Ivan, Shoemaker Garner All-MAC Honors

CLEVELAND, Ohio. — After winning its second straight Mid-American Conference West Division crown, two Eastern Michigan University baseball players were selected to All-MAC teams, while first-year head coach Jake Boss Jr. was named MAC Coach of the Year. Senior second baseman Josh Ivan (Belleville, Mich.-Belleville) was voted to the All-MAC First Team while junior pitcher Matt Shoemaker (Trenton, Mich.-Trenton) was voted to the Second Team for the second straight year.

Ivan, a member of the 2006 All-MAC Academic Team, is batting .335 through 51 games this season and enters the MAC Tournament coming off a stellar series against Central Michigan University. He currently ranks third on the team in hits (62), second in triples (2), second in home runs (6), and fourth in RBI (39). Ivan will look to join fellow senior teammates Jeff Davis (Avondale, Ariz.-Westview) and Steve Bradshaw (Lapeer, Mich.-Lapeer) in the exclusive 200 hit club this week. Entering the tournament, he needs six hits to become just the 11th member in EMU’s storied history. A senior with a never-quit attitude, Ivan has provided first-year head coach Jake Boss Jr. with invaluable leadership this season and will be greatly missed next year.

Shoemaker, making his second All-MAC team, made a successful transition from reliever a year ago to starter this season. After posting a stellar season in the pen last year where he recorded a single-season record 14 saves, Shoemaker is tied for the team lead in wins with four on the year. He leads the Eagles in ERA (4.58) and ranks second in innings pitched (72.2) and strikeouts (36). In his last two starts, he has pitched complete games, guiding the Eagles to wins over MAC rivals Toledo and Central Michigan. He was voted MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week following his performance against the Chippewas in the season-ending series. Against CMU, he went nine innings, scattering seven hits and two earned runs while striking out two.

Boss, in his first year at the helm of the Eagles guided the Green and White to the West Division Championship. Boss returned to the Eagles after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan where he helped the Wolverines to back-to-back Big Ten titles. Before his time at U of M, Boss spent seven years as an assistant with Eastern Michigan University.

Ivan, Shoemaker and the rest of the No. 2 seeded Eagles open up first-round action at the MAC Tournament later today against the No. 7 seed Western Michigan Broncos. First pitch at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

All-MAC First Team

1B – Greg Rohan, Kent State

2B – Josh Ivan, Eastern Michigan

SS – Ryan Shay, Bowling Green

3B – Derek Spencer, Bowling Green

C – Justin Behm, Northern Illinois

OF – Matt Stiffler, Ohio

OF – Wayne Bond, Ball State

OF – Chris Lewis, Western Michigan

SP – Chris Carpenter, Kent State

SP – Kyle Smith, Kent State

SP – Ethan Hollingsworth, Western Michigan

SP – Brian Stroud, Western Michigan

RP – Kyle Heyne, Ball State

DH – Kurt Davidson, Akron

Utility/At-Large – Marc Krauss, Ohio

All-MAC Second Team

1B – Tom Nurre, Miami

2B – Doug Sanders, Kent State

SS – Chris Tremblay, Kent State

3B – Brandon Besl, Ohio

C – Zach Dygert, Ball State

OF – Tyler Stovall, Central Michigan

OF – Anthony Gallas, Kent State

OF – Jeff Thomas, Northern Illinois

SP – Mike Stangroom, Buffalo

SP – Matt Shoemaker, Eastern Michgian

SP – Billy Morrison, Western Michigan

SP – Trevor Feeney, Northern Illinois

RP – Andy Deanin, Northern Illinois

DH – Pedro Dager, Western Michigan

Utility/At-Large – Jordan Petraitis, Miami

Specialty Awards

Player of the Year – Greg Rohan, Kent State

Pitcher of the Year – Chris Carpenter, Kent State

Freshman of the Year – Brian Stroud, Western Michigan

Coach of the Year – Jake Boss, Eastern Michigan

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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