2012 All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Team

A total of seven North Park baseball players were named to the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Conference team for the 2012 season.

In addition, North Park junior Nick Soldano was named CCIW Co-Pitcher of the Year, only the second pitcher in North Park history to receive that honor, and head coach Luke Johnson was named CCIW Co-Coach of the Year.

“This is just a testament to how hard our guys worked and continue to work towards our ultimate goal—an NCAA national championship,” Johnson said. “I couldn't be more proud of our team and the dedication that they continue to give on the field and in the classroom.”

North Park seniors Steve Kuligowski and Matt Rice, along with junior Nick Soldano and sophomore Mike Coduto were named to the All-CCIW First Team, while seniors Joel Bonnett, Tony Sanchez and Brad Medina earned All-CCIW Second Team honors.

Kuligowski, a native of Grayslake, Illinois, led the team with a 2.57 earned run average and had a team second-best 85 strikeouts. In addition, he had a .253 opponents' batting average, and a team-best 11-2 record, becoming only the second pitcher in North Park history to reach double-digit wins in a season.

Making all 43 starts in center field, Rice, a native of Park Ridge, Illinois, was second on the team in batting average (.383) and led the team in on-base percentage (.492). He also had a team second-best 42 runs scored, a third-best 57 hits and led the team in hit by pitch (14) and stolen bases (22).

Soldano, a native of Lake Zurich, Illinois, led the team with 93 strikeouts and a second-best 3.00 earned run average. He also had a second-best 9-1 record and .257 opponents' batting average. In addition he earned two CCIW Pitcher of the Week honors (April 3 and May 1) and pitched a season-high 93 innings, earning one save.

In 43 games started, Coduto, a native of Carol Stream, Illinois, had a team fifth-best .318 batting average with 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs. He also made three appearances as a pitcher, making one start. In 8.2 innings pitched, he struck out six batters and walked two with an 0-1 record.

Bonnett, a native of Springfield, Illinois, appeared in 30 games and made 23 starts at first base after his first three years as a pitcher. He had a .359 batting average, with 33 hits, including 10 doubles and two home runs. In addition, Bonnett was a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases and had .970 fielding percentage.

After transferring from Division I Chicago State University, Sanchez, a native of Plainfield, Illinois, led the team with a .390 batting average, including a team-best six home runs and 15 doubles as well as two triples. He was named CCIW Hitter of the Week March 27 and was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases.

Medina, a native of Mundelein, Illinois, made 35 starts as the team's designated hitter and had a .266 batting average with seven doubles and a triple. He also drove in 26 runs and had 16 runs scored along with 14 walks.

North Park finished the regular season as the CCIW Champions with a 14-7 conference record and a 32-12 overall mark after capturing its first conference tournament title since the 1990 season. The Vikings will open the NCAA Division III National Tournament at the UW-Whitewater Regional where, as the No. 3 seed, will face No.6 seed St. Scholastica Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.