Two Northern Kentucky University baseball players have been honored by the Atlantic Sun Conference for their performance on the field during the 2015 season, the league office announced on Tuesday.
Cole Bauml earned a spot on the All-Atlantic Sun first team, while Trey Ganns was named to the All-Freshman Team.
“We are very proud of Cole and Trey’s hard work this season, and it is nice to see them being recognized for their efforts,” NKU head coach Todd Asalon said. “They each gave us quality at-bats all season and helped provide us with the offensive spark that we needed on several occasions.”
Bauml, a senior outfielder from Muenster, Saskatchewan, led the team in several offensive categories this season, including batting average (.350), hits (57), runs scored (34) and total bases (108). He drove in 22 runs and successfully stole 14 bases in 15 attempts. He posted a .991 fielding percentage in center field in his final year with the Norse.
Bauml, who also received a spot on the Academic All-Atlantic Sun Team on Monday and earned the program’s first conference Player of the Week honors after the first weekend of play, would have led the nation in doubles per game (0.60) if NKU players could be included as the Norse continue their reclassification process. Bauml recorded 25 doubles, which landed fifth nationally, and he posted a .663 slugging percentage to land in the top 20.
“Cole had an outstanding year for us and was a great leader on and off the field,” Asalon said. “He was not afraid to put the team’s success before his own accomplishments, and he did what he knew he needed to do for the good of the team. He was always the first one to practice and the last one to leave, so we are very excited to see his dedication pay off with this honor.”
Ganns, a freshman left-handed pitcher who also served as the team’s designated hitter for a majority of the season, made an immediate impact offensively for NKU. He recorded a .296 batting average with 11 doubles and four home runs. He brought home 25 runs and scored 13 times, and he successfully stole the only base he attempted. He drew 24 walks, which led the team, and he posted 12 multi-hit games and drove in two or more runs seven times this season for the Norse.
In addition to his strong performance at the plate, Ganns made seven appearances, including three starts, on the mound. He earned his first collegiate victory on March 16, 2015, in an 18-2 win over Cincinnati-Clermont. He struck out 10 batters over 11.2 innings of work for the Norse, and he finished his first season with a 7.71 earned run average and 1-2 record.
“Trey was recruited as a pitcher, but we moved him into the designated hitter role after a strong fall season at the plate for us,” Asalon said. “He had a great eye at the plate all season for us, and he finished the year with a nine-game hitting streak, which helped keep us in games. We are very proud of his Atlantic Sun honor.”
Bauml becomes the first NKU player to earn all-conference honors for the second year in a row, having received second-team accolades one year ago, and the first first-team honors. Ganns continues the All-Freshman Team streak alive for the Norse, following Logan Spurlin in 2013 and Kyle Colletta last season.
Go Norse!
