Washington U. Lands Five Student-Athletes on All-UAA Team

ALL-UAA TEAM

St. Louis, Mo., May 7, 2009 – The Washington University baseball team had five student-athletes named to the 2009 All-University Athletic Association (UAA) Baseball Team, as announced by the Association. Seniors Zander Lehmann and Brian Williams highlighted the honorees as first-team all-UAA selections, while sophomore Matt Bayer, junior Nick Vom Brack and junior Joe Wenzel each garnered second-team honors.

Lehmann has put together one of the finest all-around statistical seasons in Washington University history. He has started in right field for all 35 of the Bears’ contests in 2009, and leads the team in batting average (.436), home runs (seven), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.722) and runs scored (45). Lehmann currently sits just 19 points behind the modern-day Washington University single-season batting average record of .455.

As Washington University’s pitching ace, Williams leads the Red and Green with eight wins and three saves in 2009. Posting an overall record of 8-2, he has a 3.68 earned run average and a team-best 54 strikeouts in 80.2 innings pitched. Williams’ best performances of the season came in a seven-inning shutout performance against Webster University on May 2, when he scattered five hits to go along with six strikeouts in a complete-game shutout victory.

Bayer is having a breakout season as the Washington University every day first baseman. He has appeared in all 35 of the Bears’ contests this year, making 33 starts. Bayer is third on the team with a .344 batting average, and is tied for second in doubles (nine), while ranking third in RBI (27) and runs scored (26).

Providing an element of power in the heart of the WU batting order, Vom Brack emerged as one of the Bears’ most consistent offensive threats in 2009. He has made a career-best 31 starts in left field and is hitting .320 this year, with five home runs, 28 RBI, eight doubles and 29 runs scored. Vom Brack had the hottest start to the season of any player at Washington U., batting .412 through the first 12 games of the year.

In just his first year on the Danforth Campus, Wenzel emerged as a utility player for Washington U., seeing time at second base, shortstop, pitcher and designated hitter. He has started in 33 of the Bears’ 35 games this year, and is second on the team with a .345 average. Wenzel has 21 RBI and 23 runs scored, and experienced a power surge at the plate later in the year, tallying three of his four home runs over the last five games of the regular season.

Washington U. completed its regular season schedule with a 25-10 overall record and will learn if it earned an at-large berth into the 2009 NCAA Division III Championship when the NCAA selections are announced on Monday, May 11.