Nine members of the Nebraska Wesleyan University baseball team were named to the 2009 Great Plains Athletic Conference All-Conference Baseball team that was announced Monday (May 4).  Junior starting pitcher Zane Cascini and junior third baseman Cory Hilgenkamp were both on the All-GPAC First-Team. Senior catcher Max Hubka and pitchers Josh Ostrom and Hilgenkamp were both on the second team, while Corey Petersen, Tyler Stephenson, Jeremy Peters, Boo Frields, Chris Wahl and Ostrom received honorable mention.

Cascini (P, Jr.) earns First-Team All-GPAC honors for the second straight season. The Lincoln, Neb., native is 6-3 on the year with a team-high 43 strikeouts. During GPAC play, Cascini threw four straight complete games without allowing an earned run. He had two shutouts on the year.

Hilgenkamp (3B/P, Jr.) was one of the top hitters in the middle of the lineup for the Prairie Wolves. He is batting .375 with 4 home runs and 28 RBI. He leads the team with 12 doubles and 48 hits. The Lincoln, Neb., native wasalso named Second-Team All-GPAC as a pitcher. He is 7-1 with three saves and a 3.44 ERA. He was 7-0 in the regular season, before losing a game in the GPAC Tournament. He did record the save in the win over Midland Lutheran to help NWU advance to day two.

Hubka (C, Sr.) is second on the team with 44 hits and 10 doubles. He tied for the team lead with 33 RBI. The Lincoln, Neb., native is hitting .364 with three HR and 33 RBI on the season. Behind the dish, he has thrown out 18 of 51 runners attempting to steal.

Ostrom (P/SS, Fr.) is a perfect 6-0 on the mound with a team leading 2.91 ERA as a freshman this season. He also recorded a save and has an outstanding strikeout to walk ratio with 35 strikeouts and only eight walks. He also earned honorable mention honors as a shortstop. The Fremont, Neb., native is batting .318 and is tied for the team lead with 33 RBI in his first season. He has 10 doubles, two triples and two HRs.

Petersen (1B, Sr.) is batting .377 and leads the team with five home runs this season. The Omaha, Neb., native also has seven doubles, a triple and 26 RBI. He has committed just three errors in 239 chances at first base. This is the second straight season he has earned All-GPAC honorable mention.

Stephenson (2B, Sr.) has been one of the top offensive players this season for NWU. The Lincoln, Neb., native is batting .390 with a home run and 16 RBI. He hit .471 during GPAC play and hit safely in 18 of 19 games.

Peters (OF, Sr.) is batting .348 on the year as the starting centerfielder for NWU. He leads the team with 12 stolen bases and has 39 hits on the season. The Lincoln, Neb., native also has three assists on the year from the outfield.

Frields (DH, Sr.) currently leads NWU in batting average hitting .400 on the year. The Nebraska City, Neb., native has 22 hits, four doubles, a triple and 15 RBI.

Wahl (P, So.) was the No. 2 starting pitcher for Nebraska Wesleyan all season. He is 5-3 with a 4.96 ERA on the year with five complete games. The Crete, Neb., native has 36 strikeouts and only 12 walks. This is the second straight season that Wahl has earned All-GPAC honorable mention.

Jason Engleman from Morningside was the GPAC Player-of-the-Year, while teammate Wade Morrison was the Pitcher-of-the-Year. Jim Boeve from Hastings College was the GPAC Coach-of-the-Year.

Nebraska Wesleyan won the 2009 GPAC Regular season championship and currently has a 28-11 overall record. The Prairie Wolves have earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament that begins May 12-15. NWU will learn their seed and location of regional when the official bracket is announced on May 8.

NWU All-GPAC Performers

First Team
Zane Cascini, P, Jr., Lincoln, Neb.
Cory Hilgenkamp, 3B, Jr., Lincoln, Neb.

Second Team
Max Hubka, C, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.
Cory Hilgenkamp, P, Jr., Lincoln, Neb.
Josh Ostrom, P, Fr., Fremont, Neb.

Honorable Mention
Corey Petersen, 1B, Sr., Omaha, Neb.
Tyler Stephenson, 2B, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.
Josh Ostrom, SS, Fr., Fremont, Neb.
Jeremy Peters, OF, Sr., Lincoln, Neb.
Boo Frields, DH, Sr., Nebraska City, Neb.
Chris Wahl, P, So., Crete, Neb.