Pennings, Scieszinski named to All-IIAC Baseball Team
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Two Simpson baseball players – senior pitcher Matt Pennings and senior infielder Jake Scieszinski – were voted to the 2015 All-Iowa Conference Baseball Team, as announced by the league office Wednesday.
Following a vote of the league's coaches, Pennings earned first team honors while Scieszinski landed on the second team as a shortstop. Pennings was a second team pick in 2014 and Scieszinski earned first team honors as a utility player a year ago.
Pennings (Ankeny, Iowa) wrapped up a stellar career on the mound at Simpson in 2015, going 5-5 with a 4.12 ERA. After a slow start to the season, he saved his best for conference play. Pennings went 5-3 with a 2.83 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 10 appearances, posting the second-most wins in the league. He closes his career as Simpson's all-time leader with 10 saves.
Scieszinski (Mount Vernon, Iowa) was the top run-producer for the Storm, driving in 23 runs while hitting .305 with six doubles. A majority of Scieszinski's production came against league competition, as he hit .307 with 22 RBIs and five doubles in Iowa Conference play. Scieszinski earned first team all-league honors as a utility player in 2014 and closes his career with 34 appearances on the mound and 117 in the field.
Simpson went 14-25 in 2015 and finished seventh in the Iowa Conference, going 10-18. The Storm picked up momentum going into next season by sweeping Dubuque in the final series of the season, including three straight walk-off wins.
IIAC MAJOR AWARDS
Pitcher of the Year: Dylan Diveney, CEN
Position Player of the Year: Jacob Thumann, WAR
Coach of the Year: Joel Holst, WAR
FIRST TEAM ALL-IIAC
SP AJ Reuter, COE; SP Teddy Klinsporn, LUT; SP Matt Pennings, SIM; SP Taylor Gilson, WAR; RP Lucas Hadaway, BVU; C Blake Wilson, WAR; 1B DJ Utley, WAR; 2B Bryce Wessels, BVU; 3B Dalton Garst, DBQ; SS Craig Konrardy, COE; OF Bennett Mann, BVU; OF Zach Zylstra, CEN; OF Michael Goerdt, COE; OF Daniel Casanova, DBQ; DH Andrew Burgmeier, LUT; UT Jack Hoffmann, COE
SECOND TEAM ALL-IIAC
SP Jake Bjorkgren, BVU; SP Connor Alberhasky, COE; SP Adam Schwoebel, LOR; SP Parker Bolt, WAR; SP Max Langheinrich, WAR; RP David Lowe, LUT; C Grant Henning, COE; 1B Aldon Severson, LUT; 2B Tyler Willis, WAR; 3B Jackson Litterer, WAR; SS Jake Scieszinski, SIM; OF Tanner Truesdell, BVU; OF Cole Reeg, LOR; OF Matt Larson, LUT; OF Ryan Kemp, WAR; DH Adam Lindell, CEN; UT Dakotah Wolken, CEN
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-IIAC
SP Andy Carr, CEN; 3b Jory Heckenberg, COE; SS Kirby Coppess, CEN; OF Alex Weber, LUT
