Central lands three league baseball picks
Central College
PELLA—Led by shortstop Mike Furlong (junior, Davenport, Assumption HS), three Central College baseball players received Iowa Conference honors Wednesday.
Furlong is a first-team selection while pitcher Joel Pulliam (junior, Des Moines, Lincoln HS) and center fielder Sam Stetzel (sophomore, Perry) are second-team picks.
Third baseman Anthony Miller (senior, Davenport, Assumption HS) and second baseman Adam Ariola (freshman, Bloomington, Ill., Normal HS) received honorable mention.
Furlong is on the squad for a third time, earning second-team honors in 2010 and first team in 2009. He set school records for career assists (315), tied the career triples record (12) and is second on the career hits leaderboard (183). Furlong led the Dutch with a .374 batting average, hitting 10 doubles, a team-high three triples and 19 RBI, along with a team-leading 17 stolen bases.
Pulliam is tabbed for the second time, being listed as a second-team choice last season. He set records for season strikeouts (85), season shutouts (3) and career shutouts (4). Pulliam posted a 6-4 record with a 2.20 earned run average, walking 27.
Stetzel is cited for the first time, hitting .331 with 19 RBI and team-best 10 sacrifice hits.
Miller, a 2010 second-team pick, hit .346 with two doubles, two triples and 16 RBI.
Named as a utility player, Ariola batted .362 with 10 doubles and team-best 29 RBI. He stole nine bases.
The Dutch compiled a 22-19 overall record with a 12-12 league mark. The squad advanced to the league tournament for its seventh time in the last eight years.
