively. In addition, Kuhlman added three triples, eight home runs and 55 RBIs. He also tied for the lead in stolen bases this season with 51.
Tyler Wressel | Sr | Paw Paw, Michigan
The Cardinal catcher, Wressel recorded a .410 batting average this season with 66 hits. His average was 12th-best in the NCCAA while his hits were tied for 20th. Wressel also added 11 home runs which was 17th most in the NCCAA. He would also record six triples on the season, which was third best.
Trey Acker | Jr | Eaton Rapids, Michigan
The Cardinal pitcher, Acker went 8-1 this season with a 3.45 ERA. His eight wins was the fourth most in the NCCAA this season while his ERA was 12th best. He pitched 62.2 innings this year and go onto tally a .242 batting average against.
Josh Burke | Sr | Macomb, Michigan
Burke, the Cardinals third baseman, hit 19 home runs this season which was the third most in the NCCAA this season while also bringing in 68 runners (fifth in the NCCAA). He also crossed the plate 48 times this season.
Drew Murphy | Sr | Sturgis, Michigan
Murphy pitched 39 innings this season and recorded a 4-1 record overall while pitching his way to a 2.77 ERA. In addition, Murphy was able to limit base runners as he held them to a 1.36 WHIP.
Gus Simon | So | Warren, Michigan
The Cardinal outfielder, Simon recorded 61 hits this year with 51 runs which were 33rd and 22nd respectively in the NCCAA. He would also go onto recorded 16 doubles, which was 13th in the NCCAA and record the third-most stolen bases with 37.
Second Team All-Region
Blake Weaver | Sr | Pinckney, Michigan
The third Cardinal pitcher to be honored was Blake Weaver who appeared in 18 games. Weaver with 2-1 this season with 6 saves over 39.2 innings. Weaver's saves numbers were among the top in the NCCAA. He recorded a 3.40 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.16. He was second on the team with 41 strikeouts.
Derek Hebner | Sr | Harbor Springs, Michigan
The Cardinal first baseman hit .329 this season with seven home runs and 47 RBIs. He was a consistent baserunner for CUAA as he was able to reach base with an on-base percentage of .435. He also tacked on 13 doubles, which was 40th in the NCCAA.
Coach of the Year
Zach Johnston | 11th Season
This is the seventh consecutive time that Coach Johnston has earned Regional Coach of the Year, winning each honor since 2018. Johnston has an overall record of 394-197 in his time at Concordia
