GREENSBORO, N.C, - Webster University had a region-high tying five players earn All-Region honors as fifth-year senior starting pitcher Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic), second-year freshman starting pitcher Jordan Smevoll (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic), fifth-year senior first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro), fourth-year junior third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) and fifth-year senior designated hitter A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin) were each named All-Central Region selections by American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on Tuesday afternoon,
 
Mulhearn and Smevoll both earned first team honors, while Kent, Swords and Smith earned third team honors. With his honor, Mulhearn has now been honored three times in his career as he is a three-time first team selection, while Swords was a first team selection in 2019 and Kent earned first team honors in 2018.

It marks the fourth consecutive season that Webster has had two First-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region selections as Mulhearn and Swords were honored in 2019, while Mulhearn and Kent were selected in 2018 and Josh Fleming and Kyle Uhrich were honored in 2017. Additionally, it marks the third straight year that Webster has had three or more players selected to one of the three All-Central Region Teams by the ABCA.

The ABCA/Rawlings All-Region teams are voted on by members of the ABCA and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Division III All-America Committee. All first-team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selections are nominated for the ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The 2021 Division III ABCA/Rawlings All-America Team will be announced on June 3, while the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Teams for all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 23.
 
Webster was one of two schools in the region to have five overall selections as the other school with five selections was North Central (Ill.). In addition to North Central and Webster, Coe, WashU and Spalding each had four overall selections, while Beloit, Illinois College and Millikin each had three selections. Overall, the ABCA recognized 51 players from 21 schools on one of the three All-Region teams.  
 
Along with announcing the 2021 ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region Teams, the ABCA also announced its Position Player and Pitcher of the Year. The ABCA/Rawlings Central Region Position Player of the Year was North Park senior shortstop Jake Reinhardt and Webster's Mulhearn was named the ABCA/Rawlings Central Region Pitcher of the Year.
 
Mulhearn, who was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and was also a Third-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-American in 2019, earns his Region Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Region honors as a starting pitcher after posting a 12-1 record and an 0.90 ERA. On the season, Mulhearn made 13 starts and tossed six complete games, threw two shutouts and in 100 innings of work, allowed 62 hits, 14 runs, 10 earned runs, struck out as school and SLIAC single-season record 137 and walked just 10. The 137 strikeouts and 12 wins are tops in Division III baseball, while his 0.72 WHIP is third-best in Division III and his 0.90 is sixth-best in Division III. He recorded double-digit strikeouts in eight of his 13 starts, including a school record 17 strikeouts in his no-hitter against Eureka on April 2. He ended the season winning six consecutive starts and pitched at least eight innings in nine of his 13 starts on the year. In his final start of the season against Transylvania in the first round of the NCAA Decatur, Illinois Regional this past Thursday, Mulhearn tossed a complete game as he allowed four hits and one unearned run, while striking out 11 and walking one in his 129 pitch effort. In his five-year career as a Gorlok, Mulhearn holds school career marks for innings pitched (346), wins (34), appearances (67), strikeouts (364) and holds school single season marks for innings pitched (105.2 in 2019), strikeouts (137 in 2021), wins (12 in 2019 and 2021), while his 0.90 ERA this season in second on the school's single season charts. His 34 wins are not only a school record, but also a SLIAC record, while his 364 career strikeouts are second-most in SLIAC history.
 
Smevoll, who was a Second-Team All-SLIAC selection and the MVP of the SLIAC Tournament, earns his First-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region selection as a starting pitcher after going 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA on the season as the Gorloks' No. 2 starter behind Mulhearn. In 12 appearances and 12 starts, the lefthander tossed one complete game and in 69.1 innings of work, allowed 55 hits, 17 runs, 16 earned runs, while walking 17 and striking out 66. Opposing hitters hit .214 against Smevoll on the year. At the SLIAC Tournament, he earned Tournament MVP honors after going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two starts. On the year, he pitched six or more innings in five of his 12 starts and struck out six or more batters in seven of his 12 starts.
 
Kent, who was a First-Team All-SLIAC selection in 2021 and an ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American in 2018, earns his Third-Team All-Central Region selection at first base this year after leading the Gorloks in hitting with a .357 batting average. On the season, the 2018 Third-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-American recorded 55 hits, scored 29 runs, hit 11 doubles, one triple, three home runs and had 29 RBI in 45 games. In addition, he was walked 20 times, struck out just 10 times in 154 at-bats and recorded a .500 slugging percentage and a .428 on-base percentage and was 5-for-5 on stolen bases. He also finished the season with just one error in 309 fielding chances and had a .997 fielding percentage. In his career as a Gorlok, Kent finished second in school history in hits with 213 and is one of five Gorloks in school history to record 200 or more hits. Kent also holds all-time school marks for games played (181), fielding chances (1,312) and putouts (1,241) and also holds the school's single season mark for hits as he recorded 83 hits as a sophomore in 2018.
 
Swords, who was a First-Team All-SLIAC selection in 2021 and was an ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American in 2019, earns his Third-Team All-Central Region selection this season after leading the Gorloks in hits (56), doubles (15), triples (3), RBI (35) and was second in runs scored (42) and was tied for fourth in walks with 18. In addition, he hit .346 with a .512 slugging percentage and a .426 on-base percentage and was 8-for-9 in stolen bases on the season. He also recorded 16 multi-hit games and had eight multiple RBI games. Additionally, Swords is one of just five players in school history to record 200 career hits and he has rapped out 203 hits, which is fourth-most in school history and is second in school history in both doubles (56) and RBI (141) and is fourth in career runs scored with 145.
 
Smith, who was a Second-Team All-SLIAC selection this season, earns his ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-Team All-Central Region selection at designated hitter after hitting .313 on the season with a team-leading .531 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage. On the season, Smith recorded 46 hits, scored 32 runs, hit eight doubles, three triples and led the team in home runs with six and had 34 RBI, which was second most on the team. In addition, he walked 22 times, was 7-for-9 on stolen bases and struck out just 16 times in 147 at-bats. Smith also had 14 multi-hit games and eight multiple RBI games and his .447 career on-base percentage is sixth on the school's career charts.
 
Here are the 2021 ABCA/Rawlings Division III All-Central Region Baseball Teams:
First Team
C - Rob Marinec, So., North Central (Ill.)
1B – Bailey Reed, Sr., Illinois College
2B – Matt O'Leary, So., Beloit
3B – Benton Holly, Jr., Carroll
SS – Jake Reinhardt, Sr., North Park
OF – Dylan Callahan, Sr., Carroll
OF – Payton Jancsy, Gr., Chicago
OF – Riley Legrand, Sr., Coe
DH – Brett Kiger, So., Beloit
UTL – T.J. Johnson, Sr., Coe
P – Matt Mulhearn, Gr., Webster
P – Ryan Loutos, Sr, WashU
P – Jordan Smevoll, Fr., Webster
P – Luke Lamm, Jr., North Central (Ill.)
RP – Jared Fong, Sr., WashU

Second Team
C – Luke Plunkett, Jr., Luther
2B – Tim Van Kirk, Jr., WashU
3B – Kelby Johnson, Sr., Luther
SS – Luke Fennelly, Sr., Loras
SS - Caleb Durbin, Jr., WashU
SS – Eric Meyer, Sr., Spalding
OF – Luke Lehnen, Fr., North Central (Ill.)
OF – Braeden Dobbs, Jr., Fontbonne
OF – Isaac Evans, Sr., Coe
OF – Frank Bryan, Jr., Millikin
DH – Daniel Youngblood, Jr., Fontbonne
UTL – Brent Beals, Sr., Millikin
UTL – Griffin King, So., Illinois College
P – Jack Parisi, Sr., Spalding
P – Peyton Hood, Sr., Spalding
P – Adam Zuck, Sr., Millikin 
P – T.J. Deardorff, Sr., Coe
RP – Ethan Peters, Jr., Loras

Third Team
C – Brett Riegler, Jr., Chicago
1B – Kyler Kent, Gr., Webster
1B – Bryce Pryblinski, Sr., Carthage
2B – Tyler Blum, So., Illinois College
3B – Ben Swords, Jr., Webster
SS – Trey Romay, Sr., Elmhurst
SS – Nick Terrell, Jr., Ripon (Wis.)
OF – Dom Listi, So., North Central (Ill.)
OF – Caleb Sass, Sr., Cornell (Iowa)
OF – Matt Crandall, Jr., Beloit
DH – A.J. Smith, Sr., Webster
P – Tyler Tenneyson, Gr., Buena Vista
P – Alec Michaelson, Sr., Augustana (Ill.)
P – Caleb Collins, So., Spalding
P – Ryan Behling, Jr. North Central (Ill.)
RP – John Hayes, Sr., Augustana (Ill.)
Central Region Position Player of the Year – Jake Reinhardt, Sr., North Park
Central Region Pitcher of the Year – Matt Mulhearn, Gr., Webster