Concord University baseball places seven on All-MEC

Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·4 min read

May 12—BRIDGEPORT — The Concord University baseball team was represented on the All-Mountain East Conference teams by seven players that were announced Wednesday afternoon by the league office.

Sophomore infielder Zack Saryeldin was an All-MEC First Team selection for the second straight year, sophomore pitcher Andrew Neff landed on the All-MEC First Team and fifth-year senior infielder Anthony Stehlin was the All-MEC First Team relief pitcher.

Junior outfielder Kyle Keenan was voted to the All-MEC Second Team while junior outfielder Josh Adkins, freshman catcher Joey Duffer and sophomore infielder Chris Satcher (first base) were all tabbed All-MEC Honorable Mention.

Concord's seven all-conference selections were the second most in the MEC behind Charleston's eight.

Saryeldin led the MEC in average (.435) and his 23 doubles were second in the league as well as tied for fourth in Division II. The Weston, Florida native set Concord's single-season program mark for two-base hits. He added five home runs and 36 RBI. He finished top 10 in the league in runs scored (second/56) and stolen bases (eighth/16). Saryeldin notched 26 multi-hit games, including 10 games with at least three hits. For the year, Saryeldin's average never dipped below .410. Saryeldin was named All-MEC First Team last season at second base.

Neff was 8-4 during the regular season with 70 strikeouts in 78 innings. Neff won his first six starts of the MEC slate this season as opponents only hit .241 off the Fredericksburg, Virginia native in conference play. For the year, Neff registered eight complete games which are the second most in Division II. Neff is just one of four pitchers in program history with 70 or more strikeouts in a single season and his eight wins are the most for a CU hurler since 2014.

Stehlin converted all seven of his save chances during the spring as he averaged a strikeout per inning—18 in 18. Stehlin made 13 total appearances on the mound as he went 2-1 to go with the seven saves. He limited opponents to a .221 batting average.

He broke the single-season saves record at CU, and ranked just outside the top 20 in Division II in saves in 2022. In MEC play, Stehlin had an ERA of 0.87 in 10.1 innings and a 2.00 overall ERA. After being the all-conference first team shortstop in 2019 and 2021, Stehlin is the first player in program history to be all-conference first team as both a position player and pitcher.

One of the best run producers in the MEC, Keenan drove in 46 runs this season, sixth in the MEC, while batting .385 with 16 doubles, a triple and four home runs. He ranked fourth in the conference in doubles. The Fredericksburg, Virginia native had 16 multi-hit games and tallied five games with at least four RBI. The University of Charleston transfer also opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak.

Adkins played some of his best baseball once the calendar turned to the conference slate. The Nitro, West Virginia native hit .414 in 32 MEC games. Overall, Adkins hit .370 with 41 runs scored, four doubles, a team-best three triples, a home run and 26 RBI.

During the regular season, Adkins was a perfect 13-for-13 in steal attempts with nine coming in conference play. He finished inside the top 15 in the MEC in stolen bases.

For Duffer, 37 of his 43 starts came behind the plate. The Halifax, Virginia native hit .323 with two home runs, 33 RBI and 10 doubles. In over 250 defensive chances, Duffer only made one error—fielding .996 for the season. Duffer was only charged with four passed balls. The CU backstop was one of seven Mountain Lions with at least 10 multi-hit games this season as he finished with 13.

Satcher was among the MEC leaders in RBI (47/fifth), average (.395/sixth) and home run (10/seventh). He added 12 doubles which ranked 11th as well as a .671 slugging percentage. The West Palm Beach, Florida native pieced together a 14-game hitting streak from April 10 through April 30. and he had a team-best 13 multi-RBI games during the spring. Satcher appeared in the CU lineup in the cleanup spot in 37 of 49 games.

Notre Dame's Ben Ross was named MEC Player of the Year. Glenville State ace Adam Riggleman was the MEC Pitcher of the Year.

Charleston's Kyle West was voted MEC Freshman of the Year. and Fairmont State head coach Matt Yurish rounded out the awards as MEC Coach of the Year.

Concord begins MEC Tournament play 7 p.m. Thursday versus Fairmont State.

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