Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
The Official Athletic Site of ASU

Baseball

Van Abel, Westphal Picked For All-WIAC Team

Van Abel, Westphal Picked For All-WIAC Team

UW-Oshkosh second baseman Kyle Van Abel (Sr. • Kaukauna) and pitcher Luke Westphal (Sr. • Clintonville) have been named to the All-WIAC Baseball Team.

This was the second consecutive year that Westphal made the first team. He led the conference with 78 strikeouts, while totaling a 4-6 record over 69 innings. Westphal threw five complete games in his nine starts, to go along with a 3.52 earned run average.

Westphal struck out nine during a shutout victory over UW-Stout on April 21. Against UW-Superior on March 31, he totaled 11 strikeouts and no earned runs in nine innings. Westphal added a 10-strikeout, complete-game victory over UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC Tournament. 

Van Abel led the Titans with five home runs, 38 runs scored and 29 runs batted in. He totaled 18 walks and just 10 strikeouts in 133 at-bats. Starting all 38 games, Van Abel hit .346 with five doubles and one triple.

Van Abel got hot during April, batting 12-for-20 (.600) during a six-game stretch. He compiled three hits, three RBI and two runs scored during contests against both Hamline University (Minn.) and UW-Stevens Point (April 25). For the season, Van Abel had 14 games with two or more hits.

Shortstop Michael Polcyn (Fr. • Ripon) received All-WIAC honorable mention. In his 38 starts, Polcyn led the Titans with a .355 batting average, 55 hits and four triples. He finished the year with a 15-game hitting streak.

The all-conference squad included 20 players, including six from both UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater. The champion Eagles featured Brooks Braga, Cole Cefalu, Jay Fanta, Kevin Johnson, Zach Lauersdorf and Tim Verthein. UW-Whitewater's choices were Jared Fon, Dylan Friend, Marty Herum, Ryan Leavitt, Eric Schmitz and Kyle Stewart.

UW-Stevens Point accounted for five members with Bryan Clark, Sean Gerber, Justin Jirschele, Ryan Schilter and Cam Seidl. The final man voted onto the team was UW-Platteville's Bill Oppriecht.

UW-La Crosse's Fanta and UW-Whitewater's Fon and Herum shared the Hitter of the Year award. Seidl received Pitcher of the Year, while UW-La Crosse's Chris Schwarz took home Coach of the Year. The WIAC Co-Scholar-Athletes were Jake Duske (UW-Stout) and Garrett Scray (UW-La Crosse).