Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame
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Mitch Walser was inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. The two-time letter winner in baseball transferred to Upper Iowa from Kirkwood Community College after graduating from Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. Walser earned a degree in criminology from Upper Iowa.
As a senior, Walser claimed a spot on the NCAA Division II Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA All-American second teams, the NCAA Division II Daktronics, Rawlings/ABCA and NCBWA All-Central Region first teams and the Northern Sun All-Conference first team as an outfielder. In 2007, he hit .427 (73-171) with 28 extra base hits including 11 homeruns. Walser drove in 64 runs while scoring 53 and registering a .731 slugging percentage and a .505 on base percentage; he also stole 11 of 11 bases. The Cedar Rapids native led the team in several categories including batting average, runs, total hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, rbi's, slugging percentage and on base percentage while playing in and starting all 50 games for the Peacocks.
His two-year totals with the Peacocks are very impressive. Walser hit .399 (143-358) with 31 doubles, 4 triples and 16 homeruns. He scored 90 runs while driving in 118 UIU base runners and playing in and starting every one of the Peacocks' 100 games over that span. His 64 runs batted in during the 2007 campaign still stand as the high mark in Upper Iowa's history. The Peacocks finished the season with a 29-21 record overall and an 18-11 mark, good for fifth place, in their inaugural season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
In addition to his commitment to his play on the field, Walser put the same effort into his studies earning a spot on the ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-District Second Team as well as being named Upper Iowa's male representative for the NSIC Honor Student-Athlete Award Winner as a senior.
Walser is a police officer and K-9 handler for the Marion Police Department. His wife, Jennifer, and he have two children, Emily and Brycen.
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