Baseball 1/14/2020 2:10:00 PM Chad Jenkins - Sports Information Director

MNU All-Decade Team: Baseball

All-Decade: Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Football, Men's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Softball

The 2010s were a great decade for MNU Athletics. Every program qualified for the national tournament at least twice, Cross Country and Track & Field made their returns and had great success, 2 teams played for the National Championship, and Women's Basketball won it all in 2016. With all the great athletes to come through Olathe in the last 10 years, it's difficult to nail down All-Decade teams. But I'm going to give it a shot. Your Sports Information Director, Chad Jenkins, along with a handful of coaches and fans, will publish an All-Decade team for our team sports starting with the Spring of 2010.

The Process
There's no one way to do this, but here's how I'm going to do it:
- One player from a specific season will represent one starting position on the court/field. One great season by one player usually trumps a solid career from another.
- Academics, behavior, and likability are not going to be considered. I can't know enough about the personal lives of these athletes to make that judgment. I'm putting together the best players at each position, period. I'm also aware of different bat and ball specs which changed throughout the decade, and I'm choosing to ignore it unless it's a really close call.
- I've asked for input from some coaches and fans, but ultimately the final decision is mine. So direct your hateful e-mails to yours truly (just make sure to include who I should remove).
- For Baseball, we are using 16 positions: 4 Starting Pitchers, 2 Relief Pitchers, 1 Catcher, 1 First Baseman, 1 Second Baseman, 1 Third Baseman, 1 Shortstop, 3 Outfielders, and 2 DH's. I realize this is significantly more than we had for softball, but don't go submitting Title IX violations just yet. The sports are similar, but there are big differences. Mainly the pitching staff. If you have 2 studs, that's all you may ever need for a whole season of softball (MNU literally used just 2 pitchers in 2018). And relievers are used way differently. Baseball uses more starters, and quality differently-armed relievers are required as well. We've also added a second DH because of the lefty/righty matchups. So more starters, a lefty and righty reliever, and a lefty and righty DH makes sense for Baseball All-Decade.

Why Are We Doing This?
Because it's fun. If you or your relative or buddy didn't make the squad, it's not personal.

Who Are You to Make These Decisions?
A fair question. I'm the guy who has watched pretty much every home event in every sport since the Fall of 2007, and I'm in control of the athletics website. I was also an MNU assistant baseball coach in 08 and 09.

Enough! Just Get Started!
Agreed. Here we go...(I mention OPS quite a bit in this article. It stands for On-Base Plus Slugging, and for my money it's the best single stat for measuring offensive impact. Generally, an OPS of 1.000 is MVP level. Its only flaw is that it doesn't factor in stolen bases.)

Starting Pitchers
The name of the game always has been and always will be pitching, and MNU had a handful of starting pitchers earn All-Conference honors throughout the decade. Kyle Olson earned 2nd team All-Conference in 2013 and is second all time in career wins at MNU, Jordan Dailey in 2017 & 2018 was probably my favorite pitcher to watch, and Jacob Sylvester signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after an impressive 2018 season, but 7 pitchers over 8 single seasons stood out in the 2010s, and we need to narrow it to 4.
- Harrison Helms in 2010: went 6-4 in 12 starts with 9 complete games, 4 shutouts, a 3.18 ERA, a .275 opp/BA, and 53 strikeouts in 76.1 innings.
- Tino Luna in 2014: went 4-2 in 10 starts with a 1.68 ERA and a .204 opp/BA with 58 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.
- Trent Hedlund in 2014: won a program record 10 games with a 3.74 ERA and .269 opp/BA with 54 strikeouts in 86.2 innings.
- Santiago Romero in 2015: went 7-3 in 12 starts with a 3.18 ERA and a .222 opp/BA with 61 strikeouts in 70.2 innings.
- Phil Graham in 2015: went 7-3 in 16 games (10 starts) with a 2.13 ERA and a .176 opp/BA with 79 strikeouts in 72.0 innings.
- Phil Graham in 2016: went 8-2 in 12 starts with 6 complete games and 3 shutouts, including a no-hitter. He had a 2.58 ERA and a .185 opp/BA with 81 strikeouts in 73.1 innings.
- Blake Robberson in 2016: went 8-2 in 15 games (7 starts) with a 2.96 ERA and a .222 opp/BA with 56 strikeouts in 67.0 innings.
- Matt Terrones in 2017: went 9-4 in 17 games (13 starts) with a 2.95 ERA and a .215 opp/BA with 81 strikeouts in 88.1 innings.

There are multiple factors in this decision. #1 pitchers can struggle to rack up wins as they generally face the opponent's ace and run support is lower. The most consistent factor in pitching win prediction is run support, and since I don't have that info on hand, win totals aren't as big of a factor as they seem. ERA, strikeouts, walks, and opponent batting average are the best measure for pitching dominance, and being a workhorse with a high innings pitched total earns big points as well. And while we're here, and just so you're aware of who's coaching this team, I would take Ryan Thompson 1998 right with any of these guys. My college teammate at Bethel (IN) in the late 90s, vs. bats currently considered lethal weapons, was untouchable. I think I can hear "Glory Days" right now...

Tino Luna starts the MNU Baseball All-Decade Starting Pitcher list with his effort in 2014. Frankly, he pitched for half the decade so he's in regardless. A medical redshirt bought the lefty another year despite throwing more than 25 innings that season, so he has numbers from 2010-2014. A very good career really blossomed in his final season. He didn't give up an earned run until his 6th start, and 4 no-decisions prevented a much better record. His ridiculous 1.68 ERA is even more impressive when you look at 5 straight complete games, including 3 straight with at least 10 Ks, as MNU won the conference title and went to Nationals. Averaging close to a strikeout per inning and less than a hit per inning is big time, and Luna was right there with 58 punch outs (to just 19 walks) and 48 hits in 64.1 innings. He was named Conference Pitcher of the Week once and 1st team All-Conference.

Another lock for the All-Decade Starting Pitcher is Phil Graham in either 2015 or 2016. The 6-2 righty from Quebec had slightly better numbers in 2015, but had had 6 relief appearances in that season and 0 in 2016, so let's go with 2016. In each season he was 1st team All-Conference, and in 2016 he tossed a no-hitter and was Conference Player of the Week 3 times. He averaged 7.3 strikeouts per full start and his ratios were phenomenal: 81 strikeouts and a scant 49 hits (.185 opp/BA) in 73.1 innings.

A one-year senior transfer takes another spot in our All-Decade rotation. Matt Terrones in 2017 was a stalwart in a great starting rotation who blew through the conference tournament and qualified for Nationals. The tall lefty racked up 9 wins in 13 starts, and struck out 81 with 70 hits in 88.1 innings. That season was up and down for a talented MNU squad, and they finished 6th in the conference. But everything came together in the conference tournament, and MNU absolutely cruised through 4 wins (including 2 over top-10 Clarke) to win the tourney and go to Nationals. They won 10-3, 13-3, 7-1, and 10-4 as Terrones threw the final pitch and celebrated with his teammates on the mound. He was named 1st team All-Conference and can match up with anyone for the All-Decade Team.

The final spot comes down to a really close one. Harrison Helms in 2010, Trent Hedlund in 2014, Santiago Romero in 2015, and Blake Robberson in 2016.

Harrison Helms in 2010 went 6-4 with a 3.18 ERA, 9 complete games, and 4 shutouts. He struck out 53 batters and allowed 77 hits in 76.1 innings. He was the best pitcher and reliable horse on a .500 team and was named 1st team All-Conference.

Trent Hedlund's 2014 deeper numbers weren't as impressive as the others. His 3.74 ERA and .269 opp/BA are solid but not eye-popping. He struck out a little more than half a batter per inning and allowed more than 1 hit per inning, but he posted 86.2 innings and a record 10 wins in 13 starts for the conference champions, and being counted on to be out there every time is valuable. He was named 2nd team All-Conference.

Blake Robberson came out of nowhere to become one of MNU's most reliable starters as a senior in 2016. He started a handful of games each season in his first 3 years to moderate success at the end of the rotation, but he was a money starter in the 2nd half of his senior year. He went at least 6 innings in all but one, and he won 6 of 7 as MNU finished the season strongly and just missed out on Nationals. He was named 2nd team All-Conference.

The 2015 season of Santiago Romero earns him a place on this team. After an 8-0 season in 2014 in a mixed role, he became a full-time starter (and part-time 2nd baseman) as a senior. He helped lead the team to a trip to Nationals, and that's where his career was capped with a flourish. He's responsible for one of the best games I've ever seen pitched. In the first game at Nationals, Romero threw 90 strikes in a 126-pitch 9-inning complete game victory. I've never heard of someone throwing 90 strikes in a normal game. He only received 2 Honorable Mention All-Conference honors for pitching, but he gets the final spot in the All-Decade Starting Rotation.

Relief Pitchers
Bullpens haven't only revolutionized MLB, but the effect has found it's way to the NAIA as well. Specialized multi-inning lead protectors aren't easy to find, but the Pioneers have a few to choose from. I'd like 1 righty and 1 lefty. Lefty Caleb Swartz earned 2nd team All-Conference in 2013, and righty Ethan Hargrave had 3 saves with a .235 opp/BA in 2014. Righty Zach Stinnett was solid with 4 saves in 2015, and righty Lenzie Foley garnered the same in 2016. Lefty Joel Lopez pitched 48.1 innings and collected 7 saves in 2017. And righty Austyn Gooch appeared 13 times and got 3 saves in 2018. I'm fully aware that Save totals mean even less than wins when determining pitcher quality, but it's not nothing and those listed were among the leaders of the decade. But 1 righty and 1 lefty have separated themselves from the pack as MNU Baseball All-Decade Relievers, and they are Nick Kevlin in 2014, and Justin Huggins in 2011.
- Kevlin's first 3 appearances in 2014 were starts, and he ended that stretch with an 0-3 record and an 11.45 ERA. The righty found his groove in the bullpen, and he thrived for the rest of the season. He didn't allow an extra base hit in his final 12 appearances, and his season ERA minus the 3 starts was 2.37 in 38 innings. He was 5-0 with 6 saves as a reliever and was named 1st team All-Conference. He was on the mound to clinch MNU's first conference title in almost 30 years, and he's an easy pick for this team.
- Huggins had a very nice career at MNU, but his best season was 2011. The lefty was always available as he appeared in 23 of MNU's 49 games, posting a 2.65 ERA and 7 saves. He started 4 games and went 3-1, but his value was late in games where he struck out 43 batters in 28 innings for a team which just missed Nationals after a conference tournament run.

Catcher
The starting catchers at MNU are relied upon to handle most of the workload, and some greats have come through the program. Colin Starr set the standard and was a 3-time All-Conference honoree, including a 1st team nod and Gold Glove as a senior. And our current catcher, Joshuan Sandoval, is putting together a great career with two 1st team All-Conference selections as a freshman and sophomore. But Robert Berning's 2017 campaign stands out above the rest as the MNU Baseball All-Decade Catcher. In 55 games, he hit .346 with an astounding 23 doubles (12th in the NAIA), 9 homers, 46 RBIs, a .621 slugging percentage, a .437 on base percentage, and a 1.058 OPS. The team rolled to the conference tournament title to qualify for Nationals, and Berning was Tournament MVP and 1st team All-Conference.

First Base
The Pioneers only had 2 All-Conference 1st Basemen in the 2010s. Tim Purdin earned 2nd team honors in 2010 after hitting .364 with 7 homers, 40 RBIs, and a 1.174 OPS. Alex Murrieta was a 1st team selection in 2012 as he hit .395 in 49 games with 15 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homers, 43 RBIs, a .667 slugging percentage, a .452 on base percentage, and a 1.119 OPS. Very similar numbers, but the tie-breakers of defense, team success, and bat tech fall in the favor of Alex Murrieta for the MNU Baseball All-Decade 1st Baseman.

Second Base
The Pioneers have had some fine second basemen this decade. In 2011, freshman David Hamlett hit .360 with 9 doubles for a 1st team All-Conference honor. Kevin Liddle and Dillon Moeller earned Gold Gloves at the position in 2012 and 2013. Santiago Romero was 2nd team All-Conference in 2015. But the easy choice for MNU All-Decade 2nd Baseman is Jason Jones in 2016. In 54 games, the sophomore transfer hit .348 with a program-record 20 homers (5th in the NAIA), 61 RBIs, a .729 slugging percentage, a .431 on base percentage, and a 1.160 OPS. He was named 1st team All-Conference and Honorable Mention NAIA All-America. Twice he hit 3 homers in a game, and his 32 career bombs is also a program record.

Third Base
Third base comes down to a few options. Jarid Renzelman hit .383 with 4 homers and a .923 OPS for a 2nd team All-Conference honor in 2010. Kelvin Perez hit .339 with 15 doubles, 9 homers, 48 RBIs, and a .965 OPS in 2016 and was somehow left off the All-Conference teams. And JP Rousseau earned a 2nd team honor in 2018 after hitting .380. But the MNU Baseball All-Decade 3rd Baseman goes to Carlos Vargas in 2014 or 2015. He was 1st team All-Conference both seasons and was an emotional leader on 2014's conference championship squad. He was an excellent defender and clutch performer for 2 teams that went to Nationals, and he seemed to do better vs. the best teams. In 6 games at Nationals over 2 seasons, he hit .461 (12-26) against the top pitchers in the country. His 2 seasons at MNU were virtually identical, so I'll post his career numbers: in 109 games, he hit .371, slugged .504, and reached base at a .434 clip for an OPS of .938.

Shortstop
The shortstop position is an easy choice, but I have to mention a few players before we get there. Derek Glenn led the conference in batting with a .402 season, 32 steals, and a 1st team selection in 2012. Christian Quinones hit .346 with 16 doubles in 2016, and Carlos Reyes hit .389 for a 2nd team honor in 2018. But MNU Baseball All-Decade Shortstop Clayton Brandt's 2015 seasons blows everything else away. In 57 games, the senior played elite defense and hit .417 with 19 doubles, 6 triples, 7 homers, 43 RBIs, a .670 slugging percentage, a .492 on base percentage, and a 1.162 OPS with 41 steals. He was Conference Player of the Week, 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and was MNU's first NAIA 1st team All-America honoree. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 19th round and played a couple seasons in the minors.

Outfielders
I wanted to go with the 3 top seasons from outfielders regardless of primary position, but we may get lucky and get left, center, and right. Two obvious choices we can knock out right away, both Conference Player of the Year. Right fielder Ben Alison in 2012, and center fielder Jordan Eckley in 2016.
- In 2012, Alison (whose wife Laura also earned an All-Decade spot) started all 52 games and hit .340 with a then-record 15 homers, 56 RBIs, a .667 slugging percentage, a .462 on base percentage, and a 1.129 OPS with 24 steals. He was the only player in the country with 15 homers and 20 steals, and he was named Conference Player of the Week twice - including a National Player of the Week, 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and NAIA Honorable Mention All-America. The multi-threat weapon had one of the best seasons in MNU history, and he's our All-Decade right fielder.
- Eckley's 2016 season is, by any measure, MNU's best ever. The senior already had a Conference Player of the Year honor as a sophomore, but he went to a new level in 2016. He started all 55 games and hit .439 with 69 runs, an NAIA-best 28 doubles, 4 triples, 11 homers, 66 RBIs (from the leadoff spot), a .764 slugging percentage, a .490 on base percentage, and a 1.254 OPS with 17 steals. He was a 3-time Conference Player of the Week, 1st team All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, and NAIA 1st team All-America.
- Other All-Conference outfielders in the decade include Kyle Segraves (Gold Glove) with two 2nd team honors in 2010 and 2011, Tyler Meeks 2nd team in 2013, Trent Sullivan 2nd team in 2014, Jacob Jenkins 2nd team in 2017 and 2018, and Jeremie Gonzalez 1st team in 2019. It's very close, but Jacob Jenkins 2017 gets the nod as our final MNU Baseball All-Decade Outfielder. The freshman started all 55 games and hit .396 with 13 doubles, 4 homers, 39 RBIs, a .551 slugging percentage, a .444 on base percentage, and a .995 OPS for a team that qualified for Nationals.

Designated Hitter
The DH comes down to a handful of previously-mentioned players (Purdin, Glenn, Perez), plus 1st team All-Conference DH Joe Smith in 2014, 2nd team All-Conference DH Seth Lieser in 2015, DH Logan Tills in 2016 with a .360 average and 6 homers, and DH Joshua Crispin's 2019 season where he hit .344 with 11 doubles, 7 homers, and a 1.057 OPS in 34 games.
- We're going with a righty and a lefty for this spot, and the first MNU Baseball All-Decade Designated Hitter is Derek Glenn in 2012. The senior transfer went 4-4 in his second game, and kept collecting multi-hit games throughout the season. In 49 starts, he led the conference with a .402 average with 9 doubles and 35 RBIs from the leadoff spot. He reached base at a .502 clip and stole 32 bases in 38 attempts for a then-record 38-win team. He was named Conference Player of the Week once, and 1st team All-Conference.
- The lefty option for MNU All-Decade Designated Hitter is Tim Purdin in 2010. The junior had the best season of his career to open the decade, and in 46 games hit .364 with 13 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, 40 RBIs, a .674 slugging percentage, a .500 on base percentage, and a 1.174 OPS. He was named Conference Player of the Week once, and 2nd team All-Conference.

Your MNU Baseball All-Decade Team:
SP: Tino Luna 2014
SP: Phil Graham 2016
SP: Matt Terrones 2017
SP: Santiago Romero 2015
RP (R): Nick Kevlin 2014
RP (L): Justin Huggins 2011
C: Robert Berning 2017
1B: Alex Murrieta 2012
2B: Jason Jones 2016
3B: Carlos Vargas 2014
SS: Clayton Brandt 2015
LF: Jacob Jenkins 2017
CF: Jordan Eckley 2016
RF: Ben Alison 2012
DH (R): Derek Glenn 2012
DH (L): Tim Purdin 2010

baseball all-decade

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