Former Ankeny Centennial baseball standout Damin Churchman has earned all-region honors from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference.
The Northeast Iowa Community College first baseman was named to the honorable mention list along with teammate Jack Fenwick, a pitcher. Both players are freshmen.
After a slow start to the season, Churchman found his rhythm at the plate. He hit .318 on the season with 15 extra base hits, including nine home runs.
Churchman led the Cougars in RBIs (31) and posted a .626 slugging percentage. He became a feared force in the middle of the team’s lineup, earning recognition from opposing teams and coaches for his performance.
“Damin has worked really hard to put himself in a position to have success,” said coach Conner Klostermann. “He made some key adjustments at the midway point of the season, which helped him put together the type of year he had. Churchman will have a big role for us next year, and I’m excited to see what he can put together.”
This was the debut season for Northeast Iowa Community College, which is located in Peosta. Churchman helped the Cougars to a 7-40 record, including a 4-23 mark in the conference.
The ex-Jaguar was just happy to be back on the diamond.
“It means a lot to be able to represent NICC and my team in this way,” Churchman said. “I’m super proud of myself and my teammates for the work that was put in to make this season happen, it’s an honor to be a Cougar. Coming into this season I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t played in an organized game of baseball in almost two years and college is much different than high school. I tried my best to not worry about the outcomes of my individual success and just keep grinding and stacking days together and eventually I was able to find my stride a little bit.”