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Jatczak Spotlights D2CCA All-Midwest Region Awards with Player of the Year Honor

Jatczak Spotlights D2CCA All-Midwest Region Awards with Player of the Year Honor

ST. LOUIS – Saginaw Valley State University senior Hayden Jatczak was named the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Midwest Region Player of the Year and First-Team All-Midwest Region as a Utility (Pitcher) when the yearly awards were announced on Thursday. Brandon Scheurer and Colin Cornwell were on the Second-Team All-Midwest list at second base and outfield.

This is Jatczak's second Regional Player of the Year honor as he was named Midwest Region Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) last week. He claimed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year and was the first GLIAC Player of the Year from SVSU since 1993. He ranked in the top five in all of NCAA DII in several categories this season including batting average, doubles, hits, hits per game, runs per game, runs, doubles per game, on-base percentage, total bases, and slugging percentage. Jatczak set new single-season records this season in doubles with 27, RBI with 77, hits with 103, runs scored with 87, and home runs with 15. 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.

"This is an incredible honor for Hayden and a testament to his consistency throughout the year," said SVSU head baseball coach Adam Piotrowicz. "I don't know when the last 1st Team All-American was but he's going to be in very small company. He's one of the most prolific hitters in school history and deserves to play at the next level. I'm incredibly proud of him and happy for his family on this achievement."

Scheurer was a First-Team All-GLIAC selection this season. He is 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 23 games with at least two hits and nine games with three hits. He is currently tied for second-most career triples with 10.

"There aren't many guys more deserving of this honor. Brandon is one of the best defensive 2nd Basemen I've ever coached and has been the spark for our offense all year in the leadoff spot. He understands the game, knows what it takes to win, and has an incredible work ethic. He's an incredible athlete, an even better leader, and very deserving of this award."

Cornwell earned First-Team All-GLIAC this season and currently ranks third in batting average in the league. He boasts career-highs in runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, walks, and batting average this season. Cornwell recorded 26 multi-hit games with six 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.

"Once again, another great example of hard work and resilience paid off. He's fought through adversity and played with a chip on his shoulder his whole life. Much like Hayden and Brandon, he's been the definition of consistency all year long and our offense doesn't produce like it has if he's not in our lineup. He's a tremendous competitor for us and someone I've been able to rely on for the past 2 years."

The Cardinals make their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Midwest Super Regional and are hosting Indianapolis in game one tomorrow, May 24 at 1:00 PM EST. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the NCAA DII Baseball National Championships in Cary, North Carolina from June 1 to June 8.