McKendree College Captures Sixth Consecutive AMC Tournament Championship with 18-6 Victory

Following the AMC Tournament championship contest, the 2005 AMC post-season awards were announced. Brian Dinkelman, a junior shortstop from McKendree College, was named the AMC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Dinkelman, a native of Irvington, Ill., started every game for McKendree and batted .416 during with 19 home runs and 46 RBI. He scored a league-high 65 runs and was successful on all 24 stolen base attempts during the regular season. Dinkelman, who was the AMC Freshman of the Year in 2003, tied the Bearcats’ season and career record for stolen bases. He also matched a school record with three home runs in a game against Greenville College back on April 27.

Also repeating as the AMC Pitcher of the Year is Lance Marcum, a junior right-hander from McKendree College. Marcum, from Centralia, Ill., posted a 10-2 record and a 1.68 earned-run average during the regular season. He set new McKendree team records for complete games (12), shutouts (4) and strikeouts (103) in 2005. In 91 innings, Marcum allowed just 60 hits and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5-to-1. In addition, Marcum threw his second career no-hitter against Central Methodist University on March 10.

The AMC Newcomer of the Year, which is presented to the top transfer student-athlete in the league, was presented to Jerry Hodges, a junior third baseman from Harris-Stowe State College. Hodges, who hails from Michigan City, Ind., led the conference with a .484 batting average, 22 doubles and 58 RBI during the regular season. Hodges also belted 12 home runs among his 88 hits. He was successful on 11-of-19 stolen base attempts while appearing in 57 games.

Earning the AMC Freshman of the Year award was Tyson Mulvaney, a first baseman from Hannibal-LaGrange College. Mulvaney, from Salem, Ill., batted .345 on the year with three home runs and 39 RBI. In addition to his prowess at the plate, Mulvaney posted a .989 fielding percentage at first base.

Jim Boehne of McKendree College was the recipient of the 2005 AMC Coach of the Year award. Boehne, who is in his eighth season at McKendree, led the Bearcats to a 44-14 record during the regular season, including a 17-3 mark in conference play. McKendree earned the highest baseball ranking in school history during the year, moving as high as No. 8 in the NAIA poll. Boehne also won his 300^th career game in 2005, and he entered the AMC Tournament with an overall record of 311-146-1.

A complete list of the 18-member AMC All-Conference first team, the honorable mention squad and the Academic All-Conference team, is included on the following pages. Members of the Academic All-Conference team have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.