Sophomores Caleb Howell and Brant Valach, and freshman Jake Johansmeier received All-Ohio Valley Conference baseball honors.

The post-season award recipients were announced by the OVC last Tuesday.  

Meanwhile, Eastern announced that 16 Panther players will play in summer leagues before they return in the fall.

Howell earned OVC honors for the second time in a row after being chosen for the all-newcomer team as a freshman.  The sophomore led the team with a .362 batting average and .377 in OVC play.  His average placed the outfielder at fifth in the OVC overall.  

Howell also had an Eastern-best .442 on-base percentage.  

For sophomore and former OVC rookie of the year Brant Valach, it was also his second consecutive year to receive an all-OVC selection.  Valach tied with teammate Howell at 64 hits to lead the Panthers.  

Valach scored 34 times and sent four shots out of the park.  Additionally, he hit 19 doubles to tie for sixth on the single-season list in Eastern history.

Johansmeier was selected for the All-OVC newcomer team.  

The right-handed pitcher finished with a 3-4 record in 20 appearances for the Panthers.

He had 33 strikeouts and 21 in OVC play.  He led the pitching staff for Eastern in ERA during OVC play with a 3.27 average.

Johansmeier came to Eastern last year as one of the top 25 best players in the state of Illinois according to the Prep Baseball Report in 2012.

The OVC baseball Player of the Year was Craig Massoni, a junior first baseman for Austin Peay State University.  Austin Peay also claimed the Pitcher of the Year award with senior Tyler Rogers.

Howell, Valach and Johansmeier will join 13 of their teammates in summer leagues this year.

Howell will play with the Gems in Quincy, Ill. while Valach will travel to Wisconsin to play with the Lakeshore Chinooks.  Johansmeier will join the Dupage Hounds.

The Panthers will place three players in the Coastal Plains league this summer.  The CPL is a league that models itself off a professional experience using wooden bats and pulling collegiate baseball players from around the country.

Junior infielder Tyler Schweigert will travel to Southern California to play with the Southern California Catch in the California Collegiate league.  

The CCL is comprised of eight teams and has placed several players in the major leagues since its inaugural season in 1994.

Coach Jim Schmitz said before Eastern’s final series with Tennessee-Martin that he was hoping to add some firepower to his lineup for the future.  The Panthers’ summer league placements are designed to improve that element of the team’s play.