Senior Shaun Rico, juniors Jake Thomas and Matt Dodaro, and sophomore Keegan Leckrone have been named to the 2008 All-North Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Team. Leckrone picked up First Team honors. Thomas was a Second Team selection, while Dodaro and Rico were named Honorable Mention.
Leckrone (left) led the North Coast Athletic Conference with an Earned Run Average of 1.50, the eighth-best mark in the nation and the lowest in Wabash single season history. He posted a 5-1 record with four saves. Opponents hit just .158 against the right-handed reliever, the lowest mark among conference pitchers. He allowed only 4.71 hits per nine innings, fourth-best among all Division III pitchers. Leckrone’s 18 total appearances tied the Wabash single season mark set by Marc Rowe ’03.
Thomas (right) was named to the Second Team after leading the Little Giants in total hits for the second consecutive season. Thomas finished with 46 base hits and a .333 batting average. He tied for second on the team in doubles (6), was fourth in runs scored (20) and RBIs (19), and was third in home runs (2). Thomas, an All-Region and First Team All-NCAC selection in 2007, added three assists as the starting rightfielder for the Little Giants this season. He currently ranks 10th on the Wabash all-time home run list (10) and is on pace to set the career batting average mark. He currently tops the list after three seasons with a .378 average.
Dodaro (left) picked up his third All-NCAC selection after earning Honorable Mention honors in 2006 and a First Team pick in 2007. He led Wabash in slugging percentage (.548), runs scored (30), and total bases (74) and tied with Rico for the home run lead with seven. Dodaro committed just four errors while playing every inning at shortstop for the Little Giants, racking up 54 putouts and 96 assists in 154 total chances. He finished the 2008 season ranked third on the Wabash career home runs list with 18, second in total bases (236), second in assists (317), fifth in doubles (32), and seventh in RBIs (85).
Rico (right) posted his best numbers in a Wabash uniform in his final season with the Little Giants. He led the team in RBIs and tied for eighth in the NCAC with 35. Rico’s RBI total tied for the eight-best total in Wabash single season history. His seven home runs tied with Dodaro for the team lead and finished tied for third along with Wooster’s Sean Karpen in the league rankings. A steady presence at first base in the field, Rico tied the Wabash record for most double plays turned in a season with 27.
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