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Although the official end of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference occurred in late May, the awards kept coming through June for the top players in the league. And recently, three MCAC standouts have  been named to the top level of NJCAA baseball: All-American. 

Infielder Mason Ruhlman of Riverland Community College and pitcher Ricky Garcia of St. Cloud Technical and Community College were named to the 2017 NJCAA Division III Second Team.  Additionally, pitcher Eric Alicea of Minnesota West Community and Technical College earned Third Team All-American status. 

Ruhlman was a key figure in the great run put together by Riverland Community College in the post-season, as they played their way to the Minnesota College Athletic Conference championship and the Region XIII championship game.  Ruhlman hit .400 for the season, with 37 RBI's and a slugging percentage of .800

Garcia went 9 and 1 on the year for the Cyclones, with a season ERA of 2.09.  Garcia was the workhorse of the St. Cloud staff, pitching a team-leading 64.2 innings, with seven complete games to his credit.

Minnesota West's Alicea was undefeated as a starting pitcher, going a perfect 10-0 for the BlueJays.  He also picked up a save along the way in 2017, while tossing four complete games for the Southern Division champion.  His 62 total innings worked were top among the Minnesota West pitchers, and among the top four in the MCAC across all divisions.  

For a complete list of the NJCAA Division III All-American baseball team, please click here. 

Story courtesy of MCAC Sports