The Marshall baseball team finished in the middle of the pack in the Capitol — South conference in 2024. After an inspiring start against conference opponents, the schedule got a bit harder down the stretch as the Cardinals lost their final three. Two of these came to eventual Capitol — South champion Cambridge while another was to runner-up New Glarus. In the end, Marshall wound up with a 5-5 record to place fourth of the sixth teams.
Still, conference coaches noted the exemplary efforts of some of Marshall’s best. Three players were elected to the postseason all-conference list, one at each level of recognition. Senior Matthew Motl was named to the first team, junior Carson Connelly to the second, and junior Teseo Ruelas picked up honorable mention status.
Matthew Motl, senior outfield, first team
Being a first team all-conference selection is nothing new for Motl. He’s now picked up the distinction in three consecutive baseball seasons now to go along with four such selections on the football field.
Motl certainly earned this distinction in 2024 as he was a monster at the plate against conference opponents as Marshall’s leadoff batter. He posted a stellar batting average of .500 to go along with a 0.526 on-base percentage and a 0.806 slugging percentage. Of Motl’s 18 hits against conference opponents, three were doubles, one was a triple, and two more were homeruns. This helped him drive in 11 RBIs and come in to score 10 runs.
Motl also held down the fort in center field for the Cardinals. He made only three errors on the year against conference opponents, recording 15 putouts and two assisted putouts while also sparking one double play.
Carson Connelly, junior pitcher, second team
While Connelly qualified for the all-conference team as a pitcher, he was much more than that to Marshall this spring. When he wasn’t on the mound, he was posted up at shortstop while also bringing one of the team’s most potent bats to the lineup. This is Connelly’s third straight all-conference distinction after earning first team status as a freshman and second team last season.
Connelly threw a team-high 33.2 innings against conference opponents this spring. He won three of his six starts, thanks to his 2.287 earned run average. Of the 29 runs that crossed the plate on him this season, only 11 counted against his earned run average. Connelly struck out 35 batters and only allowed nine walks in his time on the mound.
He also served as a reliable bat, posting impressive averages against conference opponents like a 0.333 batting average, 0.421 on-base percentage, and 0.455 slugging percentage. Connelly collected four doubles in conference play, helping him push around eight RBIs and come in to score three times himself. He also drew five walks.
At shortstop, Connelly also brought a confident glove. He committed only two errors against conference opponents this spring. He finished off 19 putouts himself, assisted on 12 more, and turned three double plays for a fielding percentage of 0.939.
Teseo Ruelas, junior catcher, honorable mention
Make that back-to-back honorable mention all-conference seasons for Ruelas, who also accomplished the feat as a sophomore last spring. While his main gig came behind the plate, Ruelas also proved to be an important bat in the lineup and also occasionally took over as a pitcher.
As a catcher, Ruelas had a flawless spring against conference opponents. He did not commit an error, recording 66 putouts, seven assisted putouts, and three double plays for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He also nabbed 11 runners attempting to steal.
Ruelas was also a reliable batter, putting up a .344 batting average and 0.462 on-base percentage against conference opponents. All 11 of his hits were singles, added in with six drawn walks, to drive in four RBIs and set him up to come score 12 times. Ruelas was also the team’s most dangerous player on the basepath as he stole eight bases.
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Final 2024 Capitol — South conference baseball standings
1. Cambridge, 9-1
2. New Glarus, 7-3
3. Waterloo, 6-4
4. Marshall, 5-5
5. Belleville, 3-7
6. Wisconsin Heights, 0-10
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