Four Washington University Baseball Players Garner All-Region Honors
D3BASEBALL.COM ALL-REGION
ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-REGION
St. Louis, Mo., May 23, 2012 – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team had three players named to the 2012 D3Baseball.com All-Central Region Team and three selected to the 2012 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Central Region Team.
Senior outfielder and pitcher Brandon Rogalski highlighted the honorees by being named to the All-Central Region first team by both D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings. Sophomore outfielder Kyle Billig also received all-region honors from both, earning second-team honors from D3Baseball.com and third-team honors from ABCA/Rawlings. Freshman utility player Chris Lowery was named to the D3Baseball.com all-region third team, while junior pitcher Stephen Bonser joined Billig on the ABCA/Rawlings all-region third team. In addition, Rogalski and Billig were each named to the 2012 ABCA/Rawlings Central Region Gold Glove Team.
Rogalski, the 2012 University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year, broke his own single-season school records with 77 hits and 178 at bats in 2012. On April 24, Rogalski became the Washington University all-time hits leader, finishing his career with 216 hits. His 77 hits led the UAA and ranked third in NCAA Division III this season, and he also led the conference with 40 RBIs and 105 total bases. Rogalski also posted a 2-0 record with one save and a 1.84 ERA in nine appearances on the mound for the Bears. He posted a .992 fielding percentage with just one error in 120 chances this season to earn the Gold Glove recognition. Rogalski received UAA Athlete of the Week honors three times during the season, and was named to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week on March 28.
Billig led the UAA and ranked fourth in NCAA Division III with 59 runs scored this season, which tied the Washington U. single-season record. He also broke his own single-season record with a UAA-best 35 steals this season, and ended the season ranked third on the WU career steals list with 69 in his first two seasons for the Bears. Billig finished the season ranked second in the UAA with 59 hits and six triples in 2012. He reached base in 40 of 42 games, including a 24-game hitting streak, while batting .362 as the Bears’ leadoff hitter. Defensively, Billig finished the season with a .971 fielding percentage in center field, recording 94 putouts and eight assists in 105 chances.
Lowery was one of just two freshmen to make the D3Baseball.com All-Central Region teams, joining Warburg College’s Blake Wilson. A second-team all-UAA honoree, he appeared in 35 games and made 26 starts at four different positions for the Bears this season. Lowery batted .359 with 42 hits, six doubles, two triples and two home runs, while also finishing with 25 runs and 18 RBIs. Lowery had 11 multiple-hit games for Washington U., including a career-best 5-for-6 in the Bears’ win over Grinnell College on April 29.
Bonser earned third-team all-region from ABCA/Rawlings for the second year in a row. He finished the 2012 season with a 6-4 record and a 3.28 ERA in 13 starts for the Bears. Bonser threw five complete games and two shutouts during the season. A second-team all-UAA honoree, he ranked tied for fourth in the conference with 51 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. Bonser received UAA Athlete of the Week honors twice this season, and was named to the 2012 UAA All-Tournament Team in March.
Washington University ended its season with a 28-14 record and finished as the UAA runner-up. The Bears also advanced to the postseason for the eighth time in school history.