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Stawski Named SLIAC Coach Of The Year

In just his second year in the dugout as the Spalding University head baseball coach, Mike Stawski has been named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Stawski led the Golden Eagles to a 28-11 overall record and 20-4 in the SLIAC this season. He and his Spalding team are at the Old Orchard Ballpark in Maine this weekend to compete in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series.

Last season, in his first year with Spalding, Stawski  took the team from 11 wins in the previous season to a 20 win season, their first one in four years. The team finished ranked No. 12 nationally in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association final poll and finished 4th in their first year in teh SLIAC.

This year's team remained in the USCAA rankings and was even as high as No. 5 in the latest poll that came out before the postseason began.

A Chicago, IL native, Stawski enjoyed a successful collegiate career at St. Joseph’s College. There, Stawski was a starting pitcher and was named an All-Conference selection in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Stawski was fortunate enough to win a conference championship while at St. Joseph’s and helped lead the team to a No. 1 seed in the North Central Region in 2005.

Stawski also played for the Alleghany County Nitros where he currently holds one Nitro record and one New York State record. He was named Player of the Year in 2005.

Several players from Stawski's 2011 squad also received conference-wide honors this week, as nine Golden Eagles were dispersed among the All Conference First, Second, and Honorable Mention Team, as well as the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Those lists are below.

Spalding will begin play in the 10-team Small College World Series on Saturday at 3:30pm against Penn St.-Greater Allegheny. 

SLIAC FIRST TEAM
Position - Name (School)
P - Tyler Brown (Spalding)
P - Jake Wardrip (Spalding)
C - Steven Schanz (Spalding)
2B - Bryan Clemmons (Spalding)

SLIAC SECOND TEAM
Position - Name (School)
OF - Jordan Messex (Spalding)
UT - Kyle Just (Spalding)

SLIAC HONORABLE MENTION
Position - Name (School)
P - Taylor Reilly (Spalding)
P - Derek Ferch (Spalding)

SLIAC ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Name (School)
Barrett Dugger (Spalding)