SouthtownStar Athletes on Campus: Kevin Callahan hits it big at Illinois Wesleyan
By Mike Walsh For Sun-Times Media May 25, 2012 8:10PM
Kevin Callahan, Illinois Wesleyan baseball. | Supplied photo
Updated: July 3, 2012 10:25AM
Illinois Wesleyan junior third baseman Kevin Callahan has parlayed a tremendous 2012 season into several postseason honors.
The Brother Rice graduate was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Player of the Year, chosen to the 2012 D3baseball.com NCAA Division III All-American First Team, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Central Region Position Player of the Year and was a co-winner of Illinois Wesleyan’s Most Valuable Player Award.
Callahan finished the season with a .355 batting average, 42 runs, 17 doubles, 11 home runs, 54 RBI, a .654 slugging percentage and a .458 on-base percentage. The 54 RBI tied for fourth most in an IWU single season.
Callahan will head into his senior year tied for fourth in IWU records with 28 career homers, second with 92 walks and fifth with a career .623 slugging percentage.
Callahan wasn’t the only Southland resident recognized for his excellence as a member of the Titans baseball team during the 2012 season. Senior left fielder Mark McDermott, who prepped at Andrew, also was named one of IWU’s MVPs.
McDermott batted .340 with a team-high 18 doubles, two homers and 37 RBI. He finished his career in the top 10 of seven categories at Illinois Wesleyan, including tied for fifth in doubles (47), sixth in games started (152), seventh in both at-bats (583) and hits (193), eighth in games played (162) and ninth with 129 runs.
McDermott was a Third Team All-Region selection.
Dynamic duo
Two Southland residents were honored for their efforts on Prairie State College’s softball team in the 2012 season.
Sophomore shortstop Nina Savaglio (Bloom) was named to the All-Region IV and All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference teams, while freshman pitcher Amanda Ahlert (Andrew) also was named to the All-Skyway Team.
Savaglio hit .413 overall with a .444 on-base percentage, 22 RBI and team bests in stolen bases (20) and runs (50). In conference action, Savaglio hit .400 and also was a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts. She added 19 multihit games.
Ahlert went 7-2 in Skyway games with a 4.05 ERA. She also struck out 46 in 46⅔ innings while walking only eight with seven complete games in conference play. Skyway batters hit just .239 against Ahlert.
Man of Steele
Argo graduate John Steele was chosen Millikin University’s Big Blue Pitcher of the Year.
Steele, a sophomore, was 2-5 with a 5.71 ERA. He made 15 appearances, including eight starts and also added one save and one complete game.
In 64‰ innings, Steele struck out 45 and walked 22.
Along with Steele, other Southland residents earning varsity letters as members of Millikin’s baseball team were sophomore Mike Panozzo (Marian Catholic) and junior Jim Panozzo (Marian Catholic).
