Eastern Michigan Athletics
12 Eagles Earn Academic All-MAC Honors
6/18/2019 10:24:00 AM | Baseball
Hester, Owings, Nick Jones, and Rensel Jr. earn the award for the second and third consecutive seasons, respectively
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team landed 12 student-athletes on the 2019 Academic All-Mid American Conference team, the conference announced Monday, June 17. The 12 honorees is good for second-most in the conference, just one behind Western Michigan's 13.
The 12 honored include seniors Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton (Mesa C.C.)), Jackson Shaver (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern (Grand Rapids C.C.)) and John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge), redshirt junior Caleb Hester (Coloma, Mich.-Coloma), juniors Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline), Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community) and Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), along with sophomores Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock), Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard), Luke McGuire (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson), and Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick).
Owings, Hester, and Nick Jones each earned the award for the second consecutive season, while Rensel Jr. has earned the honor in each of the last three years
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year or junior college transfers are not eligible.
A second-year transfer, Cruz became a fixture in the EMU lineup during the 2019 campaign, appearing in 48 games, making 45 starts as an outfielder for the Green and White. Offensively, Cruz was impressive, collecting 41 hits, including 13 doubles, and six RBIs, all career-bests. The Chandler, Ariz. native also swiped seven bases, good for third on the team. In the classroom, Cruz excelled during his tenure at Eastern, as he studied economics as part of EMU's College of Arts and Sciences.
A senior hurler, Shaver made 17 appearances, including eight starts, in his farewell season. The junior college transfer struck out 35 batters in 53 innings of work, and became a weekend started for the Eagles in the back half of the season. Academically, studied sport management in Eastern's College of Health and Human Services.
A four-year standout in the EMU dugout, Rensel Jr. made 54 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary first baseman. Named a team captain for the first time in his career, Rensel Jr. tallied career-bests in batting average (.251), hits (43), doubles (12), runs (24), RBIs (19), walks (36), and on-base percentage (.388), and led the team in walks drawn. The senior infielder notched 10 multi-hit and four multi-RBI games on the year. During his final series as an Eagle, against Kent State, May 16-18, the lefty knocked his 100th-career hit. Rensel majored in chemistry with a minor in biology as part of Eastern's College of Arts and Sciences.
Hester appeared in 17 contests, all in relief, on the mound for the Green and White in 2019. The southpaw was named team captain for the first time as an Eagle in 2019. During his best stretch of the season, Hester made four consecutive appearances without giving up a run between, doing so between April 19 and May 5. Academically, Hester was named the EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week, April 29, and majors in communication with a minor in management.
Owings became EMU's first returning First Team All-MAC selection since 2014 when he donned the "Script E," in 2019. A junior season to remember, Owings made 54 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary third baseman. An offensive powerhouse, Owings led the team in numerous categories, including hits (76), doubles (18), RBIs (34), runs (38), slugging percentage (.527), on-base percentage (.395) and batting average (.345). The Saline, Mich. native led the team with 25 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games, was twice named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week, named College Sports Madness' MAC Player of the Week, April 3, took home EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week honors, April 4, was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American, and picked up Second Team All-MAC, and All-MAC Defensive Team honors in 2019.
Academically, Owings was named a CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District Selection for the second straight year. On June 5th, 2019, Owings made history, becoming EMU's 76th player to be selected in the MLB Draft. The third-year standout was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 33rd round of the annual affair.
Peggs returned from injury to appear in 34 games during the 2019 season, making 25 starts in the infield for the Green and White. The junior had 14 hits, three RBIs, and drew three walks on the season, scoring five runs along the way. Academically, Peggs studies in EMU's College of Health and Human Services as a sport management major, with a minor in communications.
Nick Jones overcame an early-season injury to make 44 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary catcher. Named a team captain for the second straight year, Jones tallied 46 hits, including seven for extra bases, and 22 RBIs. The Battle Creek native added a career-best six stolen bases on the year. Academically, Jones earned the Mid-American Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Week award, May 8. A marketing major, Jones is enrolled in the College of Business at Eastern.
The younger brother of Nick Jones, Nate Jones appeared in 53 games, making 52 starts as one of the team's primary outfielders. Jones led all EMU sophomores in games played, at-bats (181), runs (28), runs (28), hits (42), and RBIs (23). The second-year contributor had 12 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games, both good for third on the team in 2019. Academically, Jones was named to the Eastern Michigan University Dean's List following the Winter 2019 semester.
Easter appeared in 40 games, making 31 starts in both the outfield and infield during his sophomore campaign. The Kalamazoo, Michigan native tallied a career-best .229 batting average, knocked 25 hits and drove in 10 for the Green and White during the 2019 season. Easter also made four appearances on the mound, giving up no hits and no earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Academically, Easter majors in sport management as part of EMU's College of Health and Human Services.
A weekend starter for the Green and White, Granzotto appeared in 12 games, making nine starts on the mound in 2019. The second-year star led the team in strikeouts (47), ERA (3.88), complete games (1), was second on the team in opponent batting average (.278). Granzotto became the first Eagle to throw a complete game since 2017 when he did so against Bowling Green, April 5. Granzotto was also the first Eagle to earn MAC Player of the Week honors since 2017, doing so April 8. Academically, Granzotto was named the EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week, April 8, and studies nursing.
McGuire made 19 appearances, including five starts, on the mound in 2019. The Shelby Twp. native racked up 25 strikeouts in a career-high 53.1 innings pitched during the 2019 campaign. A true definition of the term "student-athlete," McGuire's numbers in the classroom are impressive, as he earned EMU Dean's List honors in both semesters during the previous school year.
Rounding out the group of award winners, Kauffman appeared in 41 games, making 39 starts in his sophomore campaign in the Green and White. The Ohio native knocked 37 hits, drove in 12 RBIs, and scored 15 runs. Academically, Kauffman majors in mechanical engineering technology.
2019 Baseball Academic All-MAC Selections
William Baker, Ball State, Senior, 3.49
Nick Floyd, Ball State, Senior, 3.39
Chayce McDermott, Ball State, R-Freshman, 3.37
Kyle Nicolas, Ball State, Sophomore, 3.40
Chase Sebby, Ball State, R-Junior, 3.84
Chase Antle, Bowling Green, Redshirt-Junior, 3.43
Adam Furnas, Bowling Green, Sophomore, 3.71
Joe McGuinness, Bowling Green, Senior, 3.77
David Stopp, Bowling Green, Sophomore, 3.35
Jake Wilson, Bowling Green, Junior, 3.33
Cameron Brown, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.38
Jack Collins, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.33
Jacob Crum, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.24
Zach Gilles, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.78
Pat Leatherman, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.32
Jordan Patty, Central Michigan, Sophomore, 3.22
Chase Rollin, Central Michigan, Sophomore, 3.71
Ty Rollin, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.6
Cameron Cruz, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.84
Shane Easter, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.43
Nick Jones, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.85
Nate Jones, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.71
Zachary Owings, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.85
John Rensel, Eastern Michigan, Jr., Senior, 3.54
Drake Peggs, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.40
Jared Kauffman, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.32
Scott Granzotto, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.70 GPA
Caleb Hester, Eastern Michigan, Redshirt-Junior, 3.24 GPA
Luke McGuire, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.84 GPA
Jackson Shaver, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.25 GPA
Ben Carew, Kent State, R-Sophomore, 3.82
Peyton Deats, Kent State, R-Freshman, 3.69
Kevin Dobos, Kent State, R-Sophomore, 3.70
Josh Hollander, Kent State, Senior, 3.28
Chris Martin, Kent State, Senior, 4.00
Kian O'Brien, Kent State, Senior, 3. 75
Trevor Pittman, Kent State, R-Freshman, 3.31
Pete Schuler, Kent State, Senior, 3.32
Zach Schultz, Kent State, Junior, 3.90
Michael Turner, Kent State, Sophomore, 3.54
Connor Wollersheim, Kent State, Senior, 3.39
Landon Stephens, Miami, Junior, 3.66
Parker Massman, Miami, Sophomore, 3.62
Reid Norberg, Miami, R-Freshman, 3.91
Jack Corbell, Miami, Senior, 3.39
Bailey Martin, Miami, Senior, 3.20
Kyle Winkler, Miami, R-Junior, 3.85
Jake Dunham, Northern Illinois, Junior, 3.80
Josh Mutter, Northern Illinois, R-Jr., 3.31
Kyle Seebach, Northern Illinois, Sophomore, 4.00
Parker Kirkpatrick, Northern Illinois, R-Sophomore, 3.82
Will Anderson, Northern Illinois, Senior, 3.52
Kam Smith, Northern Illinois, R-Sophomore, 3.25
Nick Kamrada, Ohio, R-Senior, 3.43
Treyben Funderburg, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.24
Aaron Levy, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.33
Jack Liberatore, Ohio, R-Freshman, 3.36
Trevor Lukkes, Ohio, R-Freshman, 3.60
Rudy Rott, Ohio, Senior, 3.55
Brad Boss, Toledo, Senior, 3.78
Axel Bueter, Toledo, Senior, 3.78
Riley Campbell, Toledo, Senior, 3.44
Bryce Davis, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.44
Michael Jacob, Toledo, Senior, 3.75
David Jeffers, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.91
Chris Meyers, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.55
Blake Dunn, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.58
Cooper Marshall, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.72
Logan Hudson, Western Michigan, R-Sophomore, 3.64
Andrew Stone, Western Michigan, R-Senior, 3.67
Justin McIntyre, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.53
Sean O'Keefe, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.66
Ethan Hajdukovic, Western Michigan, Junior, 3.82
Jesse Forestell, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.73
Connor Charping, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.78
Will Mullen, Western Michigan, R-Junior, 3.41
Chris Modrzynski, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.35
The 12 honored include seniors Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton (Mesa C.C.)), Jackson Shaver (Grand Rapids, Mich.-Forest Hills Northern (Grand Rapids C.C.)) and John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge), redshirt junior Caleb Hester (Coloma, Mich.-Coloma), juniors Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline), Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community) and Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), along with sophomores Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock), Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard), Luke McGuire (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson), and Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick).
Owings, Hester, and Nick Jones each earned the award for the second consecutive season, while Rensel Jr. has earned the honor in each of the last three years
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year or junior college transfers are not eligible.
A second-year transfer, Cruz became a fixture in the EMU lineup during the 2019 campaign, appearing in 48 games, making 45 starts as an outfielder for the Green and White. Offensively, Cruz was impressive, collecting 41 hits, including 13 doubles, and six RBIs, all career-bests. The Chandler, Ariz. native also swiped seven bases, good for third on the team. In the classroom, Cruz excelled during his tenure at Eastern, as he studied economics as part of EMU's College of Arts and Sciences.
A senior hurler, Shaver made 17 appearances, including eight starts, in his farewell season. The junior college transfer struck out 35 batters in 53 innings of work, and became a weekend started for the Eagles in the back half of the season. Academically, studied sport management in Eastern's College of Health and Human Services.
A four-year standout in the EMU dugout, Rensel Jr. made 54 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary first baseman. Named a team captain for the first time in his career, Rensel Jr. tallied career-bests in batting average (.251), hits (43), doubles (12), runs (24), RBIs (19), walks (36), and on-base percentage (.388), and led the team in walks drawn. The senior infielder notched 10 multi-hit and four multi-RBI games on the year. During his final series as an Eagle, against Kent State, May 16-18, the lefty knocked his 100th-career hit. Rensel majored in chemistry with a minor in biology as part of Eastern's College of Arts and Sciences.
Hester appeared in 17 contests, all in relief, on the mound for the Green and White in 2019. The southpaw was named team captain for the first time as an Eagle in 2019. During his best stretch of the season, Hester made four consecutive appearances without giving up a run between, doing so between April 19 and May 5. Academically, Hester was named the EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week, April 29, and majors in communication with a minor in management.
Owings became EMU's first returning First Team All-MAC selection since 2014 when he donned the "Script E," in 2019. A junior season to remember, Owings made 54 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary third baseman. An offensive powerhouse, Owings led the team in numerous categories, including hits (76), doubles (18), RBIs (34), runs (38), slugging percentage (.527), on-base percentage (.395) and batting average (.345). The Saline, Mich. native led the team with 25 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games, was twice named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week, named College Sports Madness' MAC Player of the Week, April 3, took home EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week honors, April 4, was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American, and picked up Second Team All-MAC, and All-MAC Defensive Team honors in 2019.
Academically, Owings was named a CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District Selection for the second straight year. On June 5th, 2019, Owings made history, becoming EMU's 76th player to be selected in the MLB Draft. The third-year standout was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 33rd round of the annual affair.
Peggs returned from injury to appear in 34 games during the 2019 season, making 25 starts in the infield for the Green and White. The junior had 14 hits, three RBIs, and drew three walks on the season, scoring five runs along the way. Academically, Peggs studies in EMU's College of Health and Human Services as a sport management major, with a minor in communications.
Nick Jones overcame an early-season injury to make 44 appearances, all starts, as the team's primary catcher. Named a team captain for the second straight year, Jones tallied 46 hits, including seven for extra bases, and 22 RBIs. The Battle Creek native added a career-best six stolen bases on the year. Academically, Jones earned the Mid-American Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Week award, May 8. A marketing major, Jones is enrolled in the College of Business at Eastern.
The younger brother of Nick Jones, Nate Jones appeared in 53 games, making 52 starts as one of the team's primary outfielders. Jones led all EMU sophomores in games played, at-bats (181), runs (28), runs (28), hits (42), and RBIs (23). The second-year contributor had 12 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games, both good for third on the team in 2019. Academically, Jones was named to the Eastern Michigan University Dean's List following the Winter 2019 semester.
Easter appeared in 40 games, making 31 starts in both the outfield and infield during his sophomore campaign. The Kalamazoo, Michigan native tallied a career-best .229 batting average, knocked 25 hits and drove in 10 for the Green and White during the 2019 season. Easter also made four appearances on the mound, giving up no hits and no earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Academically, Easter majors in sport management as part of EMU's College of Health and Human Services.
A weekend starter for the Green and White, Granzotto appeared in 12 games, making nine starts on the mound in 2019. The second-year star led the team in strikeouts (47), ERA (3.88), complete games (1), was second on the team in opponent batting average (.278). Granzotto became the first Eagle to throw a complete game since 2017 when he did so against Bowling Green, April 5. Granzotto was also the first Eagle to earn MAC Player of the Week honors since 2017, doing so April 8. Academically, Granzotto was named the EMU Credit Union Eagle of the Week, April 8, and studies nursing.
McGuire made 19 appearances, including five starts, on the mound in 2019. The Shelby Twp. native racked up 25 strikeouts in a career-high 53.1 innings pitched during the 2019 campaign. A true definition of the term "student-athlete," McGuire's numbers in the classroom are impressive, as he earned EMU Dean's List honors in both semesters during the previous school year.
Rounding out the group of award winners, Kauffman appeared in 41 games, making 39 starts in his sophomore campaign in the Green and White. The Ohio native knocked 37 hits, drove in 12 RBIs, and scored 15 runs. Academically, Kauffman majors in mechanical engineering technology.
2019 Baseball Academic All-MAC Selections
William Baker, Ball State, Senior, 3.49
Nick Floyd, Ball State, Senior, 3.39
Chayce McDermott, Ball State, R-Freshman, 3.37
Kyle Nicolas, Ball State, Sophomore, 3.40
Chase Sebby, Ball State, R-Junior, 3.84
Chase Antle, Bowling Green, Redshirt-Junior, 3.43
Adam Furnas, Bowling Green, Sophomore, 3.71
Joe McGuinness, Bowling Green, Senior, 3.77
David Stopp, Bowling Green, Sophomore, 3.35
Jake Wilson, Bowling Green, Junior, 3.33
Cameron Brown, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.38
Jack Collins, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.33
Jacob Crum, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.24
Zach Gilles, Central Michigan, Junior, 3.78
Pat Leatherman, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.32
Jordan Patty, Central Michigan, Sophomore, 3.22
Chase Rollin, Central Michigan, Sophomore, 3.71
Ty Rollin, Central Michigan, Senior, 3.6
Cameron Cruz, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.84
Shane Easter, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.43
Nick Jones, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.85
Nate Jones, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.71
Zachary Owings, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.85
John Rensel, Eastern Michigan, Jr., Senior, 3.54
Drake Peggs, Eastern Michigan, Junior, 3.40
Jared Kauffman, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.32
Scott Granzotto, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.70 GPA
Caleb Hester, Eastern Michigan, Redshirt-Junior, 3.24 GPA
Luke McGuire, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.84 GPA
Jackson Shaver, Eastern Michigan, Senior, 3.25 GPA
Ben Carew, Kent State, R-Sophomore, 3.82
Peyton Deats, Kent State, R-Freshman, 3.69
Kevin Dobos, Kent State, R-Sophomore, 3.70
Josh Hollander, Kent State, Senior, 3.28
Chris Martin, Kent State, Senior, 4.00
Kian O'Brien, Kent State, Senior, 3. 75
Trevor Pittman, Kent State, R-Freshman, 3.31
Pete Schuler, Kent State, Senior, 3.32
Zach Schultz, Kent State, Junior, 3.90
Michael Turner, Kent State, Sophomore, 3.54
Connor Wollersheim, Kent State, Senior, 3.39
Landon Stephens, Miami, Junior, 3.66
Parker Massman, Miami, Sophomore, 3.62
Reid Norberg, Miami, R-Freshman, 3.91
Jack Corbell, Miami, Senior, 3.39
Bailey Martin, Miami, Senior, 3.20
Kyle Winkler, Miami, R-Junior, 3.85
Jake Dunham, Northern Illinois, Junior, 3.80
Josh Mutter, Northern Illinois, R-Jr., 3.31
Kyle Seebach, Northern Illinois, Sophomore, 4.00
Parker Kirkpatrick, Northern Illinois, R-Sophomore, 3.82
Will Anderson, Northern Illinois, Senior, 3.52
Kam Smith, Northern Illinois, R-Sophomore, 3.25
Nick Kamrada, Ohio, R-Senior, 3.43
Treyben Funderburg, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.24
Aaron Levy, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.33
Jack Liberatore, Ohio, R-Freshman, 3.36
Trevor Lukkes, Ohio, R-Freshman, 3.60
Rudy Rott, Ohio, Senior, 3.55
Brad Boss, Toledo, Senior, 3.78
Axel Bueter, Toledo, Senior, 3.78
Riley Campbell, Toledo, Senior, 3.44
Bryce Davis, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.44
Michael Jacob, Toledo, Senior, 3.75
David Jeffers, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.91
Chris Meyers, Toledo, Sophomore, 3.55
Blake Dunn, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.58
Cooper Marshall, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.72
Logan Hudson, Western Michigan, R-Sophomore, 3.64
Andrew Stone, Western Michigan, R-Senior, 3.67
Justin McIntyre, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.53
Sean O'Keefe, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.66
Ethan Hajdukovic, Western Michigan, Junior, 3.82
Jesse Forestell, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.73
Connor Charping, Western Michigan, Sophomore, 3.78
Will Mullen, Western Michigan, R-Junior, 3.41
Chris Modrzynski, Western Michigan, Senior, 3.35
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