College baseball notebook: Kirn earns All-Big 12 honors, Voth helps Northwood advance to super-regionals

QUINCY — Griffin Kirn went from a transfer portal addition to the ace of the West Virginia baseball team’s pitching staff.

Now the goal is to hurl the Mountaineers to Omaha.

Kirn, a Quincy Notre Dame graduate and the Great Lakes Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year last season at Quincy University, was named to the All-Big 12 Conference first team ahead of top-seeded West Virginia’s quarterfinal matchup in the conference tournament.

The left-handed Kirn went 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA and a team-high 83 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched across 14 starts. He had the fifth-lowest ERA and the sixth-most strikeouts in the Big 12, highlighted by a season-high 14 against Utah.

The Mountaineers are 40-13 overall and will face either Cincinnati or Texas Tech on Thursday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. West Virginia is projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA regionals with the national tournament field and seedings to be announced next Monday with the College World Series to be played June 13-23 in Omaha, Neb.

Voth sends Timberwolves to super regionals

Mendon Unity graduate Logan Voth came through in the clutch when the Northwood baseball team needed it most.

Voth singled through the right side of the infield with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning last Sunday, driving in the winning run in a 5-4 victory over Grand Valley State that sent the Timberwolves to the Midwest super-regional.

Northwood (38-19) will face Indianapolis (33-22) in a best-of-three series beginning Thursday at Bill Bright Field in Indianapolis. The winner advances to the NCAA Division II national championships in Cary, N.C.

Voth, who transferred from Quincy University to Northwood following the 2023 season, went 2 for 4 with two walks and the game-winning RBI in the sub-regional championship game. Voth had three hits and two RBIs in the three sub-regional games.

Cubs’ Martin mowing down batters

Former Quincy University All-American left-hander Riley Martin has been virtually unhittable and unbeatable in his last nine relief appearances for the Class AAA Iowa Cubs.

Martin has allowed one unearned run and just three hits in those nine games spanning 14.1 innings. In that stretch, he has struck out 23 with eight walks, while earning one victory and recording one save.

Martin has a 1.77 earned run average in 14 appearances this season, spanning 20.1 innings with two saves, 30 strikeouts and a .078 opponent batting average. A sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2021, Martin is in his second season at Class AAA.

Croes settling in with Giants

Former Quincy University All-American infielder Dayson Croes is finding his footing with the San Francisco Giants rookie team in the Arizona Cactus League.

Signed by the Giants in April after spending two seasons with the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the American Association, Croes has a .300 average in 20 at-bats over seven games. His first hit was a single against the Brewers, and his first home run came against the Rockies.

Croes has hits in five of the last six games with two walks and three strikeouts. Two of his six hits have gone for extra bases. He has split time defensively between second and third base.