CHICAGO, Ill. --- Tusculum University catcher Nate Montgomery has been named the 2018 Midwest Collegiate League Most Valuable Player announced officials Sunday.

Montgomery played for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen this summer where he hauled in 60 percent of the vote with no other player receiving more than 10 percent in a vote of the league's managers, broadcasters and official scorers.  He batted .345 and finished with 28 RBI, 36 runs scored and tied the Oilmen single-season record with seven home runs.

During the season he also earned MCL Player of the Week honors and played in the MCL All-Star Game.  He posted a .436 on-base percentage and a .605 slugging percentage in his 32 games.

Montgomery led NWI to its third MCL Championship as the Oilmen swept through the postseason with a perfect 4-0 record.  The Oilmen clinched the title with Saturday's 6-3 victory over the DuPage County Hounds.  Montgomery drove in three of his team's six runs, while Tusculum teammate and Oilmen's closer Pedro Rodriguez recorded his second straight save to seal the championship.

Montgomery, a rising senior from Geneva, Illinois, batted .315 in his first Tusculum campaign this past spring where he finished third on the team with 58 hits including 11 doubles which were second on the squad. He also posted one triple, one home run and 38 RBI in his 50 games behind the plate.