Trailblazer baseball trio earns All-Conference honors
VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomores Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.), Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) and Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) each picked up some individual honors for this past season. Burdette would be named second team All-Conference, as well as earning a spot on the All-Region 24 team, while Evans earned second team All-Conference honors for the second year in a row and Colin Long was named to the Region 24 Rawlings Gold Glove team for the second time. Burdette continually set the tone early and often for the VU baseball team, serving as the Trailblazers leadoff hitter and leading the Blazers this season with an outstanding .408 batting average and a team-high 75 hits and scoring a team-leading 59 runs this past season.
VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomores Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.), Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) and Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) each picked up some individual honors for this past season.
Burdette would be named second team All-Conference, as well as earning a spot on the All-Region 24 team, while Evans earned second team All-Conference honors for the second year in a row and Colin Long was named to the Region 24 Rawlings Gold Glove team for the second time.
Burdette continually set the tone early and often for the VU baseball team, serving as the Trailblazers leadoff hitter and leading the Blazers this season with an outstanding .408 batting average and a team-high 75 hits and scoring a team-leading 59 runs this past season.
Burdette always seemed to find a way to get on base, in 226 plate appearances this season, Burdette only struck out 15 times and drew 28 walks, while hitting nine doubles, three triples and driving in 25 RBIs.
Once Burdette got on base he would still find ways to cause problems for the opposing defense, stealing 21 bases on the season.
Burdette closed out his VU career with 132 career hits, 51 RBIs, 45 walks, 37 stolen bases and a .373 batting average over two seasons.
Colton Evans finished off his sophomore season by earning a spot on the second-team All-Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) team for the second time in his VU career.
Evans split time this season between playing third base and in the outfield and certainly left an impression on several MWAC conference pitchers.
Evans led the Trailblazers this season with seven home runs, 50 RBIs, 13 doubles and four triples, while batting .345 for the season and having a team-high .591 slugging percentage.
Evans's 140 hits at Vincennes University is good for fourth all-time in school history.
Evans finished his VU baseball career with 30 doubles, 10 home runs, 92 RBIs, eight triples, 89 runs scored and a .380 batting average.
Evans has verbally committed to play next season at NAIA Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tenn.
The Vincennes regular season honorees is rounded out by VU's new All-Time hits leader Colin Long, who was named to the NJCAA Region 24 Division II Rawling Gold Glove team for the second year in a row.
Long was a pitcher's best friend out in center field this season for the Trailblazers, finishing the season with a stellar .991 fielding percentage, recording 115 defensive putouts and only committing one error in 55 games this season.
Offensively, Long obviously held his own as well, setting a new Vincennes University school record for hits in a career this season with 173. Long finished the season with 51 hits, 12 doubles, 23 RBIs and a .307 batting average.
Long closed out his three-year Trailblazer career with 173 hits, 27 doubles, 10 triples, four home runs, 63 RBIs, 57 walks, 24 stolen bases and a .337 batting average.
Long has verbally committed to playing next season at Indiana University-Southeast in New Albany.
This trio guided the Trailblazers to a 25-33 record this past season, with a 13-19 record in MWAC Conference play and earned VU a fourth-consecutive trip to the MWAC Conference baseball tournament.
The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Ethan Burdette, Colton Evans and Colin Long on their tremendous accomplishments this season and wishes them good luck as they continue their baseball career next season.
2023 NJCAA Division II All-Region 24 Baseball team
Pitchers
Alex Pipes – Parkland
Porter Conn – Lincoln Land
Jason Buhl – Heartland
Catcher
Ben Hartl – Heartland
Designated Hitter
Josh Heyder – Illinois Central
Infielders
Sam Antonacci – Heartland
Austin Gomm – Parkland
ETHAN BURDETTE – VINCENNES
Beau Durbin – Illinois Central
Outfielders
Payton Mansfield – John Wood
Corey Boyette – Heartland
Chase Becker – Parkland
Player of the Year – Sam Antonacci – Heartland
NJCAA Region 24 Division II Rawlings Gold Glove Team
Outfielders
COLIN LONG – VINCENNES
Payton Mansfield – John Wood
Chase Becker – Parkland
Infielders
Ben Stedman – Lewis & Clark
Tyler Bickers – John Wood
Garrett Myers – John Wood
2023 MWAC All-Conference Teams
First Team
Pitchers
Alex Pipes – Parkland
Jason Buhl – Heartland
Porter Conn – Lincoln Land
Infielders
Sam Antonacci – Heartland
Austin Gomm – Parkland
Beau Durbin – Illinois Central
Josh Heyder – Illinois Central
Outfielders
Payton Mansfield – John Wood
Corey Boyette – Heartland
Chase Becker – Parkland
Catcher
Ben Hartl – Heartland
SECOND TEAM
Pitchers
Mitch Dye – Lincoln Land
Maede Johnson – Heartland
Luke Wright – Heartland
Infielders
ETHAN BURDETTE – VINCENNES
Gallien Coupet – Heartland
Jackson Blemler – Parkland
Outfielders
COLTON EVANS – VINCENNES
Kody Morton – Danville Area
Gavin Huebner – Lewis & Clark
Gant Pohlman – Lincoln Land
Honorable Mention
Logan Munroe – John Wood
Andrew Watts – Lewis & Clark
Adam Lindsey – Lincoln Land
Gage Burdick – Illinois Central
Jacyk Uehling – Heartland
Jake Radosevich – Lewis & Clark
Freshman of the Year – Payton Mansfield – John Wood
Player of the Year – Sam Antonacci – Heartland
Pitcher of the Year – Alex Pipes – Parkland
Coach of the Year – Chris Razo – Heartland