GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 2, 2021) – Oklahoma Christian sluggers
Michael DiFiore,
Blake Empkey and
Chance Westervelt each received second-team recognition on the American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Central Region lists, which were announced Wednesday.
Empkey, an outfielder, and Westervelt, a designated hitter, became the first players in OC's NCAA Division II era to make the All-Region teams on each of the three major lists produced annually by the ABCA, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association.
The latter two honor lists, released last month, are voted on by athletic communications professionals. Empkey made the first-team list on the NCBWA honor squads and was a second-team pick by the D2CCA, while Westervelt was a second-team honoree on all three lists, behind the likely national player of the year, Haydn McGeary of Colorado Mesa.
DiFiore, a freshman first baseman from Lucas, Texas, somehow wasn't on the D2CCA All-Region list after leading the Lone Star Conference in home runs and slugging percentage, but he was a second-team pick by the NCBWA.
Empkey, a sophomore from Bedford, Texas, was a first-team All-LSC selection after hitting .359 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs (fourth-best in the league). He ranked third in the LSC in homers and seventh in hits (61) while posting a .665 slugging percentage and a .426 on-base percentage. He also made four pitching appearances, recording a save while posting a 4.50 ERA and eight strikeouts in four innings.
Westervelt, a freshman from Moore, Okla., played some at first base and catcher but made his mark as a DH, leading the LSC (and finishing sixth in Division II) in hitting at .440 to go with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. The first-team All-LSC pick was fourth in the conference in slugging percentage (.712) and seventh in on-base percentage (.497). Westervelt was a one-time recipient of the LSC and South Central Region hitter of the week honors.
DiFiore was the LSC freshman of the year and a first-team All-LSC pick after a remarkable season. He hit .348 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs, leading the LSC in homers and slugging percentage (.783) and finishing second in RBIs. In Division II, DiFiore ranked ninth in home runs and 14th in RBIs. His 19 homers tied for second on OC's single-season list and with 25 in his career, he already ranks fourth on the program's all-time list.
The Eagles, picked ninth in the preseason LSC poll, instead finished fourth and hosted a first-round LSC playoff series en route to a 24-16 record during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.
