Baseball Puts Three On The ABCA All-Midwest Region Team

2021 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. II All-Region Teams

MIDLAND, MICH. – The Northwood University baseball team placed a total of three players on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Midwest Region team.

The teams are voted on by members of the ABCA and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. II All-America Committee.

Senior outfielder Cole Brooks was named First Team All-Region, while redshirt freshman catcher Matt Magno and sophomore outfielder Jacob Rybicki each claimed Second Team honors.

Brooks has now earned First Team All-Region honors from the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the ABCA. He has already been named a First Team All-American by the NCBWA. Brooks was named the GLIAC Player of the Year this season, becoming the first Northwood player to win  the award since Ed Clements in 1995. This season, Brooks ranked second in the GLIAC in batting average (.425), on-base percentage (.509), runs batted in (60), hits (76), doubles (19) and on-base percentage (.509). Brooks had at least two hits in 25 of 46 games played this season. He tied the Northwood record for RBIs in a season and now ranks fourth in school history for batting average in a season.

Magno had a major impact for the Timberwolves in his first season. He batted .347 with nine home runs and 52 RBIs. He ranked fifth in the GLIAC in both home runs and RBIs. Magno also stood eighth in total bases (99) and tenth in runs (38) in the conference. He now ranks sixth in school history for RBIs in a season and ninth in home runs.

Rybicki was a force at the top of the lineup for Northwood this season, ending the year with a .345 average to go with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs. He led the GLIAC in stolen bases (25) and walks (37) while ranking second in home runs, third in runs (58) and triples (four) as well as third in slugging percentage (.661) and fifth in on-base percentage (.473).

Northwood finished the year 29-17 overall and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament.