Above photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
BELTON- The final awards of the 2022 baseball season were announced by D3baseball.com on Tuesday, as the nationally-renowned website released its All-Region teams, which included two Crusaders in Malek Bolin and Caimyn Holiday.
The duo led UMHB baseball to a 25-19 record during head coach Mike Stawski’s third season in Belton, as the Cru earned two victories at the ASC Tournament, which set a new program record while in the D-III era.
Bolin, who joined the Utica Unicorns in Utica, New York immediately following his fifth collegiate season, had a stellar end to his time in Belton, and was named the ASC’s Player of the Year. He set a new program record for career home runs (33), single-season homers (15) and runs batted in during a season (55). He led the conference in both of those categories, along with total bases (119), hitting .349 at the plate to match a near-perfect .991 fielding percentage at first base. The Fort Worth native has started his first three professional games, as Utica plays in the US Professional Baseball League (USPBL), and at the time of writing, had batted .500 (5-for-10) in those contests.
Holiday, the starting shortstop since Stawski’s arrival, also wrapped up his final season at UMHB in 2022. He has two years of collegiate eligibility, however, and will play at Our Lady of the Lake University (NAIA)in San Antonio. The junior was a Second-Team All-Region selection despite battling injury for a large portion of the season, and led the Cru in batting average (.391), while also leading the ASC in stolen bases (27).
All-ASC Honors
Bolin and Holiday were each named First Team All-Conference following the conclusion of the 2022 season, but they were not the only two Crusaders honored on the All-ASC teams.
James McGlumphy, who established himself as a reliable starting pitcher early on, was awarded the conference’s Co-Freshman of the Year honor. A native of nearby Round Rock, he fared well in the transition to the college level, posting an ERA of 3.66 as well as a 5-2 record. McGlumphy struck out 62 batters on his way to a Second Team All-ASC recognition.
Trevor Ripke, the team’s primary reliever, led the Cru in appearances on the mound, seeing action in 22 contests as he was named to the Second Team. The senior went a total of 55 innings, striking out 45 while allowing 24 earned runs.
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Farmer earned a spot on the ASC’s Third Team, having hit for an average of .306 with 20 RBIs. He also contributed to the Cru’s aggressive base-running strategy, swiping 17 bases. Farmer was also involved in two double plays as the team’s right fielder.
Hunter Jones, Kaden deBerardinis and Nicklas Fenner were each named Honorable Mention All-ASC, having posted excellent seasons as part of UMHB’s balanced attack. Jones and deBerardinis were fixtures in the Cru’s lineup, with Jones hitting .302 and deBerardinis at .293. They each tallied 25-plus RBIs and runs scored in 2022. Fenner was another freshman starter who fared exceptionally well in the transition to college, starting 12 games and posted a 6-1 record. He threw 57.1 innings and fired a complete game in UMHB’s ASC Tournament win over McMurry on May 7.
