CHICAGO – Five members of the Saint Xavier University baseball team (31-25/17-10 CCAC) earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) awards after the conclusion of the CCAC Tournament Tuesday evening that saw the Cougars defeat Indiana University South Bend to earn an automatic berth into the NAIA Opening Round. Sophomore outfielder Kevin Dowling (Chicago, Ill./Murray State/Mount Carmel) and sophomore pitcher Nico Saldias (Ajax, Ontario/Connors State/Pickering) were named to the All-CCAC First Team, while junior catcher Evan Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy) claimed All-CCAC Second Team honors. Senior infielder Patrick Hayes (Chicago, Ill./Moraine Valley/Parkland/Brother Rice) won a Gold Glove for his defense at Second Base and freshman catcher Aaron Orzech (Shorewood, Ill./Crossroads Christian Academy) was named the CCAC Freshman of the Year. It's the third consecutive season that SXU has had a player earn CCAC Freshman of the Year as the elder Orzech won in 2021 and sophomore pitcher Logan McCleery (Patterson, Calif./Patterson) took home the honor last season.

• Dowling has played in 53 games with 48 starts and is hitting a team-best .357 (65-for-182). He also has team-highs in doubles (14), stolen bases (14), hit-by-pitches (16) and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .922. Dowling has scored 42 runs, with 28 RBI, 11 walks, three triples and a home run. He has a perfect fielding percentage on 112 chances in the outfield with 107 putouts and five assists. In the CCAC, Dowling is tied for No. 1 in fielding percentage, is No. 3 in hit-by-pitches, No. 6 in at-bats with 182, tied for No. 6 in hits and tied for No. 7 in triples.
• Saldias has made 16 appearances and 16 starts on the mound to lead the team. He also has a team-best 101 strikeouts in 79.0 innings with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.08. Saldias is 5-4 with one complete game and has limited opponents to a .217 batting average. He leads the conference in strikeouts, innings pitched and strikeouts per/9 at 11.51. Saldias is No. 2 in games started, is No. 3 in ERA and is tied for No. 4 in wins.
• Evan Orzech has played in 53 games with 50 starts and is second on the team with a .310 batting average (54-for-174). He drawn a team-high 34 walks and driven in a team-best 33 RBI. Orzech is second with a .447 on-base percentage and doubles with 12. He has scored 21 runs, with 10 hit-by-pitches, three home runs, is two-for-two on stolen base attempts and has one triple. Orzech holds a .989 fielding percentage with 169 putouts, 17 assists and two errors. In the CCAC, he is No. 4 in plate appearances with 219, No. 4 in walks, No. 13 in on-base percentage, No. 16 in hits with 54 and tied for No. 16 in doubles.
• Hayes has played in and started 50 games for the Cougars. He is second on the team in chances with 200 and assists with 112. Hayes also has 84 putouts for a .980 fielding percentage while playing primarily at second. He is also second on the team with 26 double plays turned. Hayes in No. 4 in the CCAC in double plays turned, tied for No. 5 in assists and is No. 17 in total chances.
• Aaron Orzech has played in 34 games with 30 starts and is hitting .337 (30-for-89). He has an OPS of .823 with 18 RBI, eight walks, three runs, two doubles, two sacrifice flies, a stolen base and a home run. Orzech carries a .989 fielding percentage with 155 putouts, 17 assists and two errors. He is No. 19 in the CCAC in putouts and tied for No. 21 in hit-by-pitches with eight.

No. 5 seed Saint Xavier (31-25/17-10 CCAC) takes on No. 4 Midway University (Ill.) on Monday, May 15 at the Grizzly Baseball Complex in the Georgia Gwinnett Bracket in Lawrenceville, Ga. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 pm central.