Six Mustangs get league baseball honors

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa -- A total of six Mount Mercy baseball players received postseason awards from the Midwest Collegiate Conference when the 2012 all-conference teams were announced late last week.

Junior right-hander Abe Carrasco and senior catcher Paul Franco were first-team all-conference. Carrasco was one of the top pitchers in the league, going 12-2 with a 2.10 earned run average. That tied the school record for single-season wins and gave him the fourth-best single-season ERA in school history.

Carrasco threw four shutouts and eight complete games, striking out 64 and walking 15. Franco hit .270 with a team-high eight doubles in 45 games. He was also second on the squad with four home runs, 25 runs batted in and a .429 slugging percentage.

Seniors Jacob Thompson and Brent Pankow received all-conference honorable mention. Thompson, a third baseman, led the Mustangs with 48 hits and a .324 batting average in 48 games. He finished with three homers, seven doubles and 22 RBIs. Pankow, a right fielder, hit .290 with a home run, six doubles and 17 RBIs in 49 games.

Three Mustangs were named to the MCC Gold Glove Team, including Franco, junior second baseman Scott Thornton and senior shortstop David Rodriguez. Franco had just three errors in 157 chances for a .981 fielding percentage. Thornton had a fielding percentage of .976 with only five errors in 212 chances, while Rodriguez committed 13 errors in 182 chances for a .929 field percentage.

2012 MCC Baseball Honors:

MCC Player of the Year: Michael Mendoza (Iowa Wesleyan)
MCC Pitcher of the Year: Jacob Sanchez (Iowa Wesleyan)
MCC Co-Coaches of the Year: Jim Callahan (St. Ambrose), Lou Yacinich (Grand View)

All-MCC First Team:
Infield: Randall Packard (William Penn/1B), Kyler Morgan (Grand View/2B), Elliot Armstrong (Iowa Wesleyan/SS), Alex Behling (St. Ambrose/3B), Jonathan Golden (St. Ambrose/2B). Outfield: Brady Wathen (Grand View), Christian Arredondo (Iowa Wesleyan), Michael Mendoza (Iowa Wesleyan), Blake Shepherd (Viterbo). Catchers: Paul Franco (Mount Mercy), Scott Blanchette (St. Ambrose). Starting Pitchers: Jacob Sanchez (Iowa Wesleyan), Abe Carrasco (Mount Mercy), Bryan Hennessy (St. Ambrose), Jorge Quezada (William Penn). Relief Pitcher: Brad McGuire (William Penn). Designated Hitter: Spenser Popinga (Waldorf).

All-MCC Honorable Mention:
Pat Macaione, Gary Mayberry, Damil Reyes, R.J. Roberts (Ashford); Nico Piscopo (Clarke); Joe Ramberg, Zach Smith (Grand View); Erik Allen, Ryan Doeppel (Iowa Wesleyan); Brent Pankow, Jacob Thompson (Mount Mercy); Jake Fields, Tyler Gilles, Matt Rosenberger, Zach Rohlf (St. Ambrose); Chris Dunn (Viterbo); Jake Bews, Shaun McGuire (Waldorf); Stanley Muller (William Penn).

MCC Gold Glove Team:
Matt Rosenberger (St. Ambrose/1B), Scott Thornton (Mount Mercy/2B), David Rodriguez (Mount Mercy/SS), Bobby Lloyd (Iowa Wesleyan/3B), Gary Mayberry (Ashford/OF), Ryan Doeppel (Iowa Wesleyan/OF), Jake Bews (Waldorf/OF), Jacob Sanchez (Iowa Wesleyan/P), Paul Franco (Mount Mercy/C).