Central’s Edwards, Saunders named to all-Iowa Conference baseball second team
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — Central College’s sophomore starting pitcher Zach Edwards (Des Moines, Lincoln HS) and junior shortstop Garrett Saunders (Bonaparte, Van Buren HS) were named to the all-Iowa Conference second team Wednesday.
Senior pitcher Dylan Diveney (Marshalltown) was also named to the honorable mention squad.
Edwards finished the conference season with a 2-2 record, 3.35 ERA and a save. He struck out 37 batters while logging 40.1 innings. The best outing for the sophomore was against Wartburg College April 28 in a 3-2 victory, Edwards threw a complete game, surrendering two runs while striking out six.
Saunders led the team in batting during conference play, hitting .293 in 99 at-bats with 29 hits, seven doubles, a triple and a home run. He converted 8-of-9 stolen base attempts during league play and scored 14 runs. Saunders finished the season with a flurry of hits, going 6-for-13 over the season’s final series against Loras College (May 4-5), including a 4-for-5 performance in the series opener.
A former league MVP, Diveney finished conference play with a record of 1-3, 4.03 ERA and a team-high 44 strikeouts. Diveney threw a gem in his final start for the Dutch, throwing five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six.
