KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northeastern State baseball team had seven student-athletes land on All-MIAA teams, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced Thursday morning.
 
Headlining the postseason accolades for NSU were junior second baseman Charles Sims and sophomore starting pitcher Ryan Helsley. Both were named to the All-MIAA First Team.
 
Junior relief pitcher Jake Kern landed on the All-MIAA Second Team, while senior catcher Licio Tamburlini, senior first baseman Preston Cash, junior outfielder Gabriel Wurth and sophomore utility player Bryce Davenport were all named All-MIAA Honorable Mention.
 
Sims, a transfer from Waxahachie, Texas, had by far the highest batting average (.366) and fielding percentage (.988) amongst all second basemen in the MIAA. He played in 43 games and made 39 starts, finishing 53-for-145 at the plate. He also registered 14 doubles, 37 runs scored, 30 RBI and two home runs, while finishing with 72 putouts, 92 assists and just two errors in the field.
 
Helsley, a Tahlequah native, earned his second-straight postseason laurel after winning MIAA Freshman of the Year honors last season and landing on the All-MIAA Second Team. He was the only underclassman to be named to the first team.
 
He finished the season with a 7-4 record, and he ranked fourth in the nation and tops in the MIAA with 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He led the league in strikeouts (95), while finishing sixth in ERA (3.53), ninth in innings pitched (63.2) and 10th in opposing batting average (2.49).
 
The RiverHawks have had at least one student-athlete named to the All-MIAA First Team all three years they have been in the conference. This is the first time NSU has placed more than one baseball player on an all-conference first team since 2007, when the Lone Star Conference was split into two divisions.
 
Kern, a transfer from Lee's Summit, Missouri, led the conference in saves and tied the school record with 10 in his first year. He also led the MIAA in appearances (25) and games finished (22), while finishing with a 1.80 earned-run average. He registered 25.0 innings pitched and conceded just five earned runs, while posting 22 strikeouts.

Cash, a Springdale, Arkansas native, finished with a .327 average (55-for-168) and 40 runs scored, 16 doubles, eight home runs and 42 runs batted in. Davenport, a Jay, Oklahoma native, registered a .361 average (57-for-158) to go along with 24 runs scored, 15 doubles, four home runs and 37 RBI. Tamburlini, a one-year transfer from Barinas, Venezuela, batted .329 (24-for-73) with 25 runs, two doubles, one triple, three homers and 17 RBI. Wurth, a transfer from Valley, Nebraska, finished the year with a .360 average (63-for-175) and 40 runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBI.
 
Northeastern State's seven honorees were the most for the RiverHawks since they also placed seven on all-conference teams in 2009.
 
NSU (25-24) finished the 2015 campaign with at least 25 wins for the fourth-straight year. The team has also posted winning seasons in three of the last four years.
 
2015 ALL-MIAA AWARDS
Player of the Year: Dean Long, Sr., Emporia State
Pitcher of the Year: Cody Hutchinson, Jr., Missouri Southern
Freshman of the Year: Drew Quinones, Fr., Lindenwood
Coach of the Year: Bryce Darnell, Missouri Southern
 
All-MIAA First Team
Pitcher: Cody Hutchinson, Jr., Missouri Southern
Pitcher: Payton Walker, Jr., Missouri Southern
Pitcher: Ryan Helsley, So., Northeastern State
Relief Pitcher: Shawn Talkington, Sr., Emporia State
Catcher: Max Ayoub, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
First Base: Evan Koehler, Jr., Emporia State
Second Base: Charles Sims, Jr., Northeastern State
Shortstop: Ross Wolfe, Sr., Southwest Baptist
Third Base: Dean Long, Sr., Emporia State^
Outfield: Justin Harris, Sr., Emporia State
Outfield: Anthony Pacheco, Jr., Nebraska-Kearney#
Outfield: Trevor Jones, Sr., Central Missouri
Designated Hitter: Jesse Rall, Jr., Missouri Southern
Utility: Chris Hoffman, Jr., Missouri Southern
 
All-MIAA Second Team
Pitcher: Travis Hendry, Sr., Emporia State
Pitcher: Daulton Leiker, Jr., Central Oklahoma
Pitcher: Banks Born, Sr., Missouri Western
Relief Pitcher: Jake Kern, Jr., Northeastern State
Catcher: Nate Arnold, Sr., Pittsburg State
First Base: Cooper Langley, Sr., Fort Hays State
Second Base: Paul Johnson, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Shortstop: Nathan Prindle, Jr., Lindenwood
Third Base: Richie Gorski, So., Missouri Southern
Outfield: Ryan Degner, Sr., Missouri Western
Outfield: Wade Rothermich, Sr., Lindenwood
Outfield: Drew Quinones, Fr., Lindenwood
Designated Hitter: Kevin Czarnecki, Sr., Fort Hays State
Utility: Danny Droll, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
 
All-MIAA Third Team
Pitcher: Carlos D'Armas, Jr., Central Missouri
Pitcher: Aaron Smith, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Pitcher: Tyler Burgess, Sr., Missouri Southern
Relief Pitcher: Richard Peoples, So., Missouri Western
Catcher: David Gauntt, Sr., Washburn
First Base: Steven Garber, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Second Base: Levi Parker, Sr., Emporia State
Shortstop: Cody Childs, Sr., Missouri Western
Third Base: Kyle Carnahan, Jr., Washburn
Outfield: Andrew Kreiling, Sr., Pittsburg State
Outfield: Parker Gibson, Jr., Washburn
Outfield: Brandon Landanger, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Designated Hitter: Dillon Schroeder, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Utility: Austin Unrein, Sr., Fort Hays State
 
All-MIAA Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Ricky Rivera, Central Missouri; Tyler House, Central Missouri; Jake Heissler, Central Missouri; Brendan Kleekamp, Lindenwood; A.J. Martinez, Missouri Western; Anthony Caenepeel, Northwest Missouri; Jake Stevenson, Pittsburg State; Mike Hefferan, Washburn,
Relief Pitcher: Nick Pettus, Missouri Southern; Carson Smith, Northwest Missouri; Ryan McKay, Pittsburg State; Tanner Kilmer, Washburn.
Catcher: Andre Vieyra, Fort Hays State; Mike Wilson, Lindenwood; Licio Tamburlini, Northeastern State.
First Base: Bennett Oliver, Central Missouri; Kaleb Davis, Lincoln; Cosimo Cannella, Missouri Western; Connor Messinger, Nebraska-Kearney; Preston Cash, Northeastern State; Andrew Vogelbaugh, Pittsburg State.
Second Base: Dusty Maas, Central Missouri; Gus Strunk, Fort Hays State; Jacob Bryant, Missouri Southern.
Shortstop: Jackson Schnurbusch, Central Missouri; Nick Gotta, Northwest Missouri; Erek Hackney, Pittsburg State; Riley Krane, Washburn.
Third Base: Tony Sandifer, Central Missouri; Ryan Light, Lindenwood; David Glaude, Missouri Western; Spencer Blacksher, Southwest Baptist.
Outfield: Derek Cornell, Central Missouri; Tyler Hatcher, Central Oklahoma; Dylan Tinkler, Central Oklahoma; Price Jacobs, Emporia State; Wade Hanna, Emporia State; Connor Ross, Fort Hays State; Wes Degener, Lindenwood; Trevor LaHonta, Missouri Western; Gabriel Wurth, Northeastern State; Luke Bordewick, Pittsburg State; Zach Snodgrass, Southwest Baptist; Connor Crimmons, Washburn.
Designated Hitter: Isaac Hellbush, Central Oklahoma; Tanner Triggs, Washburn.
Utility: Trevor Schnieders, Lincoln; Orencio Fisher, Missouri Western; Bryce Davenport, Northeastern State; Christian Binger, Southwest Baptist.
 
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