TULSA, Okla. – Sweeps are nothing new for Oral Roberts this season and the Golden Eagles picked up another one Tuesday as Summit League officials announced the 2023 All-League baseball teams and individual award winners Tuesday.

ORU secured all five individual awards with junior outfielder Jonah Cox becoming the first player since 2013 to win both Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors as he batted .450 against League opponents and hit safely in all 24 games. He also led the League in runs (37), hits (45), triples (4) and stolen bases (17) in those contests.

Reliever Cade Denton was named the Pitcher of the Year and head coach Ryan Folmar earned his sixth Coach of the Year honor, while shortstop Mac McCroskey claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors, which is a new award for 2023.

Denton sported a 1.45 ERA and recorded six saves in conference action this season. The Rowlett, Texas native struck out 23 in 18.2 innings of work and is tied for fifth nationally with 12 overall saves.

Folmar led the Golden Eagles to their 20^th Summit League regular season title as ORU finished League play with a 23-1 record, picking up seven series sweeps in the process. The last time to only lose one League tilt in a season was the 2007 Golden Eagles’ squad that went 19-1.

ORU outscored opponents 250-76, while the offense batted .345 and the pitching staff logged a team ERA of 3.00.

McCroskey led an ORU defensive unit that committed only 16 errors in League play and ranks third among Division I programs with a .984 fielding percentage.  

Cox and Denton were part of a League-best half-dozen Golden Eagles that collected All-League First Team honors. The remaining quartet of ORU first-teamers include Jake McMurray, who was named to the first team for the third straight season at first base,  outfielder Matt Hogan, designated hitter Drew Stahl and starting pitcher Jakob Hall.

McMurray batted .343 against League foes and had five home runs and 24 RBI. Hogan paced the League with nine home runs and 31 RBI in Summit action, while Stahl contributed a .266 average with two home runs and 17 RBI.

Hall anchored a starting rotation for ORU going 4-0 with a 3.60 ERA in eight League starts. He also fanned 42 in 45 innings of work.

Tournament host NDSU had four players land on the first team. That foursome includes second baseman Peter Brookshaw, who hit .322 with five homers and 17 RBI, and utility player Druw Sackett, who led the team with eight home runs and 27 RBI against League competition. Both players registered an OPS over 1.000 as well.

The remaining two Bison on the first team made up two-thirds of head coach Tyler Oakes’ weekend rotation. Righthanders Cade Feeney and Tristen Roehrich both landed on the first team, while the team’s third starter Parker Puetz was a second-team selection.

Those three ranked one through three in ERA in Summit play with Feeney logging a 5-1 record with a 2.03 ERA in seven starts. Puetz posted a 2.06 ERA and 2-0 record in five starts, while Roehrich went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA.

Omaha third baseman Mike Boeve joined McMurray with the distinction of being a three-time, all-league first team performer. Boeve hit .369 with three home runs, six doubles and 14 RBI. He also only struck out four times in 84 at-bats, while drawing 14 walks and being hit by a pitch a League-high eight times.

Boeve was joined on the first team by Maverick teammate Devin Hurdle, who hit .342 from his shortstop position.

Western Illinois centerfielder Nick Mitchell landed all-league honors for the second straight season this time earning a first-team nod after hitting .301 for the Leathernecks.

South Dakota State catcher Ryan McDonald moved up to the first team after claiming second team honors in 2022. McDonald was having a tremendous season, batting a League-best .466 in Summit action with eight home runs and 21 RBI before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the final game of the Jackrabbits’ series at Oral Roberts.

ORU also had a League-high six players on the second team with Holden Breeze earning the second team third-base spot for the second straight season. He was joined by McCroskey, catcher Jacob Godman, outfielder Justin Quinn and starting pitchers Brooks Fowler and Harley Gollert.

Puetz was joined on the second team by three more Bison. That trio includes first baseman James Dunlap, outfielder Cadyn Schwabe and relief pitcher Skyler Reidinger.

SDSU had a pair of players on the second team, including Drew Beazley, who returned to the All-League team for the first time since his freshman season in 2019. He was joined by second baseman Cade Stuff.

Western Illinois’ Chase VanDerGinst earned the designated hitter spot, while Omaha’s Brennan Bales claimed the utility spot.

For the first time, the Summit League acknowledge a 14-player list of honorable mention honorees. Those acknowledged were Oral Roberts’ utility player Blaze Brothers, Omaha starting pitcher Harrison Kreiling, Western Illinois catcher Adam Juran, and Leatherneck second baseman Kyree Alexander.

The Northern Colorado trio of first baseman Caden Wagner, outfielder Jake King, and starting pitcher Dylan Smith and a quintet of Jackrabbits, including first baseman Dawson Parry, third baseman Nic Nelson, shortstop Luke Ira, starting pitcher Jake Goble and relief pitcher Eli Sundquist.

Four of the league's seven teams will embark on Fargo Wednesday-Saturday for the 2023 Summit League Baseball Championship. The action starts Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. CT when top-seeded Oral Roberts takes on fourth-seeded Omaha. All games will be televised on WDAY Xtra and streamed at www.thesummitleague.org/watch

2023 All-Summit League Baseball Teams and Individual Awards
(as selected by The Summit League head coaches)
 
Player of the Year: Jonah Cox, Oral Roberts
Pitcher of the Year: Cade Denton, Oral Roberts
Newcomer of the Year: Jonah Cox, Oral Roberts
Defensive Player of the Year: Mac McCroskey, Oral Roberts
Coach of the Year: Ryan Folmar, Oral Roberts

2023 Baseball All-League Teams
All-League First Team
C - Ryan McDonald, South Dakota State**
1B - Jake McMurray, Oral Roberts***
2B - Peter Brookshaw, North Dakota State**
3B - Mike Boeve, Omaha***
SS - Devin Hurdle, Omaha
OF - Jonah Cox, Oral Roberts
OF - Matt Hogan, Oral Roberts
OF - Nick Mitchell, Western Illinois**
DH - Drew Stahl,  Oral Roberts
UT - Druw Sackett, North Dakota State**
SP - Cade Feeney, North Dakota State
SP - Jakob Hall, Oral Roberts
SP - Tristen Roehrich, North Dakota State
RP - Cade Denton, Oral Roberts**

All-League Second Team
C - Jacob Godman, Oral Roberts
1B - James Dunlap, North Dakota State
2B - Cade Stuff, South Dakota State
3B - Holden Breeze, Oral Roberts**
SS - Mac McCroskey, Oral Roberts
OF - Cadyn Schwabe, North Dakota State
OF - Justin Quinn, Oral Roberts
OF - Drew Beazley, South Dakota State
DH - Chase VanDerGinst, Western Illinois
UT - Brennan Bales, Omaha
SP - Brooks Fowler, Oral Roberts
SP - Harley Gollert, Oral Roberts
SP - Parker Puetz, North Dakota State
RP - Skyler Riedinger, North Dakota State

Honorable Mention
C - Adam Juran, Western Illinois
1B - Dawson Parry, South Dakota State*
1B - Cadon Wagner, Northern Colorado
2B - Kyree Alexander, Western Illinois
3B - Nic Nelson, South Dakota State
SS - Luke Ira, South Dakota State*
OF - Reece Anderson, South Dakota State
OF - Jake King, Northern Colorado
DH - Stephen Lund, North Dakota State
UT - Blaze Brothers, Oral Roberts
SP - Jake Goble, South Dakota State
SP - Harrison Kreiling, Omaha
SP - Dylan Smith, Northern Colorado
RP - Eli Sundquist, South Dakota State
*number of career all-league honors

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