It was an eventful year for Big Rapids baseball as the Cardinals finished the year 26-9 and earned their second straight conference title under head coach J.T. Scarpelli.

According to Coach Scarpelli, the team has received five first team all-CSAA selections.

The first selection is pitcher Ty Gielczyk. The junior had a standout campaign on the mound, winning of 8 of 12 starts with a 2.06 earned run average and 81 strikeouts. At the plate, he led the team with 42 hits as well as finished second in slugging percentage (.478), second in RBIs (33), third in batting average (.372) and third in OPS (.911). 

Selection number two is catcher Philip Wilbur, who finished with a .980 fielding percentage and 191 putouts in 33 appearences behind the plate. He led the team with 10 doubles as well finished second in walks (23), fourth in OPS (.906), and fourth in slugging percentage (.456). Wilbur was also named to the all-district team for his performance against Whitehall.

Second basemen Nick Teceno is the third Cardinal selection. Teceno had 26 assists and 46 putouts sharing the middle infield with teammate Isaac Zocco. He finished second on the team with 32 runs, fourth in walks (18), and fifth in hits (29). 

Selection number is in fact shortstop Isaac Zocco. The standout batsman finished with a .360 batting average to go with a .536 on-base percentage and .472 slugging percentage. He also led the team in runs scored (48), walks (28), stolen bases (20), and fielding assists (35).

The fifth and final first-team selection is outfielder Mayson McNeilly. The clean-up man batting an outstanding .404 on the season, finishing with 33 RBI's, six triples, and two home runs. McNeilly also recorded a .907 fielding percentage with 37 putouts. 

First baseman Caiden Schuberg was also chosen as an honorable mention. In addition to his .949 fielding percentage and 69 putouts at first base, Schuberg recorded a .440 slugging percentage at the plate with four triples. 

When asked about the honorees, Scarpelli said this team's success was beyond the awarded six individuals. 

“While it is nice to have six players recognized, we were 18-2 and back to back champions. Clearly we have more than six players that deserve to be on that list. Jonathan Losinski hit almost .375 in conference play and reached base in almost 50 percent of his at bats. Cole Haist was 6-0 pitching and allowed only nine earned runs in 30 innings pitched. I understand these guys are younger, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t deserve the recognition. They worked very hard for their results and should be recognized.”

The full all-conference teams are expected to be announced in the coming days.