Five Rocket baseball players earn All-MAC accolades

May 23, 2012 | News, UToday
By Brian DeBenedictis



Five Toledo baseball players have earned spots on the all-conference squad.

The Rockets’ total of five selections were the second most in the conference, trailing only Kent State’s seven honorees. Voting for the awards was done by the Mid-American Conference’s 12 head coaches.

Corfman

Senior infielder Joe Corfman, senior right-handed pitcher Lincoln Rassi and senior right-handed pitcher Matt Kuna received first-team all-league accolades, while sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Wilkinson and senior designated hitter Matt Delewski earned second-team all-conference recognition. Corfman, Kuna and Delewski are two-time All-MAC honorees.

Corfman became Toledo’s all-time hit leader with a leadoff double at Ohio State May 15. The 2010 first-team All-MAC recipient has collected 259 hits in his time at UT, surpassing former teammate Chris Dudics (254, 2008-11) for the top spot in school history. The 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Mideast Region first-team recipient also sits tied for first in UT annals in doubles (53), second in runs scored (176) and total bases (372), tied for fifth in RBI (134) and 10th in batting average (.329, 259 for 787). In the Toledo single-season record book, Corfman ranks second in runs scored (69, 2010), tied for second in doubles (20, 2010) and RBI (61, 2010), third in hits (88, 2010), fifth in total bases (131, 2010), tied for seventh in stolen bases (22, 2012) and ninth in hits (76, 2012).

This spring, Corfman is leading the team in six categories — hits (76), runs scored (51), doubles (15), total bases (102), stolen bases (22) and hit by pitches (11). The four-year starter ranks third in the MAC in stolen bases, fourth in runs scored, tied for fifth in hits and tied for ninth in two-base hits. One of two Rockets to start every game this spring (50 at second base, five at third base), he has hit safely in a team-high 42 contests, including a squad-best 23 multi-hit efforts. The two-time Academic All-MAC honoree also has reached base in 50 of the 55 games.

In MAC games, Corfman batted a squad-best .372 (42 for 113) with a team-high 24 runs scored, seven RBI and a squad-best nine thefts. He finished tied for third in stolen bases, tied for fifth in hits, seventh in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage (.441), 10th in runs scored, and tied for 10th in two-bases hits (8) in league play.

Rassi has given up only two runs (one earned) on 15 hits with 30 strikeouts over his last 12 relief appearances, covering 26.0 innings of work.

Overall this spring, Rassi has compiled a 3-0 record with a 1.32 earned run average and a team-tying best four saves in 18 contests, yielding six runs (five earned) on 23 hits with 42 strikeouts in 34.0 innings of work. He is tied for ninth in the MAC in saves.

In MAC games, Rassi led the league in opponent batting average (.170, 17 for 100), as well as tied for first in ERA (1.29), and tied for sixth in saves (4) and total appearances (12).

Picked as the eighth-best MAC prospect for the 2012 MLB Draft by Baseball America, Rassi is tied for first in UT annals in games started (16, 2011) and tied for eighth in saves (4, 2012) in the single-season record book.

Kuna has appeared in the weekend rotation each of the last 10 weeks and fared extremely well in his final season donning the Midnight Blue and Gold. The 2009 second-team All-MAC recipient has worked at least 6.0 innings on six occasions during this stretch, including a collegiate-best 8.1 frames at Northern Illinois.

Overall this spring, Kuna is sporting a 7-1 record with a 2.51 ERA and two saves. He has accumulated 71.2 innings of work, surrendering 25 runs (20 earned) on 60 hits with 49 strikeouts. The Griffifth, Ind. native ranks third in the conference in ERA, tied for third in wins, and fourth in opponent batting average (.223, 60 for 269).

In MAC games, Kuna tallied a 5-1 ledger with a team-high 38 strikeouts and a 2.59 ERA in a squad-best 55.2 innings of work. The fifth-year Rocket finished tied for first in games started (9), and tied for fourth in wins and ninth in opponent batting average (.236, 51-for-216) in MAC play.

Kuna is healthy once again after sitting out the 2011 campaign with an arm injury. He sits fifth in UT annals in career fewest walks per inning (0.264, minimum 100.0 frames), seventh in win-loss percentage (.696, 16-7) and 10th in innings pitched (220.1). He also is tied for second in school history in win-loss percentage (.875, 7-1, minimum six decisions) in the single-season record book.

Wilkinson has been outstanding since entering the starting weekend rotation seven weeks ago. He compiled a 5-2 ledger with a 2.50 ERA in MAC games, giving up 14 earned runs (23 runs total) on 53 hits with 36 strikeouts in 50.1 innings of work. The Munster, Ind., native finished tied for fourth in wins and shutouts (1), ninth in ERA, and tied for ninth in complete games (1) in league play.

Overall this spring, Wilkinson is sporting a 7-3 ledger with a 2.75 ERA and one save. He has accumulated 72.0 innings of work, surrendering 32 runs (22 earned) on 76 hits with 48 strikeouts. He has worked at least 6.0 frames in four of his 10 starts and is tied for third in the MAC in wins, tied for fourth in shutouts (1), fifth in ERA, and tied for 10th in complete games (1).

The second-year letterwinner sits third in UT annals in career fewest walks per inning (.256, minimum 100.0 frames), fourth in ERA (2.54, minimum 100.0 frames) and fifth in win percentage (.733, 11-4). He also is tied for fourth in school history in total appearances (25, 2011) in the single-season record book.

Delewski has been as hot as any player in the UT lineup over the last seven games, batting a scorching .458 (11 for 24 from May 11 to 19). With his strong effort at the dish during this stretch, Delewski has raised his overall average to .311 (52 for 167) with 16 runs scored, 10 doubles and 20 RBI on the spring. The 2010 first-team All-MAC selection has hit safely in 36 contests in 2012; this includes 13 multi-hit efforts.

In MAC games, Delewski posted a robust .340 (34 for 100) average with 12 runs scored, a team-high nine doubles and 17 RBI. The Maple Heights, Ohio, native finished tied for fifth in doubles in league play.

The Rockets have an overall record of 30-25 this spring and finished 19-8 in MAC contests to earn the No. 2 seed in the postseason tourney. The 2012 MAC West Division Champs will begin MAC Tournament action Wednesday, May 23, against No. 7 seed Miami in Avon, Ohio. The first pitch from All Pro Freight Stadium is slated for approximately 4 p.m.


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