The American Baseball Coaches Association released the 2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-America teams and ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove team on Thursday evening. The honorees were announced at the opening ceremonies of the NCAA Div. III College World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. Outfielder Taylor Kohlwey of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Bat Award as Player of the Year.
Kohlwey, who led Wisconsin-La Crosse to the NCAA Div. III College World Series which starts this weekend, hit .492 with 91 hits in 46 games entering the CWS. He hit nine homers and nine triples en route to an .849 slugging percentage and a .555 on-base percentage. Kohlwey scored 74 runs and had 56 RBI. He was also an ABCA/Rawlings All-America first-team selection in 2015.
The ABCA All-America team was first recognized in 1949 and now features nine divisions. The first ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America team was recognized in 1976 and is voted on by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee, which is led by coach Paul Hesse of the University of Mt. Union.
The first ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams were recognized in 2007, making this the 10th year the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards have been presented in the collegiate and high school ranks.
The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 8,200 members represent all 50 states and 23 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The 73rd annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 5-8, 2017 in Anaheim, California.
SEE ALSO: 2016 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Teams
About Rawlings
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®, and the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit Rawlings.com or by phone at (314) 819-2800.
2016 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Bat Award – Player of the Year
Taylor Kohlwey, Sr., OF, Wisconsin-La Crosse
2016 ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams
NCAA Div. III All-America First Team
Pos. Player Cl. School State
C Hayden Tsutsui Sr. Carleton MN
1B Justin Anderson Sr. Wisconsin-La Crosse WI
1B Alex Venditti Sr. WPI MA
2B Neil Marshall Sr. Buena Vista IA
3B Travis Lodge Sr. Randolph-Macon VA
SS Sam Dexter Sr. Southern Maine ME
OF Taylor Kohlwey Sr. Wisconsin-La Crosse WI
OF Justin Cassinelli Sr. Susquehanna PA
OF Jeremy Wolf Sr. Trinity TX
DH Devon DeRaad Jr. Occidental CA
UT Deion Hughes Sr. Westminster MO
P Seth Lamando Sr. SUNY Cortland NY
P James Walsh Sr. Randolph-Macon VA
P Caleb Boushley Jr. Wisconsin-La Crosse WI
P Lane Hobbs Jr. Concordia TX
NCAA Div. III All-America Second Team
Pos. Player Cl. School State
C Adrian Celata So. Oglethorpe GA
C Zach Leone So. Susquehanna PA
1B Conner Combs Jr. East Texas Baptist TX
1B Jamie Lackner Jr. Wooster OH
2B Zack de Luna Jr. Hardin-Simmons TX
3B Davey Casciola Sr. Cal Lutheran CA
SS Bill Munson Jr. Rhodes GA
OF Walker Olis Sr. Pacific OR
OF Tyler Bates Sr. East Texas Baptist TX
OF Tyler Kent Sr. Otterbein OH
OF Tommy Vitaletti Sr. Christopher Newport VA
OF Drake Sykes Jr. Knox IL
UT Graham Fisher Sr. Grinnell IA
UT Jake Fishman Jr. Union NY
UT Taylor Cooling So. Hardin-Simmons TX
P Tom Concklin Jr. Washington & Lee VA
P Jack Bensinger Sr. Webster MO
P Ryan Gaines Jr. Birmingham-Southern AL
P Eric Dumas Sr. Wheaton MA
P Garrett Brown Sr. Pacific Lutheran CA
NCAA Div. III All-America Third Team
Pos. Player Cl. School State
C Mitch Knippenberg Sr. Luther IA
1B Nick Sotiros Jr. North Central IL
2B Ben Laumann So. Thomas More KY
3B Eric Hamilton Jr. SUNY Oswego NY
SS Austin Filiere So. MIT MA
SS Justin Taylor Jr. Lancaster Bible PA
SS Ryan Dorow Jr. Adrian MI
OF Alex Zachary Jr. Eastern Connecticut State CT
OF Chris Triano Jr. Keystone PA
OF Ryan Konkle Sr. Hope MI
UT Mark Zimmerman Sr. Baldwin Wallace OH
P Christian Herstine Sr. Marietta OH
P Felix Baez Sr. Keystone PA
P Tom Weldon Sr. Elms MA
P Walter White Sr. Augustana IL
2016 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team
NCAA Div. III Gold Glove Team
Pos. Player Cl. School State
C Kyle Kozak Sr. Washington-St. Louis MO
1B Matt Krupa So. Kean NJ
2B Garrett Hughes Jr. Whitworth WA
3B Eric Lawson Sr. Linfield OR
SS Jayson Yano Sr. Stevens Institute of Technology NJ
OF Michael Fischbach Sr. Albion MI
OF Tanner Marcoe Jr. Whittier CA
OF Mike Abate Jr. William Paterson NJ
P Alex Kendall Jr. St. John’s MN
