BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) announced on Monday afternoon its selections for its baseball All-Conference.
The Olivet Nazarene University baseball team was well-represented on the honor roll. The Tigers saw four Gold Glove award winners, four first-team selections, two second-team selections, and the Coach and Pitcher of the Year.
For the second-straight season Ethan Underwood was awarded the CCAC Pitcher of the Year honor. Underwood becomes the first Tiger in program history to repeat as Pitcher of the Year. Along with that honor, The Tiger right-handed pitcher also gathered All-CCAC first team honors and received the Gold Glove for the pitching position. The Woodstock, Ga. native has had a very strong season for the Tigers as he turned in a 10-1 record with a 1.67 ERA in 12 starts. Underwood also has fanned 63 batters against only 13 walks in 81 innings worked and went the distance six times with two shutouts.
Joining Underwood on the first-team is Aren Gustafson. The Tiger left-handed pitcher posted a 7-4 record with a 2.65 ERA in 13 starts. In 78 innings worked, Gustafson fanned a team-leading 87 batters and went the distance twice. Gustafson saw his best game in the CCAC Tournament against Judson where he went seven innings and struck out 11 batters. This is the third-straight All-CCAC honor for Aren as he was selected to the second-team the last two seasons.
A native of Graham, Wash., Tyler Wheeler not only earned CCAC First-Team honors, he also was selected as the Gold Glove winner for the catcher position. The Tiger backstop leads the team with 12 homers and 40 RBIs. Wheeler also leads the team with 32 walks and 15 runners caught stealing. Wheeler bats .352, slugs .648, and is on-base 49.3% of the time. A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Kai Hudson, like Wheeler, earned CCAC first-team all-conference and the Gold Glove for shortstop. Hudson bats .333 with a homer and a team second-best 36 RBIs. Additionally, Hudson has notched two triples, seven doubles, and has drew 28 walks. This is the second time Wheeler has been awarded the all-conference honors while Hudson notched his first all-conference honor.
Rounding out the first-team selections was Robert Jackman. The Tiger outfielder and New Lenox, Ill. native has had a standout season for the Tigers. Jackman leads the Tigers with a .366 batting average and with 63 hits. Jackman has amassed 19 extra base hits and has powered out three home runs. On the bases, Jackman is second on the team with 13 swiped bags. This is the first All-CCAC honor for Jackman.
Jacob Bulthuis and Ryan Russmann round out the second-team All-CCAC honors for the Tigers. A native of Tinley Park, Ill., Bulthuis has closed out his Tiger career on a high note. He ranks second on the team with 61 hits and bats .351. Additionally, the Tiger right fielder hit a pair of home runs, six triples, and nine doubles this season. Currently, Bulthuis ranks second in career hits (267) and is fourth with 334 total bases. This the third straight CCAC All-Conference selection for Jacob. A native of Wheaton, Ill. and in addition to his All-CCAC second-team nod, Russmann earned the Gold Glove at second base. Russmann bats .320 with 56 hits, eight doubles, and 25 RBIs. Russmann also swiped six bases. This is the first All-CCAC nod for Russmann. In the field, Ryan committed only three errors and made 84 putouts and had 100 assists.
Joining the six All-CCAC selections are Gunnar Pullins, who earned the Gold Glove award at first-base, and Jeff Mullikin, who earned his second-straight Coach of the Year honor. Mullikin led the Tigers to its second-straight CCAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and was at the helm when the Tigers went on the nation's longest winning streak of 24 games from March 20th through April 29th. In his three years at ONU, Mullikin has a 77-50 record. In the field, Pullins led the Tiger position players with a .994 fielding percentage with 326 putouts, 16 assists, and only committed a pair of errors.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Tigers travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. In the Opening Round of the 2022 NAIA Baseball National Championship as they take on the Grenadiers of IU-Southeast at 1 p.m. CST on Monday, May 16th. Please visit onutigers.com for more information.
--ONU—
*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu