Nathan DeChaine was named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Player of the Year to highlight the Mustangs’ selections on the 2018 All-GPAC Baseball Team.

Nathan DeChaine, a senior third baseman from Brainerd, Minn., is the 2018 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year to highlight the Mustangs’ selections on the 2018 All-GPAC Baseball Team.

Morningside’s Sam Huska and Richard Mitchell joined DeChaine on the All-GPAC First Team.

DeChaine collected a team-high 59 hits in 157 at-bats to lead Morningside with a .376 batting average to go along with a team-high 14 home runs and 49 RBIs to become the Mustangs’ first player to lead the team in all three Triple Crown hitting categories since Jared Noteboom batted .391 with 10 home runs and 67 RBIs in 2000. DeChaine topped the GPAC in home runs and RBIs and was the league’s fourth leading hitter.

Aside from leading the Mustangs in batting average, home runs and RBIs, DeChaine also topped the Mustangs with 39 runs scored, 31 base on balls, a .726 slugging percentage and a .492 on-base percentage and ranked second on the team with 13 doubles.

DeChaine earned first-team All-GPAC laurels for the third time in his career. DeChaine, a second-team All-GPAC pick as a freshman, is Morningside’s all-time career leader with 47 home runs and 212 RBIs.

Huska, a sophomore outfielder-infielder from Windom, Minn., collected 54 hits in 167 at-bats for a .323 batting average with 14 doubles, two home runs and 31 RBIs. Huska led the Mustangs in doubles and ranked second on the team in batting average and third in RBIs.

Mitchell, a senior pitcher from Bakersfield, Calif., was the ace of the Mustangs’ pitching staff with a 7-4 record and a 3.45 earned run average. Mitchell had 64 strikeouts and walked only 12 batters in 78.1 innings pitched. Mitchell led the Mustangs in victories, innings pitched and strikeouts and was their co-leader with two complete games.

Mitchell posted a 25-8 record over his four-year career for the most career pitching victories in Morningside history.

In addition to their three first-team selections, the Mustangs’ Elliott Conover, Joe Genoways, Andrew Kasperbauer, Mitch Kellogg, Dylan Mersola, Jordan Pierce, Cody Selig and Cameron Wagner received honorable mention All-GPAC recognition.

Conover, a junior pitcher from Remsen, Iowa, had nine saves with a 2.92 earned run average and struck out 32 batters in 24.2 innings as the Mustangs’ closer.

Genoways, a senior first baseman from Fort Calhoun, Neb., hit .287 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBIs.

Kasperbauer, a junior outfielder from Sioux City, hit .287 with six doubles, five home runs and 31 RBIs.

Kellogg, a senior catcher from Glendale, Calif., hit .291 with three doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs.

Mersola, a senior shortstop from Sun Valley, Calif., hit .312 with four doubles and 15 RBIs.

Pierce, a freshman second baseman from Carlisle, Iowa, hit .289 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

Selig, a senior pitcher from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, had a 4-4 record with a 5.34 earned run average and was the Mustangs’ co-leader with two complete games.

Wagner, a senior pitcher from Omaha, Neb., had a 4-1 record with a 7.18 earned run average.

Morningside posted a 22-25-1 record and finished fifth in the GPAC standings with a 14-12 league mark.

Click here for the complete 2018 All-GPAC Baseball Team.