Rochester, MN-
Following strong performances in the 2018 baseball season, two student-athletes from the Minnesota College Athletic Conference have earned All-America honors.
Mason Ruhlman of Riverland Community College and Luis Massa Ortiz of St. Cloud Technical & Community College were tabbed to the prestigious year-end teams. Ortiz picked up Second Team, All-America honors while Ruhlman was named to the Third Team. CLICK THIS LINK for the list of the 2018 NJCAA First, Second and Third Team All-America selections in baseball.
Ortiz was a major factor behind the Cyclones success in 2018, hitting for a .424 average and 35 RBI's while earning MCAC All-Division, MCAC All-State and NJCAA All-Region XIII honors. He led SCTCC in hits (42), runs scored (36) and home runs (12). Ortiz, a freshman from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, and his St. Cloud Technical and Community College teammates rolled through the Central Division regular season and MCAC/Region XIII tournament field to qualify for the 2018 NJCAA Division III World Series, held in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Cyclones went 1-2, finishing in fifth place. For complete results of the NJCAA Division III World Series, please go to: http://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2017-18/div3/national_championship/index
Riverland Community College dominated the Southern Division ranks in MCAC play this past spring, with Mason Ruhlman leading the Blue Devils to an undefeated 12-0 Southern Division record and 23-6 overall mark. Ruhlman, an Algonac, Michigan product, contributed in a myriad of ways for Riverland. In a 104 at-bats, Ruhlman hit .423, had 38 RBI's and scored 40 runs. He cracked six home runs, three triples and collected 14 doubles en route to a .788 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, Ruhlman notched 20 strike outs over 16 innings of work for the Blue Devils, conceding only 3 earned runs over that time.
Complete Minnesota College Athletic Conference baseball information is available at: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/bsb/index
This release sponsored in part by:
The United Heroes League seeks to keep military kids healthy and active through sports while their parents are serving the nation. The United Heroes League is headquartered in Hastings, Minnesota and offers several opportunities for colleges, businesses, organizations and individuals to help support their cause. The #1 goal for the United Heros League is to ensure that all 5 million military kids are able to develop critical life skills through sports. This intense focus on youth development and serving the families of our miliary service members motivates the United Heroes League to keep programs focused. This focus has also inspired over 90 professional athletes and over 30 sports franchises to lend their name and support to the United Heroes League.
About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.