Ball State baseball headlines MAC postseason awards winning 4 of 6 specialty honors

MUNCIE, Ind. — A day before the Mid-American Conference baseball tournament is set to commence in Muncie, the league announced its postseason awards. Ball State dominated.

The Cardinals won four of six specialty awards, with Tyler Schweitzer earning Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Brown being named Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Peltier winning Defensive Player of the Year and Rich Maloney being selected at Coach of the Year. The other two specialty awards were won by Eastern Michigan's Matt Kirk (Player of the Year) and Western Michigan's Dylan Nevar (Freshman of the Year).

In addition, Ball State had four players named to the All-MAC First and Second Teams along with two more earning All-MAC Defensive Team honors. In total, eight different players earned postseason honors.

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Schweitzer (starting pitcher) earned First Team honors alongside teammates Trenton Quartermaine (first baseman), Zach Cole (outfielder) and Sam Klein (relief pitcher). Peltier (third baseman), Amir Wright (outfielder), Ty Johnson (starting pitcher) and Brown (relief pitcher) earned Second Team honors. Peltier and Cole were named to the All-MAC Defensive Team.

Schweitzer became the sixth player to win MAC Pitcher of the Year. He's tied for second in the NCAA with 10 wins and leads the conference with 102 strikeouts while boasting a 2.61 ERA over 82.2 innings.

Brown became the third MAC Freshman of the Year in BSU history. He boasted a 4-2 record and 2.50 ERA while limiting opponents to a .168 batting average in 39.2 innings.

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For the third time in a row, Ball State won Defensive Player of the Year honors thanks to Peltier. He has a team-high 91 assists and made just two errors.

Maloney won MAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career. After finishing second in the league four out of the past five full seasons, Maloney led the Cardinals to a 32-7 record in MAC play, winning his 900th career game at Northern Illinois in the process. 

"It is great to see so many of our guys recognized for their individual accomplishments that led to our team's success," Maloney said. "These guys were simply outstanding. It is always good to be recognized by your peers. To have the number of players recognized speaks to the talented team we have."

MAC baseball postseason awards

Player of the Year — Matt Kirk (Eastern Michigan)

Pitcher of the Year — Tyler Schweitzer (Ball State)

Freshman of the Year — Dylan Nevar (Western Michigan)

Freshman Pitcher of the Year — Ryan Brown (Ball State)

Defensive Player of the Year — Ryan Peltier (Ball State)

Coach of the Year — Rich Maloney (Ball State)

All-MAC First Team — C: Connor Charping (WMU); 1B: Trenton Quartermaine (BSU); 2B: Mario Camilletti (CMU); 3B: Colin Kasperbauer (OHIO); SS: Justin Simpson (CMU); OF: Zach Cole (BSU), Matt Kirk (EMU), Justin Kirby (KSU); SP: Tyler Schweitzer (BSU), Jonathan Brand (MIAMI), Andrew Taylor (CMU), Kyle Jones (TOL); RP: Sam Klein (BSU); DH: David Novak (MIAMI); At-Large: Jakob Marsee (CMU)

All-MAC Second Team — C: Mason Minzey (OHIO); 1B: Cade Sullivan (WMU); 2B: Daniel Warkentin (EMU); 3B: Ryan Peltier (BSU); SS: Mike McNamara (KSU); OF: Amir Wright (BSU), Drew Lechnir (CMU), Josh Johnson (KSU); SP: Ty Johnson (BSU), Jordan Patty (CMU), Zach Maxey (MIAMI), Connor Brandon (TOL); RP: Ryan Brown (BSU); DH: Garret Pike (TOL); At-Large: Kyle Gurney (BGSU)

All-MAC Defensive Team — C: Justin Miknis (KSU); 1B: Cade Sullivan (WMU); 2B: Mario Camilletti (CMU); 3B: Ryan Peltier (BSU); SS: Jeron Williams (TOL); SS: Ryan Johnston (BGSU); OF: Zach Cole (BSU), Jakob Marsee (CMU), Matt Kirk (EMU); P: Eddie Kutt IV (OHIO)

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.