2023 NJCAA All-Americans Named for Baseball
The NJCAA announced the 2023 All-American selections for baseball on Monday, with the ICCAC earning eight players across the Division I and II ranks.
Iowa Western plugged in all three selections at the Division I level -- all Honorable Mention, while four teams put five players on Division II teams.
Division I:
Brayden Smith, Iowa Western, Infield, Honorable Mention
Smith, The 2023 ICCAC Division I Player of the Year, contributed in a lot of ways at the plate during the 2023 season. In 50 games, he batted .420, hit 11 home runs, and stole 16 bases. Smith had an on base percentage of .528 and had 57 RBIs. The Iowa Western infielder connected on a total of 75 hits, 17 doubles, and 4 triples.
During his last four games of the season, Smith did not strike out once and had seven hits. In the field, Smith assisted on 109 plays in 210 chances. He finished with 91 putouts and a fielding percentage of .952. Smith ended the season fourth in all NJCAA DI in double plays, turning 35.
Against Indian Hills in their last game of the season, Smith had one of his better games. He racked up three hits, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Smith's RBIs were the only runs for Iowa Western in the game.
Brandon Rodgers, Iowa Western, Outfield, Honorable Mention
The Chicago native took charge in the outfield for the Reivers. On defense, Rodgers made 54 put outs on 58 chances, while making just two errors on the season. His fielding percentage was .966 and he took part in two double plays. At the plate, he batted .382 and had a slugging percentage of .720.
Rodgers ended his season with a total of 60 hits in 200 plate appearances. He belted 13 home runs, 10 doubles, and drove home 56 RBIs. On the basepaths, he stole 18 times while being thrown out four times.
Rodgers' best game came on May 3rd when he had seven hits, eight RBIs, a grand slam, a two-run homer, three doubles, and a stolen base. In the wild 25-17 game against DMACC, Rodgers had the most RBIs, hits, and home runs from either team.
Tyler Stone, Iowa Western, Infield, Honorable Mention
Stone finished top 30 in four different categories for NJCAA DI Baseball. The Reiver placed 11th in turning double plays (30), 24th in RBIs (72), 25th in home runs (17), and 30th in slugging percentage (.778). All his stats occurred while taking just 153 at-bats on the season.
The Iowa Western power hitter ended with 56 total hits, 12 of them being doubles. He reached base on average at .468 and batted .366. While manning first base, Stone made 288 put outs from his 313 chances. He assisted on 20 outs and had a fielding percentage of .984.
One of Stone's best games also occurred during the thrilling 25-17 win over DMACC. Stone hit three doubles, a two-run homer, drove home three RBIs, and reached base eight times.
Division II:
Casey Perrenoud, Southeastern, Second Team, Pitcher
Perrenoud appeared in 14 games this season and started all 14. In those starts he went 12-2 with an ERA of 2.34. Perrenoud ended the year first in NJCAA DII Baseball in both wins and shutouts. He finished third in complete games with six, with four of them ending in shutouts.
In 84 innings pitched, Perrenoud gave up four homers and only made four wild pitches. Batters hit just .201 against him while he struck out 57 of them. While pitching he allowed just two runners to steal on him and had a fielding percentage of .857.
Taking on Southwest Mississippi, Perrenoud pitched one of his best games, going six of the possible seven innings. Perrenoud gave up two hits and one earned run, while striking out nine in the 22-1 route.
Cole Yearsley, Southeastern, Second Team, Outfield
Southeastern's Cole Yearsley joined All-American Honors after his 2023 campaign. Yearsley hit .376 at the plate while driving in 64 runners. He placed fourth in NJCAA DII Baseball in runs (83) and plate appearances (290). On the basepaths, Yearsley stole 18 bases and was caught stealing just once.
Yearsley reached base at a .521 clip and marked 126 total bases on the year. His 21 doubles and 47 walks were also in the top 20 in the NJCAA. In the outfield, he made 143 put outs from his 151 chances. He assisted on five outs, made just three errors, and had a fielding percentage of .980.
In one of Yearsley's top performances of the year against Southwestern, he reached base six times. Yearsley also contributed three RBIs to the mix and stole two bases.
Jose Valentin, Ellsworth, Third Team, Catcher
In his 47 games this season, Valentin allowed just one passed ball and three stolen bases. He made 108 put outs in 114 chances and maintained a fielding percentage of .965. Valentin ranked 16th best in NJCAA DII Baseball in slugging percentage at .779. He also batted .417 and connected on 13 homers at the plate.
Valentin knocked 18 doubles, 68 hits, and had 127 total bases as well. The Ellsworth catcher only struck out 14 times in 163 at-bats. Twice during the season, Valentin went on seven-game stretches where he didn't strike out once during the span.
On April 14th against Marshalltown, Valentin went 4-6 with eight RBIs in the contest. Jose Valentine hit not one, but three home runs during the 23-11 win.
Evan Borst, Iowa Central, Third Team, Infield
Borst, the 2023 ICCAC Division II Baseball Player of the Year, was inside or near the top 50 in all NJCAA DII Baseball in 12 different categories. In 57 games played, Borst had 57 RBIs, 77 hits, 44 walks, and 11 home runs. He did all of that while averaging a .377 batting average. He had a total of 203 at-bats and reached base just over half the time.
In the field, Borst connected on 17 double plays and 113 assists. He also took some innings on the mound, pitching a total of 18.1 innings and faced 68 batters. Borst gave up 9 earned runs but also struck out 28 hitters.
On April 30th while taking on NIACC, Borst contributed three hits, two home runs, two walks, and four RBIs. He took the mound and pitched two innings while not giving up a run and striking out four.
Adam Berghult, NIACC, Third Team, Designated Hitter
Berghult of NIACC hit 13 home runs, 10 doubles, and 42 RBIs in 46 games of action. His batting average during the season was .373, while his slugging percentage ended at .718.
In the field, Berghult had 331 put outs in 355 chances, with a fielding percentage of .983
Berghult had 102 total bases this year and scored 48 times. To end the season, Berghult had at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games. Through the days of April 24th and April 30th, Berghult drove home 11 RBIs, in just seven games.
Taking on Marshalltown, Berghult had one of his best production days at the plate. He placed five hits in the game and brought home four RBIs. Berghult added a home run and double to the 28-6 win.