Westminster baseball's Deion Hughes and Collin Brinker earned two of the top St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) honors during Thursday's SLIAC Award Ceremony in Greenville, Ill.
The Westminster Blue Jays also had eight SLIAC All-Conference recipients with four on the First Team. The four First Team All-Conference winners are: Hughes, Brinker, sophomore Adam Mundle, and junior Tanner Branneky. The three members from Westminster on the Second Team are senior Tyler Branneky, senior Connor Hager and sophomore Blake Strebler. The final All-Conference recipient is sophomore Nick Bohlmann on the Third Team.
Hughes, a senior from Jefferson City, Mo., is the third SLIAC Player of the Year in Westminster program history. He also earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team as the utility. He held a 1.67 earned run average (ERA) in conference play with a 6-1 record. He pitched five complete games with two shutouts. He threw 45 strikeouts in 43.0 innings on the mound and allowed just eight runs. On the offensive side, he batted .376 in conference with 35 hits and 21 RBIs, including 12 extra base hits. Hughes broke the season wins record with a 11-1 record on the mound, along with the season complete games record with eight. He is also the career holder of wins, strikeouts, shutouts and complete games.
Brinker, a senior from Auxvasse, Mo., is the first SLIAC Pitcher of the Year in Westminster program history. He is also an All-Conference First Team recipient. He held a perfect 7-0 record in conference play with a 1.36 ERA. He pitched three complete games with a shutout and a save. He struck out 49 in conference play and allowed just eight earned runs throughout 53.0 innings on the mound. He broke the Westminster innings pitched season record with 84.0, and overall, he holds a 2.36 ERA with an 8-2 season record on the mound.
Mundle, a sophomore from Des Peres, Mo., was named to the All-Conference First Team for short stop. He started in all 22 conference games and held a .357 batting average. He grabbed 30 hits throughout conference play with eight extra base hits. He broke the Westminster game-day triples record with three in the conference game versus Eureka on April 17. He posted 24 RBI and 28 runs scored while successfully stealing seven bases. On the field, he had 57 assists and 23 putouts.
Ta. Branneky, a junior from Bridgeton, Mo., started all 22 conference games in right field to grab a spot on the All-Conference First Team. He batted .414 in conference with a .786 slugging percentage and 22 runs scored. He had 15 extra base hits including five home runs with 29 hits total. He brought home 26 runs. On the field, he recorded 23 putouts and seven assists.
Ty. Branneky, a senior from Bridgeton, Mo., earned All-Conference Second Team honors as a third baseman. He started in all 22 conference games and led the team with 27 RBI and scored 24 runs. He held a .256 batting average throughout confernece play, and 12 of his 20 hits were extra base hits, including five home runs. On the field, he had 40 assists and 15 putouts with a .902 fielding percentage. Branneky broke the season RBI record with 46 and is the career holder of hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs scored, RBIs and total bases.
Hager, a senior from Jefferson City, Mo., was named to the All-Conference Second Team as a second baseman. After starting in 19 of 22 conference games, he recorded a .338 batting average with a .677 slugging percentage. He posted 22 hits with 23 RBI, 22 runs scored and five stolen bases. On the field, he held a .929 fielding percentage with 34 assists and 31 putouts.
Strebler, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., was the final Westminster player named to the All-Conference Second Team. He grabbed the honors as the left fielder as he led in team with a .449 batting average in conference play. After starting in all 22 conference games, he posted 31 hits with 11 extra base hits. He scored 23 runs and batted in 19. On the field, he recorded 25 putouts and 14 assists with a .951 fielding percentage.
Bohlmann, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., was named to the All-Conference Third Team as the center fielder for the Blue Jays. He batted .350 with 28 hits in conference play, while scoring 26 runs and batting in 15. On the field, he posted 45 putouts while holding a .979 fielding percentage.
Senior Nolan Bax was the member from the Blue Jay squad named to the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. One individual from each school is selected by the coach and players to be on the team.
*statistics are solely from conference play unless otherwise noted.
