HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky baseball players Griffin Doersching and Ben Gerl have received first team All-Horizon League and All-Freshman team honors, respectively, the league office announced on Tuesday.
Doersching receives the nod after finishing an illustrious career with the Norse and recording his best season yet. He ended the 2021 campaign with a dominating .316/.772/.448 slash line and 48 RBIs, which was good for fourth in the Horizon League. He also broke single-season records for the Norse in walks (50) and home runs (20), which ranked him second and fifth in the country, respectively.
A Greendale, Wisconsin native, Doersching will go down as arguably the best power-hitter in NKU history, finishing one home run shy of John Heeter's career all-time mark of 48 despite playing in just two seasons that featured a full schedule. Out of normal game action, his power was also on display when he won the 2019 Rocket Mortgage College Home Run Derby in Omaha, Nebraska. His innate ability to get extra bases went a long way for the Norse and resulted in 153 RBIs over his career, which is the fifth-most by a Norse.
Gerl is selected to the All-Freshman team after an impressive debut season with the Norse. Although he posted just a 6.41 ERA and a 4-6 record on the mound, his potential for the coming years shined on many occasions. In all but one of his 13 starts this season, he went at least five innings and gave the bullpen rest by going at least seven innings deep in six of them. He also posted three quality starts this season in matchups against Oakland (March 12) and Milwaukee (March 19 and May 14).
