MAY 9 — Keister, Hisner Rewarded For Outstanding Seasons
Duo named to All-MCC team; Buchholz and Kingsley receive honorable mention status

Junior Joshn Keister Sophomore Erik Hisner

Goshen, IN — Several members of the Goshen baseball team were recently honored with All Mid-Central Collegiate Conference Awards, marking the first such achievement for any player in the Goshen program over the past three years. Junior Josh Keister and sophomore Erik Hisner were named to the All-MCC’s first team by position, as both had outstanding seasons at first and third base, respectively.

Keister single-handedly re-wrote Goshen’s single-season record book from the plate, as he now holds the school’s single-season records in batting average (.468), RBI (50) and hits (65) following this year, as well as tying the Goshen single-season record in scoring 42 runs. Keister also matched his existing school record of 13 doubles for the second straight season, and hit 11 home runs (tying the single-season mark).

Hisner finished right behind Keister, concluding his sophomore year as a .419 batter (fifth in single-season records) while belting 62 hits (second place, single-season). He also knocked in 47 RBI (second place, single-season) and had 10 doubles and scored 27 runs.

“It was nice to see some of our guys’ hard work finally pay off,” said Brent Hoober, Goshen head coach. “It was quite an honor to have our first and third baseman be recognized as the best in the conference at their respective positions. They both had outstanding seasons, and have led us in the direction we want to go.”

Joining Keister and Hisner were senior Geoff Buchholz and junior Chris Kingsley, as that tandem was recognized as honorable mention All-MCC selections. Buchholz had a tremendous final season, batting .340 after batting .297 as a junior. Buchholz also had 12 doubles on the year (second in the Goshen single-season record books), scored 40 runs (third in single-season history) and recorded 20 stolen bases (fifth in single-season history). Buchholz also cranked out five home runs in his senior season and knocked 50 hits out, making him the ninth-best hitter in Goshen single-season history.

Kingsley also performed well from the plate, knocking 51 hits on the year en route to a .375 batting average. He also had 12 doubles (second place, single-season) and scored 29 runs. He also had 27 RBI and knocked out three home runs.

“These awards and player accomplishments are another great example of the direction that our program is headed,” Hoober said. “We truly believe that our best years are ahead of us.”

Goshen finished the season with an on-field record of 17-27 overall, 12-16 in the MCC, giving Hoober’s program a steady improvement over his three-year coaching tenure. For the most up-to-date team information and recruiting news, check back to this site regularly.

Junior Jason Booth Sophomore Josh Snyder Senior Geoff Buchholz

Marion, IN — Despite some of the best Maple Leaf pitching performances of the season this weekend, the Goshen baseball team was defeated in its last four games of the spring, falling twice at Tri-State on Friday and dropping a pair to Mid-Central Collegiate Conference foe Indiana Wesleyan Saturday.

Goshen’s bats couldn’t awaken enough to prevent 1-3 and 2-5 losses against the Thunder Friday, and were even colder on Saturday in 0-1 and 1-2 losses to Indiana Wesleyan. Senior Geoff Buchholz (3-5) took the tough Game 1 loss against Tri-State, despite pitching five innings of shutout baseball. Buchholz provided Goshen’s only run at the game’s very outset, blasting his fifth home run of the season over the centerfield fence from his leadoff position in the top of the first. Despite his attempted heroics, it was not enough to put Goshen in the winner’s bracket.

“It’s too bad that we couldn’t give Bucky any run support pitching like he did,” said Brent Hoober, Goshen head coach. “Geoff pitched an outstanding game in what was the last start of his career at Goshen College. Knowing that it was his last start, he gave everything he had.”

Aside from Buchholz’ offensive production, the Leafs bats were quiet. Junior Matt Walker supplied a double while sophomore Erik Hisner and freshman Josh Gaerte each had a single. No other Leaf recorded a hit.

In the second game on Friday, Tri-State was able to put together a solid stretch in the middle of the game, scoring all five runs in the third, fourth and fifth stanzas. Sophomore Joel Johnson (2-3) was saddled with the pitching loss. Hisner was 3-4 in that game with a double while Kingsley was 2-3 with 2 RBI. Junior Josh Keister finished 2-3 at the plate.

Against a tough Indiana Wesleyan squad on Saturday, Goshen got supreme pitching performances from sophomore Josh Snyder (4-7) and junior Jason Booth (2-5), who took the Game 1 and 2 losses, respectively. The Leafs could only muster three hits in the 0-1 Game 1 defeat and six hits in the Game 2 loss, but the Wildcats weren’t much better: Snyder tossed a three-hit performance in Game 1 while Booth allowed just six hits in his complete-game performance.

“Josh and Jason had outstanding pitching performances on Saturday,” Hoober said. “They combined to give up just 11 hits in 13 innings of work. I consider Indiana Wesleyan one of the better hitting teams in our conference. In our four-game series against them this season, we gave up a total of six runs.”

Buchholz, Hisner and Kingsley all recorded singles in Saturday’s Game 1 defeat, while Buchholz finished the second game with a 2-3 performance and a stolen base. Hisner was 2-3 in the Game 2 loss while Snyder and junior Andrew Lanctot were both 1-3.

In the end, it was a bittersweet season for Goshen, as the squad’s on-the-field record was 17-27 overall, 12-16 in the MCC. However, an administrative error regarding a player’s eligibility was discovered midway through the year, giving the Leafs an official, NAIA-recognized record of 5-39 overall and 5-23 in the MCC (see related story below, dateline Apr. 2). Administrative error notwithstanding, Goshen improved its overall win total by 10 games and upped its conference wins by six games from the year prior, and would have been in the hunt for a regional berth by finishing in the top half of the conference.

Even including the administrative error, the Leafs showed many signs of a program on the rise this season. Buchholz — the lone senior on the squad — improved tremendously in his final year, batting .340 after batting .297 as a junior. Buchholz also had 12 doubles on the year (second in the Goshen single-season record books), scored 40 runs (third in single-season history) and recorded 20 stolen bases (fifth in single-season history). Buchholz also cranked out five home runs in his senior season and knocked 50 hits out, making him the ninth-best hitter in Goshen single-season history.

“Geoff Buchholz finished off an outstanding senior season playing some really good baseball,” Hoober said. “Bucky was determined to have a solid year and it started in the off-season for him. All of his hard work paid off in the numbers that he put up.”

And while the Leafs will miss Buchholz in the leadoff hole next year, Goshen has plenty of bright stars returning. Keister will enter his senior season after setting a new single-season records in batting average (.468), RBI (50) and hits (65) this year, as well as tying the Goshen single-season record in scoring 42 runs. Keister also matched his existing school record of 13 doubles for the second straight season, and hit 11 home runs (tying the single-season mark).

Hisner finished his sophomore year as a .419 batter (fifth in single-season records) and belted 62 hits (second place, single-season) and knocked out 47 RBI (second place, single-season). Hisner also cranked out 10 doubles and scored 27 runs.

Kingsley belted 51 hits on the year en route to a .375 batting average. He also had 12 doubles (second place, single-season) and scored 29 runs. He also had 27 RBI and knocked out three home runs.

“Even though we lost our last four games of the year, we go away feeling pretty good about our performances and where we’re at as a program,” Hoober said. “We are getting a little better each year. The best is yet to come.”