Five Panthers earn all-conference baseball honors

The Panthers’ pitchers were recognized as three of them landed on the Hawkeye 10 First Team All-Conference, two being unanimous.

Total, the Panthers placed five on the all-conference teams.

First Team

Pitcher and second baseman Dylan Hoepker was unanimously selected to first-team after a stellar senior season.

On the mound, Hoepker pitched nine games for five wins with a 2.32 ERA. Hoepker threw 61 strikeouts, the fifth-most in the H10 this season.

At second, Hoepker had seven errors this season on 93 total chances for a .925 fielding percentage. He had 39 outs and 47 assists.

Hoepker had three homers this season, the fifth-most in the conference.

At the top of the batting lineup, Hoepker was a consistent hitter for the Panthers. His 45 hits tied for best in the conference and earned him a .366 batting average. He scored a team-high 37 runs and led with 31 RBIs.

Sitting with Hoepker at a conference-leading 45 hits was teammate Cael Turner, another unanimous first team selection.

Turner pitched and played short stop this season for the Panthers.

Turner’s 71 strikeouts this season is the third highest in the H10. He pitched 12 games this season. His ERA was 2.70.

At short stop, Turner led the defense in assists with 58. He had 27 outs himself and a .895 fielding percentage.

Turner had the fourth-highest batting average in the conference with a .405. His 15 doubles led the H10. This season he scored 30 runs and had 22 RBIs.

Junior Parker Varner rounds out the Panthers pitchers earning all-conference honors.

He earned a spot on the first team after excelling on the mound all season.

Varner led the conference in multiple statistics including wins (9), pitching appearances (17), pitching starts (13), innings pitched (69) and opponents at bat (270).

His 77 strikeouts were second-most in the conference.

Varner lost only two games he started and came in to save one game. In nearly 300 batters, he walked only 11. His 1.52 ERA was a team-low.

Second Team

Senior Sam Henry was a rock for the Panthers at first base this season and was recognized for his efforts by earning a spot on the second-team.

Henry’s 181 outs rank fifth in the conference. On 191 total chances, Henry had only six errors. He had 181 outs and four assists.

Not only was Henry a major contributor on defense, he was also a heavy hitter on offense for the Panthers.

He hit four over the fence this season, the third-highest in the Hawkeye 10.

He scored 25 times on 36 hits, leading the team in walks with 20. He also knocked in 25 RBIs.

Honorable Mention

Freshman catcher Tom Mikkelsen earned honorable mention after his season behind the plate.

Mikkelsen had 159 outs and 17 assists on 182 chances. With only six errors, he boasted a .967 fielding percentage.

At bat, Mikkelsen had 36 hits, scoring nine times. He had 22 RBIs.

He was hit by a pitch 19 times this season, the most by any player in the Hawkeye 10.

The Panthers finished the season 23-10 with a 15-5 conference record. They finished third in the H10 behind Clarinda (22-5, 18-2) and Harlan (19-7, 15-5).