KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced Monday that Davenport baseball's Brendan Bender and Jonathan Cheshire have been selected as All-America honorable mentions for their efforts this past season.
 
It is the second straight year a member of Davenport's baseball program won the NAIA All-America accolade. Corey Murphy was the team's inaugural winner last season, garnering honorable mention.
 
Bender, a senior first baseman/left-handed pitcher from nearby Grandville, was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Player of the Year after finishing the regular-season second in the league hitting .422 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI. He also tallied 14 two-baggers and five triples. The southpaw went 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA in 10 starts on the mound. In addition he struck out 32 batters and held them to a .232 average. He also pulled double duties with both pitching and hitting in all 10 games.
 
Including the postseason, Bender finished with a team-best .397 batting average and 61 RBI. He went 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA.
 
Cheshire, a sophomore right-hander from Howell, Mich., was the Panthers closing pitcher all throughout the season. He checked into 37 games and collected 14 saves, easily shattering the single-season record by six. His 15 career saves is also a school record. Prior to the postseason, Cheshire was called from the bullpen 26 times and posted a 1.01 ERA in 53 2/3 innings of work.
 
Davenport finished the season with a program record 51-12, 27-6 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Panthers also won the WHAC Tournament and earned a second straight appearance to the NAIA National Championship, having won the Grand Rapids Bracket and advance to the Avista-NAIA World Series for the first time in school history.
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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