UNIVERSITY CENTER, MICH. – The Saginaw Valley State University baseball team earned three individual yearly awards as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the recipients and All-GLIAC teams on Thursday evening. Senior Hayden Jatczak was named the GLIAC Player of the Year and Logan Welch earned the Troy Berry Award. Second-year head coach Adam Piotrowicz was awarded the GLIAC Coach of the Year.
Jatczak was also named first-team All-GLIAC as a starting pitcher and designated hitter. He was joined by Austin Schweiger at first base, Brandon Scheurer at second base, and Colin Cornwell in the outfield. Connor McClennen was listed on the second-team All-GLIAC squad at shortstop. He was joined by Austin Cicerone at third base, Reed Raymond in the outfield, Chase Raymond at starting pitcher and Scheurer as a relief pitcher.
Jatczak is the first GLIAC Player of the Year from SVSU since 1993. He ranks top-five in all of NCAA DII in several categories including hits (1st), hits per game (1st), batting average (1st), doubles (5th), runs (3rd), and runs per game (2nd). The Bay City, Michigan, native has broken single-season records this season in doubles with 22, RBI with 67, hits with 90, runs scored with 74, and he is tied in home runs with 14. The two-time All-GLIAC honoree threw a no-hitter, the first confirmed no-hitter for SVSU since 1992, against Findlay early in the season.
"Hayden had a special season. He's one of the best hitters in this region, for any level of college baseball," said Piotrowicz. "The most impressive part of this season is the consistency he showed on and off the field. It didn't matter the opponent, score, or type of pitcher he faced…He always came to the field with a calm, consistent approach and it's good to see him rewarded for the work he's put in."
Welch was a SAAC Leader at SVSU where he spearheaded the Holiday Toy Drive, organized the Make-A-Wish Staff Athletic Games, and volunteered at MacGregor Elementary School on Friday's throughout the entire fall semester. He was the Financial Chair of the Lotus Committee. Coordinating eight events throughout the year to provide workshops for mental, physical, and emotional health. Also, created the Lotus Room, a sensory room for students to go to for daily work. On the GLIAC Championships Committee, GLIAC SAAC Board, Organizer for SVSU Baseball "Team IMPACT" community service with local youth.
Adam Piotrowicz makes history as the first Cardinal skipper to earn GLIAC Coach of the Year. Piotrowicz led SVSU to a 36-13 overall record in the regular season. It is the first 30+ win season since 2008. The team experienced a historical season highlighted by earning the first outright conference regular season championship since 2002. Piotrowicz coached GLIAC Player of the Year Hayden Jatczak to a career-best season as he shattered multiple career and single-season records this year. The Cardinals lead the league in hits, doubles, triples, RBI, stolen bases, batting average, on-base, and slugging percentage. The SVSU pitching staff leads the GLIAC in strikeouts and K/9.
"We have a coaching staff that puts a lot of time and effort into developing players and our culture," stated Piotrowicz. "It's never just one player, one coach or one specific thing that leads to success. It takes everyone being bought into something bigger and I'm fortunate to be around a lot of great people"
Schweiger is having a career year in almost every hitting statistic this season. He currently ranks fifth in RBI and has a team-high in at-bats. He has 25 multi-hit games including six games with at least three hits. His best performance of the season came at Wayne State on April 6, when he went 4-for-4 with a run scored, a triple, and two RBI.
"Austin has been the definition of consistency since his freshman year. He's a career .300 hitter that has always led the team in power numbers. Not only has he improved as a hitter but he has been the best defensive 1B in the region and a big reason why our infield defense has climbed to the top of the league," said Piotrowicz.
Scheurer is also experiencing the best season of his career with highs in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, and stolen bases. He hit his first career home run against Hillsdale on March 13. He is sitting fourth in the GLIAC in batting average. Scheurer has 20 games with at least two hits and nine games with three hits. He currently tied for second-most career triples with 10.
"He's been our table setter all year. Our offense and team doesn't have the success it is having if he's not at the top of the order," lauded Piotrowicz. "He's unselfish, versatile, and makes opposing pitching staff's life miserable because there is so many ways he can beat you. He's worked his tail off to get to this point and couldn't be more proud of the type of hitter he has become."
Cornwell has the second-best batting average in the GLIAC he boasts career-highs in runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, walks, and batting average this season. Cornwell recorded 23 multi-hit games with five games of three hits and two with four. His season-best performance was against Hillsdale on March 13, where he went 4-for-5 with two runs.
"Corn is one of the most complete hitters in the region at any level," said Piotrowicz. "He's disciplined, not afraid to hit with 2 strikes, has the combination of power and bat-to-ball skills that very few people have. He's one of the toughest outs in the league and provided protection to the top of our lineup. He's another guy that has produced in big situations all year for us and we expect him to have even bigger RBIs for us in the postseason!"
McClennen has recorded 151 at-bats, 37 runs, 47 hits, 10 doubles, and 17 RBI. He had 10 games with at least two hits including a season-best 4-for-4 with four runs at Parkside on March 25.
"From a statistical standpoint, he was at the top for almost every category in comparison to Shortstops in the league," stated Piotrowicz. "He hit .342 in the conference and is hands down the best defensive SS in the league. He's deserved to be on the All-GLIAC team throughout his career and it's great that the league is finally taking notice to the type of player he is. His energy and leadership have been fantastic and we aren't in the position we are if he's not anchoring our infield defense"
Cicerone has had a fantastic debut season for the Cardinals. He finished the regular season with 17 runs, 32 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, and 26 RBI. He had eight games with 2+ hits including a 4-for-7 performance against Findlay on February 19 where he scored a run and recorded four RBI.
"It's a big deal for a freshman to win these awards in a league that is traditionally very veteran and transfer-heavy. Austin has been consistent offensively all year and really solidified his defense the last half of the season," said Piotrowicz. "He has a bright future here and he (Austin) and the rest of our Freshmen and Sophomore classes are why we feel so strongly about the program being able to sustain this success for years to come."
R. Raymond has the second-most RBI in the GLIAC and ranks third in batting average. Reed registered a career-high in hits, doubles, triples, and RBI this season. He had 18 multi-hit games, recording four hits three times including a 4-for-6, six RBI performance at the plate against Davenport on April 14.
"Reed is one of the best hitters and competitors in this conference," stated Piotrowicz. "He put up numbers worthy of 1st team. He's top 5 in average, rbi's, doubles, and SLG %. On top of this, he's one of the most clutch players I've coached. Very few guys can handle the pressure of a late-inning RBI opportunity and being a closer, but when he's called on in these situations there is zero doubt he can come through for the team. On top of all this, he's an incredible worker and deserves all the success he's having and will have this post-season."
C. Raymond has a record of 8-2 on the mound with one complete game. He has a total of 55.1 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts, a 4.23 ERA, and a 1.59 WHIP. One of his best performances this season was when he went 7.0 innings with three hits, one earned run, and a 1.29 ERA in a win over Purdue Northwest on March 30.
"This is just scratching the surface for Chase," said Piotrowicz. "He's been arguably our most consistent and reliable pitcher. He's tied for the leader in conference wins and when he takes the bump, we know we are going to get 6 innings and a quality start with a chance to win the game. With his attitude and work ethic, this should be the first of many accolades on both sides of the ball for Chase."
The Cardinal continues the push toward a GLIAC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament this season.
"These individual accolades are great and a testament to the hard work these players have put in. There are a lot of players on this team worthy of these awards and the greatest strength of our team has been how deep our roster is. The sum of the parts is greater than any one individual person on this roster. The culture and team chemistry has been there since our first practice in the fall and these accolades are a great example of the great people we have up and down our roster. Still bigger things to win too!" Piotrowicz said.