OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference announced its 2022 All-SAC Baseball Team on Monday and after never having more than three recipients in a single season, the Mid-America Christian baseball team putting together its winningest season in the NAIA Era (2008-present) placed seven players on the esteemed list.
Four Evangels earned All-SAC First Team honors as junior outfielder Andrew Enwiya, senior catcher Yan Ely Adames, freshman utility player Isaiah Leon and senior starting pitcher Frensly Leito were selected while junior designated hitter German Sepulveda and sophomore starting pitcher Zane Robeaux raked in Second Team accolades. For the first time in program history, the Evangels also had a player selected to the Gold Glove Team as senior second baseman Andres Gonzalez garnered the award.
In his first season with MACU, Enwiya has been putting up unprecedented hitting numbers. The Modesto, California product comes into the week with a .424 batting average (61-144) with 12 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 47 RBIs and 39 runs scored.
Enwiya's 13 homers are currently just one away from matching Adrian Bravo-Carmona's NAIA Era single-season record (14, 2010) and are the fourth-most in the SAC this season. On-top of the power numbers, Enwiya's batting average is also rated as the sixth-highest in the league and is also posting fourth-highest slugging percentage .819 as well as the fifth-highest on-base percentage at .514.
Another newcomer that has been putting up astounding hitting numbers, Leon enters the week with a .391 batting average (61-156) with 11 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 27 RBIs and a team-leading 60 runs and 12 stolen bases.
The Evangels leadoff hitter has already shattered Sam Lewis' single-season runs record (54, 201)) and with his fourth triple in the SAC Tournament matched Nathan Milton (4, 2009) at the top of the MACU record book. Leon's 60 runs ranks as the fourth-most in the SAC this season while the four triples is the second-most in the league. The Simi Valley, California native also holds the sixth-best on-base percentage in the conference at .510.
Earning his third straight All-SAC First Team honor, Adames has continued to add to his legendary MACU career from the dish. This season, Adames is batting .359 (60-167) with a team-best 16 doubles, one triple and five home runs with a team-high 47 RBIs and 21 runs.
Alongside Enwiya, Adames' 47 runs driven in ranks as the eighth-best clip in the SAC while the 16 two-baggers sits in 12th in the conference.
In his four seasons with the Evangels, Adames is the program's NAIA Era career hits leader (200) and also holds the career program records for doubles (44), RBIs (144), total bases (312), at-bats (560) and needs only one more run to match Felix Martinez (2018-20) at the top of the runs record book (97).
Also earning another All-SAC First Team honor, Leito garnered the First Team award for the second year in a row after completing the regular season with a 5-2 record and a 2.34 earned run average with a 1.09 WHIP, a .183 opponent batting average and a team-best 94 strikeouts to only 26 walks over 61.2 innings of work.
The 6-4 right from Wilhelmstead, Curacao has put up one of the best single seasons by a pitcher in program history as Leito holds the third-lowest ERA in the SAC as well as the third-most strikeouts.
In a win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Mar. 4, Leito tied Keisy Portorreal's single-game strikeouts record with 17 while coming away with one of his two complete-game shutouts on the year.
Earning Second Team acclaim, Sepulveda swung an electric bat for the Evangels in April and May thus far. After possessing a .250 batting average on Apr. 2, the Bronx, N.Y. product has raised his batting average 157 points to .357 (41-115) with eight doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 43 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Sepulveda ranks in the top 25 in the SAC in several statistical categories, including batting average (22nd), on-base percentage (.435, 25th), slugging percentage (.626, 18th), home runs (20th) ad RBIs (19th).
In postseason play, Sepulveda garnered NCCAA Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors after batting .571 (8-of-14) with three doubles, two home runs, 12 RBIs and six runs in three games during the SAC Tournament over the weekend.
Another Second Team honoree, Robeaux has started more games than any other pitcher. The Mustang, Okla. native is the team's co-leader in wins, boasting a 7-3 record with a 5.35 ERA. In a team-best 72.1 innings of work, Robeaux is allowing just a .237 opponent batting average and has struck out 90 batters to only 38 walks.
Robeaux has thrown the sixth-most innings of any pitcher in the SAC this season while tallying the seventh-most wins and the seventh-most strikeouts. His seven wins is tied with teammate Kelton Lachelt for the second-most during the NAIA Era and is only the sixth pitcher since 2008 to record 90 or more strikeouts in a season.
Rounding out the Evangels award winners, senior second baseman Andres Gonzalez has played nothing short of incredible defense at second base for MACU this season.
In 101 chances, Gonzalez has not recorded a single error and has recorded 52 putouts to go with 49 assists and has turned eight double plays. The native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is one of only two players in the SAC to have a perfect fielding percentage in 100 or more chances.
Heading into NCCAA postseason play, Mid-America Christian is putting together its winningest season since the 2008 season, as the Evangels currently hold a 31-20 (.608) overall record, tallying the most wins since the 2005 campaign (31-25).
MACU is now preparing to compete in its first NCCAA World Series in more than 20 years as the Evangels will compete at the Kansas City Royals Youth Academy in Kansas City, Mo. from May 20-24.
