[Ann Arbor, MI] — The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) announced their All-American selections for the 2023 baseball season as well as the Pitcher/Player of the Year and Coach of the year awards on Friday. Tyson Kleinfelter was named the Pitcher of the Year while head coach Zach Johnston was named Coach of the year. The Cardinals also had 6 All-American selections across the First, Second, and Third teams.
Kleinfelter has spent his entire collegiate career at Concordia and has become one of the most decorated pitchers in Cardinals history. He was already named the WHAC Pitcher of the Year and was named to the NCCAA All-Midwest First Team for his work on the mound this season. The Cardinals career strikeout king also ranked 5th in the NCCAA in strikeouts this season (103). This is Kleinfelter's first NCCAA Pitcher of the Year award.
Kleinfelter was also selected to the NCCAA All-American First Team for the second time in his Cardinal career. He ranked 4th in the NCCAA in earned runs average with a 2.77 mark across 13 starts and he was tied for the lead in pitching wins (11). Kleinfelter also struck out 36 batters looking, which was good enough to be the 3rd highest total in the NCCAA.
Jordan Sherman was selected to the NCCAA All-American Second Team for his efforts this season. Sherman tied for the NCCAA lead in doubles, hitting 22 on the season. He also ranked 2nd in base hits (91) and 4th in runs batted in (68). This is the first All-American selection for Sherman.
Jarrett Batanian was the second of three Cardinals who were selected to the All-American Second Team. Batanian tied for 3rd in the NCCAA in doubles (20) and walks (43), 7th in runs batted in (60), and tied for 7th in runs scored (57) and home runs (13). This is Batanian's first selection to an All-American team.
Drew Fleming rounds out the Cardinals All-American Second Team selections. The WHAC Player of the Year led the NCCAA in home runs (27), ranked 2nd in runs scored (67), 3rd in runs batted in (79), and 4th in slugging percentage (.797). He also tied for 7th in walks drawn (40). This was Fleming's first selection to an All-American Team.
Caleb Harmond was selected to his first NCCAA All-American Team, being named to the Third Team. Harmond won his second WHAC All-Conference Gold Glove award for his defense in left field while also boasting some impressive offensive numbers on the season. He drove in 40 runs while crossing home plate 54 times on his own.
Timothy Pomaville closes out the All-American selections for the Cardinals, as he was named to the Third Team. Pomaville ranked 5th in the NCCAA in opposing batting average, with an excellent mark of .212. He also struck out 77 batters in just under 79 innings pitched as a valuable starter and long reliever for the Cardinals this season. For Pomaville, this is the first selection to an NCCAA All-American team that he has received.
Zach Johnston won his third NCCAA Coach of the Year following the 2023 campaign. Johnston has already been named the WHAC Coach of the Year and the NCCAA All-Midwest Regional Coach of the Year for the 2023 season. Johnston coached the Cardinals to a program best 48 wins as the Cardinals won the WHAC regular season championship. He also led the Cardinals to their first appearance in the NAIA Opening Round.
