The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) announced the 2022 Baseball All-Conference Team and postseason awards. AU senior first baseman Justin Sartori received NACC's top honor when he was named the 2022 Position Player of the Year with Spartans joining him as All-Conference recipients, five First-Team and one Second-Team All-Conference members. AU Head Coach Adam Stevens was named the NACC Coach of the Year.

Sartori earned the top NACC recognition as Position Player of the Year after having a .381 batting average, 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 64 runs batted in, and 44 runs scored thus far on the season. His 64 runs batted in is currently fifth in Division III. He also posted a .471 on-base percentage while slugging .697 for the Spartans. Defensively, Sartori has committed only one error in 268 chances (253 putouts, 14 assists) at first base. He currently leads all NACC players and ranks fifth nationally in RBIs, while also ranking first in the league in total bases (108) and slugging percentage, and second in runs scored and home runs.

In 24 NACC games, Sartori hit .375 (36-of-96) with 10 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 44 RBIs, and 35 runs scored while posting a .466 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage. In league play, he led all players in RBIs, ranked second in total bases (72) and home runs, third in runs scored and doubles, and fifth in sacrifice flies (3) and slugging percentage.

Sartori registered a hit in 32 of 39 games played, recording multiple hits 18 times. He also had multiple RBIs on 18 occasions, including 12 times against league competition. In a doubleheader against Illinois Tech on April 4, he went 4-for-6 with a double, a triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs, and five runs scored. Sartori was 3-for-4 in game two alone, falling a single shy of a cycle while driving in six.
 
Joining Sartori as NACC First-Team All-Conference selections are sophomore pitcher Jack Fisher, senior catcher Jett Wedekind, designated hitter Jacob Ambuel, and senior outfielders Corey Vondra and Dylan White. Senior pitcher Nick Malmberg was named to the NACC Second-Team All-Conference.
 
Fisher is currently 7-1 overall on the season with a 2.43 earned run average and one save in 63.0 innings pitched, striking out 56 and opponents are hitting .212 against him.
 
Wedekind earned the NACC honor with a .340 batting average, 13 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 43 runs batted in and 49 runs scored. Ambuel came on strong in the last few weeks and has a .371 batting average with 12 doubles, one triple, six home runs, 51 runs batted in and 44 runs scored. Vondra landed the All-NACC honor with a .396 batting average, 13 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 53 runs scored. White is hitting .340 with nine doubles, five triples, five home runs, 44 runs scored, and 37 runs batted in.
 
Malmberg is having another strong season with a 6-0 overall record, 3.56 earned run average in 60.2 innings pitched, striking out 45, and opponents hit .294 against him. 

Stevens was selected by his coaching peers for the NACC Coach of the Year after leading the Spartans to the programs 25th conference title and a 21-3 NACC record. The NACC Coach of the Year honor is the second for Stevens in his eighth season at the helm of the Spartans. In those eight seasons, his teams are 214-96 overall and 105-41 in the NACC. Stevens is assisted by Jeff Mayes, Steve Moga and Zack Skog. 

The Spartans had the league's top offense, posting a NACC-best .344 batting average (478-of-1389) while leading all programs in on-base percentage (.434), slugging percentage (.519), runs (402), doubles (99), home runs (38), RBIs (363), extra-base hits (152), and total bases (721). On the mound, Aurora ranked second in ERA at 4.33 while posting a league-best five shutouts. The Spartans also limited hitters to a .271 batting average, good for third amongst NACC programs.

In NACC play, Aurora ranked in the top-3 in nearly every offensive category, including leading the league in runs scored (265), home runs (28), RBIs (239), extra-base hits (97), total bases (453), on-base percentage (.432), and slugging percentage (.529), while ranking second in batting average (.340), hits (291), and triples (9), and third in doubles (60).

The AU baseball team currently has a 32-7 record. Next action for the Spartan baseball team comes on Thursday, May 12 when they play in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament hosted by Concordia University Wisconsin. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Mequon, Wisconsin.