Waterman Leads Four Yellow Jackets on All-HCAC Team

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently unveiled its 2012 All-Conference Team for baseball, with Defiance placing four student-athletes on the list. Darin Waterman led the way by being named Second-Team All-HCAC as a pitcher and first baseman, while Brad Kremer, Bryn Lehman and Alex Schomaeker received Honorable Mention status.

The All-HCAC awards marked the second time in as many years that Waterman garnered recognition from the HCAC coaches, following his Honorable Mention honor from his rookie campaign with the pair of Second-Team All-HCAC accolades in 2012. The Celina, Ohio native started all 39 games for Defiance and anchored the lineup by leading the squad with a .345 batting average, 148 at bats, 51 hits, 14 doubles, three home runs, 18 extra-base hits and a .514 slugging percentage. The first baseman's first full season with the bat put him in the DC record book as well, tying for the program's single-season doubles record and ending with the fifth-highest hit tally in Defiance history.

Waterman also received Second-Team All-HCAC honors on the mound, where he led Defiance with three wins, nine starts, three complete games and 46 strikeouts. Waterman was especially effective on the mound against HCAC foes, as the sophomore posted a 2.82 earned-run average and three complete games in six league starts, while going at least five innings in each and holding teams to two earned runs or less in all but one of those outings.

Kremer earned his first All-HCAC nod, taking Honorable Mention honors after starting all 39 games for the Jackets and excelling in the transition across the diamond to third base. The sophomore paced Defiance with 29 runs, four triples, 27 runs batted in, 21 walks and a .443 on-base percentage, while posting a .320 average. The Saint Henry, Ohio native tied for the second-highest number of triples in single-season history at Defiance and moved into fourth all-time at DC with seven career three-baggers.

Lehman completed DC's All-HCAC left side of the infield with the Honorable Mention award from the shortstop position. The Defiance, Ohio native started all 39 games in his best season with the Purple and Gold, ending third on the team with a .279 average and 25 runs scored and topping the Jackets with 105 assists in the field. Lehman posted a .980 fielding percentage over 23 HCAC contests, while committing only two errors in those games and finished his career ranked fourth in DC's all-time history with 313 fielding assists during three seasons with the program.

Schomaeker also earned his first Honorable Mention All-HCAC nod by anchoring Defiance's bullpen with 15 appearances, six saves and one win during his junior season. The lefty posted a 1.50 ERA over 18 innings of work and tied for the second-highest, single-season saves total in the history of the Yellow Jacket baseball program. Schomaeker saved his best for HCAC foes, leading the league with five saves and nine games finished in conference action. The Ottawa, Ohio native led all HCAC hurlers with at least 10 innings pitched in league play by posting a .132 batting average against and ranked second with a 0.75 ERA.

The All-HCAC selections are nominated and voted on by the league's head coaches and are announced by the conference office.