WEBSTER UNIVERSITY
“CHAMPIONS AWARD”
The 2012 Webster University baseball team completed one of the finest seasons any collegiate team in the St. Louis region has ever experienced.
It was a year that saw them make their first-ever NCAA III World Series appearance, winding up fifth in the country. The Gorloks won their first NCAA III Regional, and won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) title for a sixth straight year.
Webster was 36-14 on the season, setting a school record for most victories.
The Webster University baseball team leapt from being unranked in the final regular season top 30 poll, to being ranked eighth nationally in the American Baseball Coaches Association’s (ABCA) final poll of 2012. The Gorloks’ lofty ranking came on the heels of the team’s 5-2 record in the NCAA Tournament, which included a 4-0 sweep of the Millington Regional in Tennessee.
Shortstop Kevin Kojs and second baseman Taylor Stoulp were named to the 2012 NCAA III Baseball All-Tournament Team. The Webster “keystone combo” were near the top in several hitting categories for the World Series and the NCAA Tournament. Kojs had a record nine straight hits and batted .750 (9-for-12) in the series. The nine hits broke the series record of seven. Stoulp was 10-for-15 (.667) in the series and batted .606 (20-33) for the tournament. Stoulp was named the Most Valuable Player of the Millington Regional.
Pitcher David Mueller, the Central Region Pitcher of the Year, was voted to the Rawlings/ABCA 2012 NCAA III All-American Team. Coach Bill Kurich was Coach of the Year. Cody Stevenson, Cody Hafeli, Tom Henke, and Alex Kazmierski were second-team selections. Henke, Kazmierski and Mueller were also named to the D3baseball.com All-Central Region Second Team.
Mueller was the SLIAC Pitcher of the Year and Henke the SLIAC Player of the Year. Freshman pitcher Isaac Behme was the Newcomer of the Year, and Kurich the Coach of the Year.
In addition to a boisterous welcome home, the team was featured in the Webster Groves Community Days Parade. It was a fitting finish to a fantastic year.