On the heels of Northwood’s most successful baseball season in program history, the Timberwolves were awarded several individual honors in the All-GLIAC polls recently. Northwood coach Jordan Bischel was named GLIAC Coach of the Year, while the Timberwolves’ Tyler Jandron was named Pitcher of the Year, and NU’s David Vinsky was named Freshman Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
In his third year at the Northwood helm, Bischel is the first person in school history to be named GLIAC Coach of the Year for baseball. The Timberwolves finished the regular season with 39 wins, which are nine more than in any other season in program history, and their 26 conference victories are six more than in any other season in program history. NU — which recently earned its first-ever GLIAC regular-season championship, its first-ever No. 1 seeding in the GLIAC Tournament, and its first-ever No. 1 regional ranking — finished the regular season with an .813 win percentage in conference play, the highest for any team in the GLIAC since 2011. In addition, the Timberwolves’ 39 wins are the most by any GLIAC team since 2014.
Jandron, a junior lefthander who transferred to NU from Wisconsin-Parkside, is the first Northwood player ever to be named Pitcher of the Year after leading the league in victories (10), earned-run average (2.61), and strikeouts (80). He has thrown a league-best two complete-game shutouts, both in 1-0 NU victories, and he already has three more wins and 10 more strikeouts in a single season than any other pitcher in program history.
Vinsky, a freshman rightfielder, was one of the top hitters in the conference in his first season at Northwood, finishing second in the GLIAC in batting (.444) and fifth in slugging (.654). His 91 hits this season are 12 more than any other player in the GLIAC, while his 23 doubles not only lead the conference but rank second in all of NCAA Division II. He is the second Northwood player ever to win Freshman of the Year honors, joining Matt Shields (2005).
Jandron and Vinsky were both also named First Team All-GLIAC, as was Northwood senior leftfielder/second-baseman Connor Foley. In addition, NU senior third-baseman Daniel Pulver and junior pitcher Ian Dimitrie were both named Second Team All-GLIAC, while junior catcher/designated hitter Javier Martinez and junior first-baseman Ryan McClelland were both given honorable mention.
Also of local interest, Saginaw Valley State freshman designated hitter Cole Brooks, senior infielder Chad Carson, and sophomore outfielder Adam Fitzgibbon were all named Second Team All-GLIAC, while SVSU senior catcher/first-baseman Brendan Harrison and redshirt-freshman pitcher Alex Millhisler both earned honorable mention.
Meanwhile, Ohio Dominican junior first-baseman Justin Childers was named Player of the Year, and Tiffin’s Michael Boswell was named Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
Northwood will open GLIAC Tournament play in Xenia, Ohio on Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. against sixth-seeded Hillsdale.
