May 14, 2008

Ten Malone Baseball Players Receive All-AMC Postseason Honors; Four Gold Gloves Earned

Ten Malone College baseball players received All-AMC recognition in recent voting by the league’s coaches while four Pioneers were named to the All-AMC Rawlings Gold Glove Team.
 
Those earning All-AMC First Team recognition included junior first baseman Ryan Baechel (GlenOak H.S.), senior outfielder Chris Mandeville (Tuslaw H.S.), and junior starting pitcher Adam Boudler (Louisville H.S.)
 
Baechel currently leads the Pioneers with 10 homers and 45 RBI’s.  The 6’5” junior first baseman, who transferred to Malone from Cleveland State University prior to the 2008 campaign, is batting .306 on the year with 48 hits, 38 runs scored, nine doubles, and one triple. 
 
Mandeville has tallied 28 RBI’s, 37 runs scored, and 11 steals this season while leading the squad in multiple statistical categories including hits (68), doubles (18), batting average (.436), slugging percentage (.583), and total bases (91).  In addition, the 5’11” leftfielder is just one double shy of tying former teammate Bob Dubovec’s 2006 single-season record of 19 doubles.
 
Boudler has put together another strong season on the mound, tallying a 7-3 record with a 2.65 earned run average over 57.2 innings of work.  He currently paces the Pioneer pitching staff in innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts (33).
 
Garnering All-AMC Second Team honors were junior starting pitcher Sam Campitella (Jackson H.S.), senior designated hitter Zach Winkhart (Canton Central Catholic H.S.), and senior outfielders Troy Richeson (Minerva H.S.) and John Stallings (Louisville H.S.).
 
Campitella has notched a 5-1 record so far this season with a 3.44 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 52.1 innings pitched.  Winkhart is batting .398 on the year with 12 doubles and 30 runs batted in.  Richeson has compiled a .359 batting average from the leadoff spot with 65 hits, 10 doubles, 11 steals, 43 RBI’s and a team-high 44 runs scored.  Stallings has swiped 25 bases and tallied a .385 batting average while racking up 38 runs scored, 22 runs batted in and a team-best .507 on-base percentage.
 
Malone had three players tabbed as All-AMC Honorable Mention including junior third baseman Zac Barson (Canton South H.S.), junior shortstop Scott McIlvain (Marlington H.S.), and sophomore left-handed starting pitcher Todd Liberatore (Tusc. Central Catholic H.S.).
 
Four Pioneers were also recognized for their strong defensive play throughout the year as Barson, McIlvain, Richeson, and junior catcher Jon Lutton (Louisville H.S.) were each named to the All-AMC Rawlings Gold Glove Team.
 
Fifth-year head coach Tom Crank was also honored as the AMC Coach of the Year after guiding his squad to the conference’s regular-season title.
 
Malone completed its regular season schedule with an overall record of 36-11 and finished first in the AMC standings with a 21-5 mark against conference opponents.  The Pioneers hosted the four-team NAIA Region IX Tournament last week but were eliminated from NAIA postseason contention after dropping single, nine-inning contests to Urbana University and Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.  Malone (36-13 overall), ranked #2 in the most recent NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) National ratings, will now look to earn an automatic bid to the NCCAA National Tournament as it hosts the three-team NCCAA East Region Tournament May 15th and 16th at Thurman Munson Stadium.
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