PNC Baseball Players Earn Conference Awards

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central’s baseball team recently concluded a landmark 2004 season by rewriting the team and athletic department record books.

The Panther Baseball Team set an athletic department record by placing four players on the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) All-Conference Team. Two players were named NAIA Region VII Academic Scholars through the compilation of a 3.5 grade point average. The Panthers also placed a player on the NAIA All-Region VII team and the team made its first appearance in a CCAC tournament.

The team finished the season with a 24-13-1 overall record and was regionally ranked twice during the season, finishing fifth in the final rankings.

Head Baseball Coach Ryan Brown is proud of the team’s accomplishments on and off the field.

"The success we had on the ball field this year is due to the work ethic and dedication of our student-athletes. I am proud of the goals we set and achieved. This team has set the precedence for what we expect of our program," said Brown.

The PNC students athletes who earned four of the 17 spots available on the CCAC All-Conference Team are: Gary Ray, of Lake Station, first base; Ryan Hawkins, of Columbus, outfield; Jason Stuebe, of Munster, relief pitcher and Matt Whitaker, of Midland, Texas, designated hitter.

In addition, Ray and teammate Andy Newton, of Valparaiso, became the first PNC baseball players on the CCAC Region VII Academic Scholars team and Ray was named the CCAC All-Region VII first baseman, marking the first time a PNC athlete was on the All-Region Team. Ray hit .508 with 51 RBIs, seven home runs, nine doubles, one triple and had a .750 slugging percentage.

"Gary and Andy have worked as hard in the classroom as they did on the ball field,” said Brown. “Their accomplishments speak to their commitment to academic success. Both are well rounded individuals and the definition of student-athlete."

At season’s end Brown reflected on the team’s success and the milestones reached by individual athletes and the team. PNC finished third in CCAC play at the end of the season and earned the right to host the CCAC Tournament in early May, both being school records. The Panthers swept the tournament and went on to its first appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Region VII tournament. There, the team faced William Penn University of Iowa, the nation’s number 25 team, in the first round and lost 10-3. That was followed by a game against St. Xavier University, ranked 16th nationally and lost 12-2.
But those losses came at the end of a remarkable season. PNC finished first in the CCAC in team batting average, .370; slugging percentage, .516; stolen bases and homeruns and finished third in team pitching with a 4.20 ERA. All are school records.

Brown is already looking ahead to the 2004-2005 season. “We learned that we could win and be successful in this program, the CCAC and the NAIA. Teams throughout our conference and the Midwest recognize the Panther jersey now so we won’t be sneaking up on anyone,” said Brown.

“We are focusing our attention on recruiting pitchers and infielders. I believe that players from this year’s team will instill and demand a work ethic from all of our future recruits. We had two mottos during our season, ‘Expect to Win’ and ‘Building Tradition.’ We’ve set expectations for the future and can’t wait for the 2005 season.”

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