INDIANAPOLIS – UIC shattered records at every turn during the 2017 season and the Flames continued that trend when the Horizon League announced its postseason award winners on the eve of the conference championship, Tuesday, May 23.
 
For the first time in program history, four members of the UIC baseball program have earned specialty awards as voted by the Horizon League's seven head baseball coaches. Junior Rob Calabrese is the 2017 Horizon League Player of the Year; senior Jake Dahlberg is the League's Pitcher of the Year, while redshirt sophomore Alex Padilla has been named the Relief Pitcher of the Year. Finally, for the 10^th time in 19 seasons at the helm for UIC, Mike Dee has been named the Horizon League Coach of the Year.
 
In addition, eight Flames were placed on either the All-Horizon League First or Second Teams. Calabrese, Dahlberg and Padilla earned a First Team nod, as did senior shortstop Cody Bohanek. UIC is well represented on the Second Team by second baseman David Cronin, center fielder Mickey McDonald and starting pitchers Jack Andersen and Reid Birlingmair.
 
Finally, right-handed pitcher Jacob Key rounds out the Flames' honorees as he claimed a place on the All-Freshman Team.
 
Calabrese is the fourth Flame in program history to be named the Horizon League Player of the Year, joining an elite group that includes Curtis Granderson (2002), Chuck Peters (2003) and Jeff Boehm (2015). The Staten Island, N.Y., native ranked in the top six in nearly every major offensive category during Horizon League play. Calabrese led the conference with 15 doubles, while ranking second in batting average (.383) and tied for second with 44 hits. He was also near the top of the league leaders in on-base percentage (4^th), total bases, RBI and slugging percentage (6^th).
 
The junior backstop also ranks prominently among the national leaders in doubles. His 22 two-baggers this spring rank 12^th in the country and his 0.43 doubles per game place him 13^th through the end of the regular season. Calabrese's 22 doubles are currently tied for the fourth-most in a single season in UIC history.
 
Calabrese ranks 38^th nationally with six sacrifice flies, and in the top 100 in both batting average (81^st) and slugging percentage (98^th). He has shown his durability by starting all 51 games, including 47 behind the dish. The catcher works closely with a pitching staff that boasts the second-best earned-run average in the NCAA, a mark of 2.67.
 
For the second time in his three-year tenure at UIC, Dahlberg has been tabbed the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year. The southpaw won a League-high eight games in conference play, three more than any other hurler. His nine wins overall marked a career high. Opponents batted .172 against Dahlberg in nine Horizon League starts and .168 in 14 outings overall. Only one other pitcher in the League had a mark below .200 in conference play, and that belonged to UIC's Birlingmair (.193).
 
Dahlberg, who was named the League's Pitcher of the Week three times this spring, ranked second in the conference with a 2.25 ERA. Like his primary catcher Calabrese, the Vancouver, Wash., native ranks among the national leaders in multiple statistical categories. He is currently sixth in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (5.18) and seventh in WHIP (0.84). His nine victories rank 11^th in the nation at this time.
 
The senior starter is the first two-time Pitcher of the Year in program history. Previous conference Pitcher of the Year honorees from UIC include Jon Piazza (1994), Jason Henry (1997), Zach Peterson (2007), Adam Worthington (2009) and Dahlberg (2015). He is the first person in Horizon League history to earn the Pitcher of the Year accolade twice, and only the third person to win multiple specialty awards. Butler's Justin Beasley was named the Player of the Year in 1996 and 1998, while Wright State's Andrew Elliott was the 2014 and 2015 Relief Pitcher of the Year.
 
Padilla, a newcomer, was voted the Horizon League Relief Pitcher of the Year in his first season in a UIC uniform. The Chicagoan did not allow a run in 15 relief appearances against League foes. He recorded seven saves in conference games to lead all relievers and opponents batted .182 against the right-hander with only two extra-base hits. Overall, he has allowed just two earned runs over 35.0 innings pitched this season for a sparkling 0.51 ERA. He has not allowed an earned run since March 5 at Missouri, a span of 20 appearances and 29 innings.
 
The redshirt sophomore is the second consecutive UIC pitcher to win the Relief Pitcher of the Year award after Trevor Lane was recognized in 2016. David Cales also won the award as a member of the Flames in 2007.
 
Joining Calabrese (C), Dahlberg (SP) and Padilla (RP) on the All-Horizon League First Team is Bohanek as the squad's shortstop. The Oak Lawn, Ill., native batted .294 during the regular season with career highs in runs (41), home runs (7) and RBI (43). He tied for third in the Horizon League with 28 RBI in conference games and ranked 10^th with 24 runs scored.
 
Bohanek also led the Flames, and ranked second in the conference, in getting hit by pitches. The infielder was plunked 17 times, which ranks 20^th in the NCAA through May 21. He showed a knack for getting on base as the senior was hit a League-high 13 times in Horizon League play.
 
Dahlberg is a two-time All-Horizon League First Team selection (2015), while Bohanek, Calabrese and Padilla were chosen for the first time. Bohanek was a member of the 2014 All-Newcomer Team and the 2016 Horizon League All-Tournament Team. Calabrese was on the 2015 All-Newcomer Team.
 
UIC also placed a League-high four players on the All-Horizon League Second Team. Mickey McDonald was voted in for the first time as an outfielder after earning a spot as a third baseman in both 2014 (Second Team) and 2015 (First Team). Cronin was honored for the second consecutive season after placing on the First Team in 2016, while Andersen and Birlingmair both picked up their first postseason honors.
 
McDonald came on strong in conference play. The San Mateo, Calif., native started every game in center field this spring after missing the entire 2016 season with an injury. The redshirt junior batted .324 and stole a team-high 12 bases in Horizon League play, which ranked second in the conference. He was spectacular on defense all season long, as well, committing only three errors in 130 chances (.977).
 
As McDonald was a reliable fixture in center field, Cronin was just as dependable at second base. The redshirt junior also started all 51 games for the Flames. He ranked second on the club and seventh in the conference with a batting average of .327. He also belted a career-high six home runs. The Orland Park, Ill., native scored 47 runs to lead UIC and rank tied for second in the Horizon League. Cronin drew 34 walks and ranked fourth in the conference with an on-base percentage of .437. The infielder led the League with 168 assists and ranked second in fielding double plays with 41.
 
Andersen, the most experienced player in the program, collected his first career postseason honor Tuesday. An anchor on one of the nation's toughest pitching staffs, the redshirt senior turned in some of his top performances over the course of his nine Horizon League starts. Andersen went 4-1 in League play with a team-best ERA of 2.13, which ranked second in the conference. He struck out 33 and walked only 10 over 50.2 innings pitched. He started two of the team's 10 shutouts, a number which ranks second in the NCAA.
 
A fixture in the Flames' rotation for the first time, Birlingmair earned a spot on the All-Horizon League Team with a strong season on the bump. The second-year starter registered a record of 6-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 13 starts. He struck out 69, walked only 21, and opponents batted .211 against him in all games. The opposing batting average ranks second in the Horizon League behind Dahlberg's mark of .168. He was a two-time Horizon League Pitcher of the Week during conference play. The Normal, Ill., native first claimed the honor on April 3 after he carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and a no-hitter into the ninth of a complete game shutout over Milwaukee on April 1. Two weeks later, Birlingmair retired 21 consecutive hitters and allowed just two hits over 8.0 innings against Northern Kentucky on April 14.
 
Key is the fourth member of the UIC pitching staff, and the ninth different player, to collect postseason praise as a member of the All-Freshman Team. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native is 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts). Key's ERA ranks third in the Horizon League, and his six wins tie him for fifth. He is seventh in opposing batting average with a mark of .246, serving up only four extra-base hits in 51.2 innings on the mound this season.
 
Dee has been named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons and the 10^th time since taking over the UIC baseball program in 1998. Not only did the Flames win the regular season championship for the 12^th time under Dee, but the 2017 team became the fastest in program history to reach 30 victories, doing so in a walk-off win over Georgia Tech on April 28 in the team's 40^th game of the year. Under Dee's direction, UIC leads the NCAA in fielding percentage (.984) and ranks second in ERA (2.74), shutouts (10), WHIP (1.09) and hits allowed per nine innings (6.92) through March 21. The team has won at least 36 games for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2005 (38).
 
The Flames are the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Championship, which begins on Wednesday, May 24 at Granderson Stadium. UIC's first game is slated for Thursday, May 25, at 11 a.m. CT, when it will face the lowest remaining seed in the tournament (No. 4 Valparaiso, No. 5 Oakland, or No. 6 Milwaukee). For more information about the four-day event, please visit this Tournament Central page.
 
Below is a full list of the 2017 Horizon League honorees:
 
Player of the Year: Rob Calabrese, UIC
Pitcher of the Year: Jake Dahlberg, UIC
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Alex Padilla, UIC
Freshman of the Year: Ryan Weiss, Wright State
Coach of the Year: Mike Dee, UIC
 
First Team All-Conference
SP: Jay Peters, Milwaukee
SP: Jake Dahlberg, UIC
SP: Ryan Weiss, Wright State
RP: Alex Padilla, UIC
C: Rob Calabrese, UIC
1B: Trey Ganns, Northern Kentucky
2B: Matt Morrow, Wright State
3B: Ben Chally, Milwaukee
SS: Cody Bohanek, UIC
OF: T.J. Alas, Northern Kentucky
OF: Jake Richmond, Northern Kentucky
OF: Tyler Pagano, Oakland
DH: Chad Roberts, Northern Kentucky
 
Second Team All-Conference
SP: Jack Andersen, UIC
SP: Reid Birlingmair, UIC
SP: Danny Sexton, Wright State
RP: Derek Hendrixson, Wright State
C: Dalton Varsho, Milwaukee
1B: Zach Sterry, Oakland
2B: David Cronin, UIC
3B: Seth Gray, Wright State
SS: Trevor Schwecke, Milwaukee
OF: Emerson Misch, Oakland
OF: Mickey McDonald, UIC
OF: James Stea, Valparaiso
DH: Jake Hanson, Valparaiso
 
All-Freshman Team
Trevor Schwecke, Milwaukee
Tyler Trovinger, Oakland
Jacob Key, UIC
Christian Barczi, Valparaiso
Easton Rhodehouse, Valparaiso
Jon Tieman, Valparaiso
Seth Gray, Wright State
Ryan Weiss, Wright State
Lou Cardona, Youngstown State