Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Five Salukis earn All-MVC honors
05/23/2017 | 12:30:00 | Baseball
ST .LOUIS – Five Southern Illinois baseball players earned spot on the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams, the league announced Tuesday. Greg Lambert was a first-team selection. Chad Whitmer and Ryan Smith earned spots on the Second Team. Connor Kopach and Ryan Netemeyer were honorable mention picks. Kopach and Smith also earned spots on the MVC All-Defensive Team.
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Greg Lambert, a junior from Athens, Ala., set an SIU record with 24 doubles during the regular season. He led the team in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. His 51 RBIs ranked third in the MVC, and his 24 doubles led the MVC and ranked fourth in the NCAA. He also set an SIU record with three doubles in a game.
Chad Whitmer, a senior from South Bend, Ind., led the MVC in strikeouts during the regular season with 89. For the season, Whitmer went 6-3 with a 3.67 ERA. Ten of his 14 starts were quality starts. He closed the regular season strong, striking out 51 over his last six starts, and he left all six starts with the lead.
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Ryan Smith, a senior from Brentwood, Calif., hit .320 this year. Smith led the team with a .403 on-base percentage. His 20 stolen bases ranked second in the MVC. He closed the regular season with an 18-game reached base streak and has 11 multi-hit games in the last 18 games. Smith leads the Salukis with 21 multi-hit games in 2017. Defensively, Smith had a .984 fielding percentage and had five outfield assists.
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Connor Kopach, a junior from Westmont, Ill., led the MVC with 32 stolen bases in the regular season. He set an SIU record with four stolen bases in a game, and his 32 stolen bases rank fourth in the NCAA. Â Defensively, Kopach helped the Salukis lead the MVC in double plays with 52. Individually, Kopach led the MVC with 44 double plays turned.
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Ryan Netemeyer, a junior from Belleville, Ill., saved 15 games during the 2017 regular season. His 15 saves led the MVC, set an SIU single-season record and ranked second in the NCAA. Netemeyer is a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year and semifinalist for NCBWA Stopper of the Year.
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All-conference honors and specialty awards are voted on by the league's eight head baseball coaches.
The Salukis open the MVC Tournament on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Wichita State.
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Greg Lambert, a junior from Athens, Ala., set an SIU record with 24 doubles during the regular season. He led the team in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. His 51 RBIs ranked third in the MVC, and his 24 doubles led the MVC and ranked fourth in the NCAA. He also set an SIU record with three doubles in a game.
Chad Whitmer, a senior from South Bend, Ind., led the MVC in strikeouts during the regular season with 89. For the season, Whitmer went 6-3 with a 3.67 ERA. Ten of his 14 starts were quality starts. He closed the regular season strong, striking out 51 over his last six starts, and he left all six starts with the lead.
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Ryan Smith, a senior from Brentwood, Calif., hit .320 this year. Smith led the team with a .403 on-base percentage. His 20 stolen bases ranked second in the MVC. He closed the regular season with an 18-game reached base streak and has 11 multi-hit games in the last 18 games. Smith leads the Salukis with 21 multi-hit games in 2017. Defensively, Smith had a .984 fielding percentage and had five outfield assists.
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Connor Kopach, a junior from Westmont, Ill., led the MVC with 32 stolen bases in the regular season. He set an SIU record with four stolen bases in a game, and his 32 stolen bases rank fourth in the NCAA. Â Defensively, Kopach helped the Salukis lead the MVC in double plays with 52. Individually, Kopach led the MVC with 44 double plays turned.
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Ryan Netemeyer, a junior from Belleville, Ill., saved 15 games during the 2017 regular season. His 15 saves led the MVC, set an SIU single-season record and ranked second in the NCAA. Netemeyer is a finalist for National Pitcher of the Year and semifinalist for NCBWA Stopper of the Year.
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All-conference honors and specialty awards are voted on by the league's eight head baseball coaches.
The Salukis open the MVC Tournament on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Wichita State.
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