INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Five Kentucky Wesleyan baseball student-athletes were named to the Great Midwest All-Tournament Team for their play during the Panthers conference championship run last week, headlined by Baron Ratliff winning MVP honors.
David Castleberry, Rhett Dysholm, Ethan Ell, and Ellis Hurt were the other four All-Tournament honorees for KWC.
Ratliff hit. 500 with three doubles, three home runs, six RBIs, and six walks across the four games, including a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to break the Oilers' spirits in the championship.
Castleberry appeared in three games out of the bullpen and did not allow a run over 4.2 innings of work. The righty tallied a win and two saves on the week, clinching the title with a game-ending strikeout on Saturday.
Dysholm led the team in hits with eight and notched one double, one triple, and six RBIs. The senior's triple came with the bases loaded in Wesleyan's opening game versus Cedarville, a huge momentum-changing swing that helped KWC complete the comeback.
Ell threw 7.0 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) in Wesleyan's first of two wins over Ashland. Most impressively, the lefty struck out a career-high 11 on a staggering 125 pitches and gave Wesleyan's bullpen some crucial rest.
Hurt ripped a team-high four doubles, including a two-run double with a full count and two outs that tied the game in the top of the eighth versus Findlay. The junior flexed his muscles with totals of seven hits and six RBIs on the week.
All five played vital roles in KWC erasing a 3+ run deficit in all four games in route to their first G-MAC Tournament championship since 2017.
The No. 8-seeded Panthers are back in action this Thursday, March 14th, as their postseason run continues versus top-seeded Grand Valley State to open the NCAA Tournament. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM CT in Allendale, Michigan, and the game will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
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