Dakota Wesleyan University baseball pitcher Ethan Opsahl was named the Great Plains Athletic Conference pitcher of the year and earned all-GPAC first-team honors, it was announced by the league Wednesday afternoon.
Opsahl, who is a lefthanded pitcher from Twin Valley, Minn., finished his fourth and final year for DWU baseball. He also earned all-GPAC honorable mention accolades as a freshman, first-team honors as a sophomore and was named to the second team as a junior.
"It's quite an honor, and it couldn't have happened to a better kid," DWU baseball coach Steve Gust said. "He worked hard for four years. He's been a part of some championships and a part of some teams that didn't do so well, and when we needed a win he was always there for us. He got some big wins in his career. He started strong and ended strong."
Sophomore designated hitter Nick Tadlock earned first-team all-conference honors, junior outfielder Erik Nockleby was named to the second team and Maximum Shower, Michael Lukkason, Chris Ciatti, Toby Kaplan, Chris Housley and Josh Wagner all earned honorable mention accolades for DWU.
Opsahl led the Tigers in strikeouts in all four of his seasons with the program. He led the GPAC and was 15th in the NAIA with 94 strikeouts this season. He tied the school record for strikeouts in a game (17) against Hastings College this year. He went 9-4 in 16 appearances and threw seven complete games with one save in 2012.
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Opsahl also led the GPAC in innings pitched (84) and tied for first in the league with nine wins. He gave up 70 hits and 32 earned runs, and his opponents had a batting average of .221. He finished his career at DWU with 278 strikeouts in 280 innings pitched. He went 23-12 in 60 appearances with 18 complete games, three shutouts and three saves. He had a career ERA of 4.15 and his opponents had a batting average of .242.
Scouts from the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins came to watch Opsahl pitch in at least one game this season. Despite several attempts, The Daily Republic was unable to reach Opsahl for comment on the award.
"It just shows that a small town Minnesota kid can come to a South Dakota town and excel," Gust said. "He worked so hard and always had a good attitude and was very loyal to DWU all four years."
Gust is hoping Opsahl will be able to continue his baseball career after college and play in the MLB.
"We're going to see if he's taken in the draft in early June. We're hoping he'll be picked up by someone," Gust said.
"I think he's going to get an opportunity at the next level, but it's a wait-and-see game right now. Knowing Ethan he'll keep himself ready so when he does get picked, he'll be ready to play at the next level."
This is Tadlock's second All-GPAC honor of his career as a Tiger. He finished the season second in the GPAC with seven homeruns. He batted .295 with a hitting percentage of .509 and let the Tigers with 37 RBIs. He recorded 51 hits, including 14 doubles, one triple and seven home runs in 173 at-bats. He also walked 12 times and went 10-for-11 in stolen base attempts.
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