Issue date: 6/18/09 Section: Sports

Second baseman Jordan Tokarz was one of three Panthers named to the 2009 NCAA Mideast Region Second Team. (File Photo)

Weeks after the conclusion of the season, members of the Eastern baseball team are still racking up awards for their accomplishments during the year.

The latest Panthers to receive honors are second baseman Jordan Tokarz, and pitchers Josh Mueller and Mike Recchia. All three were named to the 2009 NCAA Mideast Region Second Team.

The three players are the first Panthers to receive All-region honors since Mark Chagnon in 2006.

Eastern is one of only three schools in the region to have three All-Mideast selections, joining Indiana and Ohio State.

The all-region first and second teams are voted on by the head coaches of every team in the region.

Tokarz was the team leader in a number of categories this season, including home runs (13), runs scored (55), and sacrifice flies (7). The senior ended his career at Eastern riding a ten game hitting streak. In the field, the second baseman helped turn 26 double plays on the year. Of the 107 games Eastern has played over the past two seasons, Tokarz has started at second in 106.

Mueller went 8-1 this season for the Panthers. In a 10-3 win over UT-Martin on April 10, the sophomore struck out a season-high nine batters and threw the first nine-inning complete game by an Eastern pitcher since 2007. For the season, the Panthers went 11-2 in games that Mueller started.

Recchia posted an 8-2 record in 2009 after the sophomore earned the win in each of his first six appearances, including an 8-6 victory over 15th-ranked Oklahoma on March 15. His ERA of 3.02 for the season is the lowest by an Eastern pitcher to start at least ten games since the school began play in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2007.

Mueller and Recchia are both expected to return to the Panther's rotation in 2010. This summer, Mueller will be pitching for the Wareham Gateman of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Jeff Jurinek can be reached at 581-7944 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.

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