Fri., May 1, 2009

11 Cougars earn MCC post-season honors

   Three members of the University of Saint Francis baseball team have named to the 2009 All-Mid-Central College Conference first team and two more Cougars were named to the MCC Gold Glove Team.

   Centerfielder Travis Potchka, third baseman Jon Saporsantos and pitcher Bart Schnur were named All-MCC first-team selections. Senior Scott Wells was the GG winner at second base and senior Jake Trahin was the GG winner in right field.

    Potchka (Fort Wayne, IN / Elmhurst H.S.) was a two-time MCC Player of the Week who batted .374, set a USF record for career hits with 210 and set a USF record for consecutive games with at least one hit hitting safely in the first 19 games of the season. This is Potchka's second All-MCC first team selection.

    Saporsantos (Simcoe, ONT, Canada) leads USF in batting average at .401 while playing mostly third base this season.   Schnur leads USF in wins with eight, is 8-1, and is a two-time MCC Pitcher of the Week in 2009.

  Wells (Ontario, CAN) is a senior who helped USF turn 27 double plays with a .978 fielding percentage. Trahin (Fort Wayne, IN / Carroll H.S.) has eight assists as an outfielder and a .967 field percentage.

   Six Cougars were All-MCC Honorable Mention selections - Scott Bickel, So. (Huntington, IN / Huntington H.S.), Mickey Cassidy, Sr. (Toledo, OH / St. John's H.S.), Matt Degitz, Sr. (Fort Wayne, IN / Northrop H.S.), Taylor Futterknecht, So. (Elkhart, IN / Central H.S.), Chase Gaff, Jr. (Churubusco, IN / Churubusco H.S.) and Troy Hudson So. (Peru, IN / Peru H.S.).

   USF finished a school-record 32-19, the first time ever over .500 in 46 seasons, and finished second in the MCC, its highest finish ever, with a school-record 17-7 record. The Cougars are the No. 2 seed heading into the 2009 MCC Tournament on Saturday. USF will play the No. 5 seed Bethel on Saturday in the first round at 1 p.m. at the Indiana Wesleyan University Athletic Complex.

-- GO USF --