GALESBURG — A pair of Carl Sandburg College outfielders were voted to the All-Region IV Division II baseball team for their play for the Chargers this spring.
Freshman Mitch Ball (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) was a first-team selection by Region IV coaches, while freshman Jack Shields (Peoria Heights, Ill./Notre Dame) was voted to the second team.
Ball played in 48 of the Chargers’ 49 games and led the team in hits (59), home runs (13), RBIs (49), slugging percentage (.703), OPS (1.114), triples (four), extra-base hits (27) and total bases (116). Ball’s 13 homers were second among all players in Region IV, and he was second among Chargers with 45 runs scored. Ball finished with a .358 batting average and .411 on-base percentage over 181 plate appearances, and he was a perfect 10 for 10 in stolen base attempts. Ball, who also was voted to this year’s All-Arrowhead Conference team, was named the NJCAA Division II Player of the Week for April 25-May 2 after homering in five consecutive games.
Shields, also an All-Arrowhead Conference selection, led the Chargers with a .410 batting average and .482 on-base percentage in 137 plate appearances over 37 games. His batting mark was good for fifth in Region IV. Shields’ 1.097 OPS was second to Ball among Chargers. Despite missing more than a week of full-time action due to a leg injury, Shields finished with five home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
2022 ALL-REGION IV DIVISION II BASEBALL TEAM
Player of the Year — Owen Jackson (sophomore, Kankakee)
First Team
Pitchers — Ryan Eiermann (freshman, Kankakee), Payton Lawrence (sophomore, Black Hawk), Jett Thielke (freshman, Madison)
Catcher — Mason Schwalbach (freshman, Kankakee)
Infielders — Owen Jackson (sophomore, Kankakee), Valentin Cerna Jr. (sophomore, Lake County), Zach Storbakken (freshman, Madison), Gunnar Doyle (freshman, Madison)
Outfielders — Brady Jurgella (freshman, Madison), Mitch Ball (freshman, Sandburg), Joey Humphrey (sophomore, Kankakee)
Designated Hitter — Lucas Spence (freshman, Black Hawk)
Second Team
Pitchers — Grady Gorgen (freshman, McHenry County), Michael Moore (freshman, McHenry County), Kyle Iwinksi (sophomore, Kankakee)
Catcher — Alexander Brodie (freshman, Morton)
Infielders — Billy Howard (freshman, McHenry County), Thomas Schroeder (sophomore, Morton), Chance Resetich (sophomore, Black Hawk), Diego Da Rin (sophomore, Morton)
Outfielders — Danny Llanas (sophomore, Bryant & Stratton), Eli Kramer (freshman, Madison), Jack Shields (freshman, Sandburg)
Designated Hitter — Matt Makarwich (sophomore, Sauk Valley)
***Story and Photos Courtesy of Carl Sandburg College***
