January 10, 2009

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Augustana senior John Wagle (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) was named to the pre-season NCAA Division III All-America baseball team by D3baseball.com, it was announced today. Wagle, a third baseman, was a first team selection.
  He is coming off a tremendous junior season in which he batted .419 with 80 hits, 52 runs scored, 15 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 60 runs-batted-in. In addition, he had 10 stolen bases and posted a .942 fielding percentage. Wagle was a third team NCAA Division III All-American selection as a junior by D3baseball.com and a second team selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
  He led the Vikings, who were 34-13 in 2008 and made it to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second straight year, in batting average, hits, double home runs, RBI, total bases (138), slugging percentage (.723) and on-base-percentage (.481). In addition, he was second on the team in runs scored and triples. His 11 home runs set a new single season school record and his 60 RBI tied the school record previously held by Bryan Phillips.
  Wagle will enter the 2009 campaign ranked third on the Augustana career list for hits with 185 as well as second in triples (10), fourth in batting average (.388) and RBI (121), fifth in doubles (35) and tied for ninth in home runs (14).
He was a first team all-Central Region selection by the ABCA in 2008 and was also a first team all-conference pick in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. He was also named to both the all-region and all-conference teams as a sophomore in 2007. Wagle was a second team academic all-district selection by ESPN - The Magazine in 2008 and was an academic all-conference choice for the second straight year. He was also named Augustana's Most Outstanding Offensive Player last year.
  During his career with the Vikings of head coach Greg Wallace, Wagle has been instrumental in the team's compiling an overall record of 98-38 and in 2008 Augustana wound up ranked 24th in the final NCAA Division III national poll.

(www.augustana.edu)