southlandvikings.com

Chicago, Ill. – August 3, 2014 – The Southland Vikings made use of a quite simple philosophy en route to their second straight Midwest Collegiate League Championship: score more runs than the other team.

The MCL’s most prolific offense rolled through the postseason as the Vikings scored double-digit run totals in each of their four postseason games, sweeping both the Lexington Snipes and DuPage County Hounds on their way to the title.

Fittingly, the Midwest Collegiate League has named two members of the Southland offense co-Most Valuable Players for the 2014 season. Bobby Sheppard of the University of Buffalo and Jeff Boehm of the University of Illinois-Chicago share the MVP distinction.

Sheppard was an RBI machine in the postseason, driving in nine runs in only four games while posting a .438 batting average. During the regular season, Sheppard led the team in home runs with six while ranking second on the squad in batting average at .427 and in RBIs with 38.

Boehm was also named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in July after slugging a home run to lift the South over the North at Oil City Stadium. He batted .375 for the Vikings during the regular season with five home runs and 27 runs batted in. Boehm accomplished the rare feat of hitting two home runs in the same inning on July 27, part of Southland’s 13-run fifth inning in a 17-15 victory over the Zephyrs.  

The game that clinched Southland’s second straight MCL title came on Saturday night in Lisle, when the Vikings utilized an eight-run third inning to down DuPage County 12-3. Boehm and Sheppard each went 2-for-4 with three RBIs apiece in the clinching game.