Complete 2012 ABCA All-Central/Gold Glove Team

A total of five North Park baseball players were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Central/Gold Glove team for the 2012 season.

Seniors Tony Sanchez, Steve Kuligowski and Nick Soldano earned First Team honors, while senior Matt Rice earned Second Team honors and sophomore Eric Sousanes was named to the All-Central Gold Glove Team.

After transferring from Division I Chicago State University, Sanchez, a native of Plainfield, Illinois who was also an All-CCIW Second Team selection, had a team second-best .384 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.

Kuligowski, a native of Grayslake, Illinois, who earned All-CCIW First Team honors as well and D3Baseball.com All-Central Region honors, led the team with a 2.76 earned run average and had a team second-best 91 strikeouts. In addition, he had a .262 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.

Soldano, a native of Lake Zurich, Illinois, who was also named an All-CCIW First Team selection as well as CCIW Co-Pitcher of the Year and a D3Baseball.com All-Central Region and Pitcher of the Year, led the team with 99 strikeouts and a second-best 3.12 earned run average. He also had a second-best 9-2 record and .258 opponents' batting average. In addition he earned two CCIW Pitcher of the Week honors (April 3 and May 1) and pitched a season-high 101 innings, earning one save.

Making all 46 starts in center field, Rice, a native of Park Ridge, Illinois, and an All-CCIW First Team pick as well as a D3Baseball.com All-Central Region selection, led the team in batting average (.392) and led the team in on-base percentage (.495). He also had a team second-best 43 runs scored, a third-best 62 hits and led the team in hit by pitch (14) and stolen bases (22).

In all 46 games started, Sousanes, a native of Aurora, Illinois, had a .280 batting average with 10 doubles, a triple and one home run. He also had a .946 fielding average and stole 12 bases in 17 attempts.

North Park finished the season with a 32-14 record, the most wins by a Viking squad since the 1983 season, and captured the CCIW regular season and tournament championship, its first outright in 22 years.