May 8, 2008

Baseball Has Six Named All-RMAC

Sheldon Top Pitcher; Cover Also Tabbed Academic All-District VII

       Kearney, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney junior Ryan Sheldon was named the 2008 RMAC Pitcher of the Year Wednesday. Additionally, five other Lopers earned all-conference honors.

       The team was voted upon by the league’s head coaches and released earlier this afternoon.

       Sheldon (Kearney H.S.) was the only Loper selected to the first team with senior utility player Trey Howell (Antonio, Colo.) representing UNK on the second-team. He made the team as a third baseman; he also has started games at second base and catcher this spring.

        Those named honorable mention All-RMAC include senior first baseman Joe Nowaczyk (Gretna), junior outfielders Brad Hull (Lincoln East) and Nate Swearer (Lincoln) and sophomore outfielder/infielder Blake Cover (Kearney Catholic).

        A 6-6, 235 lbs. right hander, Sheldon is currently 8-4 with a 4.98 ERA, four complete games and 93 strikeouts. The transfer from Barton County C.C. (Kan.) has set a new UNK mark for innings pitched in a year (97.2) while tying school record for K’s and wins.

        In three home starts in late March/early April, Sheldon beat New Mexico Highlands, Metro State and Colorado State-Pueblo by throwing three complete games and fanning 36 batters.

        Howell is currently at .393 with 15 doubles, seven HR’s and 58 RBI’s. He ranks first on the team in batting average, hits (73) and runs scored (55) while being second in RBI’s and total bases (117).

       Setting a new Loper records for putouts (441 and counting) and RBI’s (71 and counting) in a season, Nowaczyk also leads the team in HR’s (10) and is hitting a solid .355.  

       Both Hull and Swearer have battled injuries all season -- like many a Loper -- but each is still among the team’s offensive leaders.  

       A lead off hitter of late, Hull is at .366 with two HR’s and 27 RBI’s. He also has scored 44 runs and leads the team in walks (33).  Batting fourth or fifth in the lineup, Swearer is at .390 with 15 doubles, seven homers and 49 RBI’s.

       Cover, rotating between left field and third base, has set a new UNK mark for at-bats in a season (210) while hitting .352 with fiver HR’s and 49 RBI’s. The former Kearney Catholic Star also has 10 stolen bases and is second on the team in runs scored (53).

      This was the first All-RMAC honor for Sheldon, Howell, Nowaczyk, Swearer and Cover; Hull was a 2^nd-team pick in 2007. 

      Also Wednesday, Cover was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) 1st-team Academic All-District 7 team.

      He maintains a 3.91 cumulative GPA as a Business Administration major. Jus the fifth Loper baseball player in the D2 era to earn this honor, Cover will now move onto the national ballot where he could earn Academic All-American honors.

      Pictured below are Sheldon-Nowaczyk-Howell-Hull-Swearer-Cover. The complete RMAC team can be found at www.rmacsports.org The academic team can be round at www.cosida.com.