ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University junior right-hander Zach Botjer (Deshler, Ohio/Sinclair CC) was named to the All-GLIAC first team, the league office announced on Tuesday (May 8) night prior to the start of this week's GLIAC Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Freshman infielder Giancarlo Saia (Mentor, Ohio/Lake Catholic) was named to the All-GLIAC second team and sophomore utility player Wade Kaido (Zanesville, Ohio) and junior catcher John Broll (Mississauga, Ont./Genesee CC) were named to the honorable mention list.
The All-GLIAC teams were picked by the league's coaches at the conclusion of the regular season.
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Botjer was 8-4 during the regular season, leading the Eagles with 19 appearances on the season, including nine starts. He is fifth in the GLIAC with a 2.14 ERA.
He is tied for the GLIAC lead in strikeouts with 84. Botjer is also second in the league in innings pitched (75.2). He is tied for second in wins and complete games (six). Botjer, who started the season as a reliever, had three saves. Opponents batted just .217 off him for the season.
On April 15, he set the GLIAC season high with 12 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Saginaw Valley State.
Saia made quite an impression in his first collegiate season, batting .284 (46-for-162) in 49 starts for the Eagles. He spent much of the season locking down the second base position before making the switch to third base near the end of the season.
Saia led the Eagles with 31 runs scored and also had six doubles, a triple and a home run. He drove in 23 runs and reached base at a .379 clip. Saia, who is one of just two true freshmen named to the All-GLIAC teams, was tied for seventh in the GLIAC in walks with 24.
He was key in a four-game sweep over Saginaw Valley State in mid-April. He was 7-for-15 (.467) in the series with two runs, two doubles, a home run and six RBI.
Kaido led the Eagles in hitting this season, batting .355 (60-for-169). He had nine doubles, a team-high three triples and a home run this season. Kaido drove in 22 runs and was perfect on six stolen base attempts.
Kaido spent much of his time at the corner outfield positions, but also played at third base, shortstop and second base at other times during the season.
He had 19 multi-hit games in the regular season and has a hit in nine of his last 10 games.
Broll was second on the team with a .338 (45-for-133) batting average. He also had a team-high 10 doubles and drove in 29 runs. The Eagles' full-time catcher rapped two home runs in a game against Tiffin on March 28. In that day's doubleheader, Broll was 6-for-9 with five runs, 11 RBI, two doubles and a pair of homers. He also did not commit an error behind the plate. He played in 43 games, starting 41.
The Eagles, who finished the year with a 27-23 record and a 19-17 mark in the GLIAC, play top-seeded Grand Valley State in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament on Wednesday (May 9) afternoon at 2 p.m. in Chillicothe, Ohio.
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