EVANSVILLE, Ind. (May 20, 2024) – The Missouri Valley Conference released the 2024 Baseball All-MVC Teams as part of the post-season awards banquet Monday night, and several Flames found themselves with post-season honors. Three UIC baseball players were named to the All-Conference First Team (Kendal Ewell, Zane Zielinski, and Reece Lawler), one to the Second Team (Jackson Bessette), two Honorable Mentions (Brandon Bak and Dillon Schueler), and one to the All-Defensive Team (Zane Zielinski). Ewell was also named the conference's Player and Newcomer of the Year, and head coach Sean McDermott finished second in the Dan Callahan Coach of the Year voting.
 
Kendal Ewell burst onto the scene in Chicago as a grad transfer at UIC, as the outfielder found himself in the lineup starting day one. The Calumet City native reached base in all 51 games for the Flames this regular season and is tied for the UIC single season record for home runs with 20 on the season. Ewell ranked in the top five in the MVC in nearly every offensive category, including leading the league in batting average at .392.
 
Zane Zielinski has been nothing short of spectacular in his senior season at UIC, as the Chicago native finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Zane finished the season second on the active roster in batting average at .349, and drove in 39 runs while hitting eight home runs. On defense, Zielinski made just seven errors on the season in 229 chances at shortstop (.969)
 
Reece Lawler finished the regular season with 12 saves, a number that ranks him third in all of Division I baseball, and first in the Missouri Valley Conference. He averaged over a strikeout per inning pitched and nailed down several crucial victories for the Flames throughout the 2024 season.
 
Jackson Bessette made the most of being behind the plate for the Flames in 46 of 51 games in his sophomore campaign, batting a strong .330 at the plate with 32 RBI and eight home runs on the year. He also made just one error in over 350 chances defensively, boasting a .997 fielding percentage.
 
Brandon Bak emerged as the Saturday starter for the Flames in his sophomore season in 2024, making 14 starts and accruing four wins on the year. His 4.52 ERA was best among qualifying pitchers on the UIC staff, and he also led the Flames with 72 strikeouts on the season. He led the Flames in innings pitched (83.2) and opponents only batted .288 against the Plainfield native.
 
Dillon Schueler made 13 starts for UIC in 2024, coming to the forefront as the Friday conference starter for the Flames. Schueler led the pitching staff in wins with five and struck out 53 batters in 71.2 innings pitched. His 5.78 ERA ranks second on the UIC pitching staff among those qualifying.
 
The fifth-seeded Flames (33-18, 16-11 MVC) will open the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship on Tuesday, as UIC will take on eighth-seeded Missouri State (23-32, 11-16 MVC) at 2:30 p.m. CT. All games of the 2024 MVC Baseball Championship can be seen live on ESPN+, and @UIC_Baseball on X and Instagram will be the best place to keep up with the Flames throughout the week.
 
Visit the 2024 MVC Baseball Tournament Central for all relevant information pertaining to this week's Championship.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC scholar-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective.
 
For more information on UIC Athletics and UIC baseball, visit UICFlames.com. Fans can also follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Baseball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_baseball and @uicflames).