Three Norse Named First Team All-Conference - Also Named to All-Central Region Team
May 14, 2008
The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced the 2008 all-conference baseball team May 13, as selected by the IIAC head coaches. Three members of the Luther baseball team were named first-team all-conference. This trio included senior Jeff Hiatt (Dubuque, Iowa/Senior) and juniors Adam Kohls (Hampton, Iowa/Hampton-Dumont) and Jake Waddle (Coon Rapids, Iowa/Coon Rapids-Bayard).
Hiatt is making his second appearance on the all-conference squad, his first as a first-team honoree. Hiatt finished the 2008 league schedule ranked second in batting with an average of .430. He led the league in hits with 34 and was tied for fourth with 22 rbi.
For the season, he batted .378 driving in a team best 35 rbi. He was also credited with a team high 110 assists and only seven errors while covering the shortstop position.
Kohls is making his third consecutive appearance on the all-conference team, his second as a first team selection. Kohls produced another outstanding effort on the mound. He made eight appearances in league action, starting six games and throwing four complete outings. He posted a record of 4-1 en route to an era of 2.49, the third lowest in the IIAC.
Kohls also led the Norse pitching staff with a 5-2 record, throwing 63 innings, striking out a pitching staff best 57, while posting an era of 2.86.
Waddle is also making his second consecutive appearance as a first-team selection. Waddle batted .411 in league action, leading the conference in doubles with 10, and was second in triples with two. He also finished third in total bases with 50.
He completed the year atop the Norse batting charts posting a batting average of .421 with 28 rbi. His team best slugging percentage of .653 was the result of team highs for doubles (14), triples (4) and home runs (2). His 14 doubles ties the single season school record shared by John Jaeger '05 in 2004 and Kyle Schroeder '07 in 2007.
Complete all-conference release (word doc)
All three were also named to the 2008 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) / Rawlings All-Central Region team. Waddle was a second team selection, while Hiatt and Kohls were named third team honorees.
The Norse completed the regular season IIAC schedule in fourth place with a record of 11-10. Following two losses at the Iowa Conference Tournament, the Norse ended the year with a mark of 17-18.
