Baseball: Six Players Named to All-East Region
June 18, 2009 12:17 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
June 18, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A school-record six West Virginia University baseball players were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings all-east region team, announced by the ABCA.
Right-handed pitcher Jarryd Summers and third baseman Dan DiBartolomeo headlined the WVU honorees with first team selections, while pitcher Billy Gross, second baseman/designated hitter Vince Belnome, shortstop Jedd Gyorko and centerfielder Austin Markel each made the second team.
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| Dan DiBartolomeo's breakout season earned him an all-east region first team selection.
WVU Photography |
Of the 30 teams eligible on the ABCA all-east region ballot, WVU garnered the most players for the first and second team. George Mason followed with four players, all first team selections, while Pitt, Seton Hall and Rutgers each represented the BIG EAST with one player apiece.
Summers, an all-BIG EAST first team pitcher, led WVU with 99 strikeouts, 94 innings pitched, a .239 opposing batting average and 14 games started. The Sharpsville, Pa., native is also a 2009 second team Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I all-star. During his sophomore season he was named to the College Baseball Foundation Pitcher of the Year Award watch list, and was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on March 10 after throwing a complete game four-hitter against New Jersey Tech.
DiBartolomeo emerged as one of the country’s most improved players, batting .439 in 2009 after hitting .275 in his freshman campaign in 2008. The Margate, N.J., native owns the school’s single-season batting average mark, and added eight home runs and 59 RBIs to his breakthrough year. The converted third baseman was named an all-BIG EAST third team player, and has been named a first team ECAC all-star.
Gross, an all-BIG EAST third team pitcher, had another solid year on the mound. The right-hander from Frederick, Md., had a team-leading nine wins with a 4.23 ERA, and also led WVU with four complete games. The veteran thrower recorded 58 strikeouts in 2009 while starting 12 games.
Belnome, Gyorko and Markel each contributed strongly to WVU’s conference-leading .360 team batting average. Belnome finished with a .418 mark, nine home runs, 84 RBIs, 20 doubles and 139 total bases. He sits at 13th nationally with a .519 on-base percentage, and led the Mountaineers with 42 walks.
Gyorko batted .421 with eight home runs and 58 RBIs en route to an All-American caliber year. Gyorko capped his sophomore season by being named a Brooks Wallace Award finalist, a National College Baseball Writers Assoication third team selection, the NCBWA Division II Player of the Year, a second team Louisville Slugger All-American and an all-BIG EAST first team player.
Markel ended his WVU career batting .357 with a team-leading 15 home runs, 56 RBIs, 11 doubles, 74 hits and 75 runs scored. The Elizabethville, Pa., native also led the Mountaineers with a .696 slugging percentage, made the BIG EAST all-tournament team for the second consecutive season and finished the season with no errors in center field. He was named a 2009 all-BIG EAST third team performer.
