STORM LAKE, Iowa (May 17, 2023) - The Buena Vista University baseball team highlighted this year's American Rivers Conference Baseball All-Conference teams by landing a league-high 10 players, including the Pitcher of the Year and the Coach of the Year.
Sophomore right hander Morgan Smith has helped lead the BVU pitching staff all season long and has been awarded as the league's Pitcher of the Year. He went 6-0 with two complete-games during conference play while posting a 2.80 ERA over 45.0 total innings. He led all A-R-C pitchers in wins, ranked second in innings and third in strikeouts (38). He went at least seven innings in six of his seven conference outings, including a 9.0-inning complete-game effort against during a pivotal series against Luther College where he allowed just one run and five hits while striking out eight.
Eddie has been named the conference Coach of the Year for the second straight season the fifth time in his 23 seasons at the helm. He has guided the Beavers to back-to-back A-R-C regular season conference titles for the first time since 1980 and 1981. BVU finished 20-3 during conference play which marks just the fourth 20-win plateau under his guidance. The Beavers led the league in average (.359), runs (215), hits (307), doubles (59), triples (8), RBI (192), total bases (432), slugging pct. (.503) and stolen bases (53). On the mound, BVU ranked third in ERA (4.09), second in fewest hits allowed (204) and fifth in strikeouts (158). The team was also one of the best defensive teams across the league, ranking second in fielding percentage (.969) and tied for fourth in double-plays turned (18).
The Beavers landed a league-best six individuals on the First Team with no other team landing more than two. Among the list of BVU players were: Evan Taylor (C), Zack Beekmann (1B), Jordan Mathewson (2B), Joel Garcia (SS), Caden Mathewson (DH) and Calvin Harris (UTL). There were also three more individuals on the Second team, including Logan Mueller (3B), Drew Taylor (OF) and Mason Gehling (P).
Jordan Mathewson becomes a 3x First Team All-Conference selection for the Beavers. He hit .380 during conference play, ranking third in hits (38), second in triples (3), first in runs scored (32) and second in total bases (55). He had four-hit games against both Loras and Wartburg. He began conference play with a hit in 13 of the first 14 games. Caden Mathewson, who was also named First Team in 2021, tied for the league lead this season in average at .464 and was fourth in doubles (9). He totaled 32 hits during conference play and drove in 21 runs. He wrapped up the regular season with a 5-for-5 performance against Simpson College. He had eight multi-hit games against conference foes overall.
Evan Taylor, last year's Position Player of the Year, picked up where he left off. He hit .348 during league play this season and finished second behind Jordan Mathewson in runs scored with 30 and tied Mathewson for second with three triples. His 24 RBI tied for sixth-most by any player. Taylor had a four-hit game to begin the doubleheader at Nebraska Wesleyan and totaled 10 multi-hit games against conference opponents. He closed the regular season with a five-game hit streak overall.
Harris, who has been a Second Team selection in each of the last two years, is a First Team selection for the first time here in 2023. He ranked fifth on the team during conference play this season with a .366 average at the plate, including 37 hits, nine doubles, 28 RBI and 19 runs scored. He was also as valuable with his arm as he was his bat. He made six appearances on the mound during conference play, chalking up a 3-0 record, two saves and a 1.00 ERA over 9.0 innings.
Beekmann and Garcia are all-conference selections for the first time in their respective careers. Beekmann hit .411 during conference play which ranked seventh, including a league-high five home runs and a league-best .786 slugging percentage. He homered twice during the big series versus Luther, including the memorable walk-off 2-run blast in the 10th inning of the series finale. He was among the best defensive first basemen in the league as well, making just one error in 124 total chances this season. Garcia, meanwhile, hit .343 during conference play with 35 hits and 24 runs scored. He was also among the best defensive shortstops in the A-R-C, making only six errors in over 100 total chances while helping turn 12 double plays.
Mueller is a Second Team selection for the second straight season. He ranked fourth in the league in hitting at .437, ranked third in both hits (38) and doubles (10) while scoring 18 times. He began conference play with a hit in 20 straight games and finished league play with 12 multi-hit contests.
Gehling is a Second Team selection this season after being a First Team honoree in 2022. The right hander went a perfect 4-0 during league play over his four starts. He pitched 28.1 innings with an ERA of 4.45 while striking out 24.
Drew Taylor is an all-conference selection for the first time in his young collegiate career. The sophomore hit .324 against A-R-C foes while playing in all 23 games. He finished with 34 hits, six doubles, 21 RBI and ranked fifth in the league with 26 runs scored. Defensively, he made just one error in over 40 total chances while primarily playing as the team's left fielder. He started league play with a hit in 12 straight games and went hitless in only one conference game all season. He turned in a pair of three-hit contests.
In addition to the team's 10 all-conference selections, BVU also had a pair of Honorable Mention All-Conference honorees. Junior Tegan Bock was recognized as an outfielder while freshman lefthander Logan Lape-Brinkman was voted as a relief pitcher.
The 10 all-conference selections for Buena Vista tie a program record set in 2014.