ST. LOUIS, Mo. – This afternoon the 2022 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-Region teams and Regional Players of the Year were announced in all 10 regions. The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. III All-America Committee. For their efforts on the field this season, Ben Kowalski was named First Team All-Region VIII while Ben Swords, Evan Evola, and Alek Elges were all named Second Team All-Region VIII.

Kowalski, a senior relief pitcher out of Ottawa, Illinois, went 10-2 on the season in 27 appearances. His 10 wins were a team high while he also stuck out a team high 72 batters. His 27 appearances ranked second nationally and is the most appearances in a single season in program history. His 10 wins ranked sixth nationally and is tied for third in a single season in the Gorlok record books. He finished the season ranked fifth on the team in earned run average (3.15) and third on the team in innings pitched (71.1) while finishing tied for the team lead with two saves. In addition, he was named the SLIAC Diamond Sports Pitcher of the Week twice this season. This is his first career ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection.

Swords, a senior third baseman out of Freeport, Illinois, ranked in the top five in 11 statistical categories for the team this season. He led the team with six sacrifice flies while tying for a team lead eight homeruns. He ranked second on the team in slugging percentage (.558), RBI (44), doubles (12), walks (24), and tied for second in stolen bases (7). In addition, he finished third in total hits (55), total bases (91), hit by pitches (9), and total at-bats (163) while ranking fifth in runs scored (38). He finished the season as the Gorloks all-time leader in hits (258), RBI (185), games played (201), and games started (201). Following the conclusion of the season, Swords was named Second Team All-SLIAC. This is his third ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection and his first time on the second team.

Evola, a freshman designated hitter out of Ottawa, Illinois, led the team in six offensive statistical categories this season including batting average (.409), slugging percentage (.671), RBI (49), doubles (15), total bases (100), and hit by pitches (12). He finished the year with a team high 19 multi-hit games, including seven games with three hits, while finishing third on the team in runs scored (44), second on the team in total hits (61), and tied for the team lead in homeruns (8). He also finished with a team leading .511 on-base percentage which is the fifth highest single season mark in Webster baseball history. He was named First Team All-SLIAC, the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, and the SLIAC Player of the Year following the conclusion of the regular season. He was just the eighth player in program history to win the SLIAC Player of the Year and the first in a decade. He was also the seventh player in program history to be named SLIAC Newcomer of the Year. This is his first career ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection.

Elges, a sophomore starting pitcher out of Littleton, Colorado, went 9-2 on the mound in 17 appearances this season. He finished the year ranked third on the team in strikeouts (64) and fourth on the team in opposing batting average (.225) while finishing second in both wins (9) and innings pitched. He also recorded two saves on the year which was tied for the team lead and had a 3.21 earned run average. He threw the first perfect game in Webster baseball history on April 30th in a 5-0 win over Greenville (Ill.) University. The perfect game was just the 24th in Division III baseball history. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Elges was named First Team All-SLIAC for the first time in his career. This is his first career ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection.

ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team selections are nominated for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors. The ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-America teams will be announced on Thursday, June 2. The ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove teams for all divisions will be announced Wednesday, June 22.

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.