Five Olivet College baseball players earn All-MIAA honors

Five Olivet College baseball players have been named to the 2009 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) teams. Seniors Ryan Hodges (Swartz Creek) and Scott Purdy (Traverse City/West) have earned first-team honors. Seniors Brandon Goodman (Portage/Central) and Rob Swanson (Marshall) along with junior Tyler Kelly (Marshall) are second-team selections. All-league honors are based on a player's statistics during the 28-game MIAA schedule.

Hodges, who split time between third base and the outfield, ranked among the MIAA leaders and posted a team-best .398 batting average, 29 runs scored, 35 base hits, nine doubles, three home runs, 53 total bases and .602 slugging percentage. He also walked 17 times and was hit by a pitch seven times for a .513 on-base percentage. Purdy had a .341 batting average and was second in the MIAA with 29 RBI. He started all 28 games at first base and made just three errors in 229 chances for a .987 fielding percentage. Purdy also earned first-team All-MIAA honors last season.

Goodman, a 2008 first-team All-MIAA selection, was second on the team with a .360 batting average, 29 hits and 18 RBI. He started 22 games in left field and played a flawless defense, committing zero errors in 38 chances. Swanson hit .310 and ranked second on the team with 18 runs scored. Defensively, he played both second base and shortstop and made only six errors in 129 chances. On the mound, Kelly made seven starts with five complete games. A transfer from Kellogg Community College, he had a 3-3 record and team-low 4.04 ERA in 42 and one-third innings, while striking out 17.

Under the direction of third-year Head Coach Ted Mahan, Olivet finished the 2009 season with a 19-21 overall record, including a 15-13 record against MIAA opponents. The Comets tied Hope College for third-place in the league standings; however, they won three-of-four games against the Flying Dutchmen