Mike Waddell, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College baseball team, became the sixteenth player in the program's history to earn NAIA All-American honors when the awards were announced recently.
Waddell, a 6-foot-4 junior right-handed pitcher from Cardington, Ohio, was selected as an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American after posting a 6-3 record with a team-best 2.81 earned run average. The former Cardington-Lincoln High School standout, who was also named the American Mideast Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2000, struck out a team-high 74 batters in 67 1/3 innings of work while issuing just 24 walks. Opposing batters only managed a .231 batting average against him for the season.
In addition to his accomplishments on the mound, Waddell also batted .345 and led the team with six home runs and 44 runs batted in. He also recorded nine doubles, two triples, and 32 runs scored.
The Cougars posted a 29-20 overall record and a 14-8 conference mark this season. MVNC advanced to the championship game of the NAIA Region IX Tournament before falling to Shawnee State University, who eventually finished fifth at the NAIA College World Series.
