PUEBLO, Colo. - The 2009 Daktronics NCAA Division II Central Region Baseball teams have been announced with senior right handed pitcher Jake Schmidt (Oakdale, Minn.) being named the Central Region Pitcher of the Year while also being voted a first team selection at the utility position. Senior Chris Herbert (White Bear Lake, Minn.) was named to the First Team at catcher while seniors Brenden Furrow (Johnston, Iowa) and Chris Kimpton (Canberra, Australia) were named second team at outfield and pitcher, respectively. DAKTRONICS RELEASE
Schmidt and Furrow were both Daktronics All-Region selections in 2008. Furrow repeats as a second team pick while Schmidt is a repeat first teamer. There were only three players on the 2009 first and second team that were also on the 2008 squad, CU getting two of those repeats. The other was Mesa State's Mike Provencher, a second team outfielder. Provencher was an All-West Second Teamer last year. Schmidt is the only repeat first team selection for Daktronics.
The Daktronics All-Central Region teams were nominated for and voted on by the sports information directors in the Northern Sun (NSIC) and Rocky Mountain (RMAC) conferences. The All-American ballots will be voted on by Division II SID's around the nation. Herbert advances to the All-American ballot at catcher while Schmidt will be on the ballot twice: at utility and for Division II Pitcher of the Year. The All-American teams will be released Friday, May 22.
While Schmidt was named the Central Region Pitcher of the Year, Mesa State's Matt Bodenchuck was the Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year. The Maverick's shortstop hit .436 with 15 home runs and a region-high 82 RBI. He was the Rocky Mountain (RMAC) Player of the Year.
Schmidt, the 2009 Northern Sun (NSIC) Pitcher of the Year, was an everyday player for the Golden Bears, anchoring the rotation as well as playing in the middle infield, corner infield and centerfield. He pitched in 13 games, starting 11 with a 7-2 record, a save and 103 strikeouts in 69.0 innings. His 13.43 strikeouts per nine innings lead all Division II pitchers and he set numerous season and career records in wins and strikeouts. He produced a career-high, and possibly a school record 16 strikeouts at Minnesota Crookston before fanning 14 at Bemidji State in his final start of the year before his season ended early due to injury. The injury forced him to miss at least one start and six full games at the plate, where he clubbed 10 homers, 10 doubles, stole eight bases and hit .365 for the season. His defense was superb as well, making only one error at the four positions he played in the field.
Herbert mashed at the plate in his two years for Concordia and his 12 homers in 2009 matched his 2008 total. He blasted 24 career home runs and ranks third on CU's career list despite playing only two years in the Navy and Gold. His senior year he was unstoppable at the plate and batted anywhere from first to fourth in the lineup everyday. He set a school record with 65 RBI, shattering the old mark by seven. He led the team in hitting at .372 with a .488 on base pct. and a .686 slugging. His 16 doubles tied for the team lead as did his 11 stolen bases. He was named to the NSIC First Team at catcher for the second straight season and was a preseason All-American.
Furrow was the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year and a preseason All-American just like Schmidt and Herbert. And just like his teammates, he didn't disappoint as he set the single season hits record with 69 and tied the career hits record with 178 in just three seasons as a Golden Bear. On the season, Furrow hit .367 while tying Herbert's 16 doubles. He drove in 44 runs, hit four home runs and a pair of triples. Arguably the best pure hitter in school history, Furrow slugged .537 in 2009. While playing most of his games in right field, he also played a handful of games at first and only committed two errors on the season between the two positions with a .989 season fielding pct. He was an All-NSIC Second Team selection in 2009 and is a three-time All-NSIC honoree in three seasons.
Boasting the lowest earned run average of the 2009 Daktronics All-Central Region pitchers, first or second team, is Chris Kimpton. He finished the season 5-5 with a 3.29 earned run average and went out in style by striking out nine batters in a complete game win over Winona State, sending the final three batters he would face down on strikes. On the season, he struck out 64 over 63 innings in 10 starts. He also recorded a save in two relief appearances and held opposing bats to a mere .221 average. His K/BB ratio was solid, striking out four batters for every walk he issued while registering a 1.08 WHIP on the season. He hurled five complete games and seemed to get stronger as the season progressed, striking out a career-high 13 batters at Minnesota Crookston. His 5-5 record wasn't indicative for how well he pitched, losing a 2-1 game to St. Cloud State in which he two hit the Huskies in a complete game. He also held a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning at Wayne State in a no decision. He also lost a 2-1 game to Augustana in his first career complete game. His final four starts were all complete games.
All four of Concordia's Daktronics All-Region selections also started at least 10 games at first base and all had exceptional fielding percentages: Schmidt (.993), Furrow (.989), Kimpton (.987) and Herbert (.977). Concordia's team fielding pct. of .973 is currently ranked fourth in Division II of 229 baseball teams while Schmidt and Kimpton's strikeout's per nine innings helped the team produce the seventh ranked strikeout per nine inning ratio of 8.8.
