CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The American Rivers Conference announced its 2026 Baseball postseason awards Tuesday afternoon, honoring six Kohawk baseball players in the release. Ryan Thoreson brought home major hardware to lead the award winners, being named the league's Position Player of the Year, while Xander Cloudy, Jack Walsh, Eli Elsbecker, Jon Wille and Brent Yonkovic were honored. Thoreson, a senior from Bettendorf, is the fifth Kohawk to bring home the honor and the first since Jake Brosius in 2024. The Kohawk catcher hit .442 with an OPS of 1.167 as he led his team with 61 total bases and 42 hits in the A-R-C schedule.
 
Cloudy and Walsh picked up first-team honors as the right-handed juniors each posted sub-2.15 ERAs with WHIPs under 1.00. Cloudy made 10 appearances and five starts in the conference schedule, posting a 2.02 ERA in 35.2 innings. He struck out 37 hitters in those innings and limited batters to a .232 batting average against in a strong season. Walsh, Coe's other first-team selection, registered another dominant season as the Kohawk ace. The Dubuque native made seven starts and logged 46.2 innings, where he posted a 2.12 ERA and a .84 WHIP. Walsh struck out 64 hitters and eclipsed the 200 strikeout mark for his career while keeping A-R-C hitters to a .1798 batting average. 
 
Elsbecker and Wille each earned second-team honors after anchoring Coe's infield at the corners. Elsbecker finished the conference slate with a .355 average and an OPS of .955, the second-best on the team. The Fort Dodge native had 33 hits and a team-high 21 RBI against A-R-C opponents while adding six doubles and three homers. Wille, who slid over to first midway through the season, didn't miss a beat at the plate as he posted a .381 average and a .945 OPS in league play. The Dubuque native totaled 37 hits and 19 RBI while recording a team-best eight doubles. 
 
Yonkovic, a freshman from Hopkinton, was a mainstay for the Kohawks at shortstop. He started all 24 games and had a slugging percentage of .402 with five doubles and three homers. Yonkovic also posted a solid .931 fielding percentage in the hole for the Kohawks, making just six errors in 87 chances while turning eight double plays. 
 
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