Monday, May 11, 2009

FOUR GREYHOUNDS NAMED TO LANDMARK BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS;
O’Keefe Named Rookie of the Year

MADISON, NJ --- The Moravian College baseball team placed two players on the 2009 Landmark Baseball All-Conference First Team and two more on the Second Team while freshman first baseman Kevin O’Keefe (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton HS) earned Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year honors as released by the conference office.

O’Keefe and freshman pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) were all named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team.  Senior outfielder Joseph Durso (Middletown, NJ/Christian Brother Academy HS) and freshman pitcher Thomas Fenyak (Centreville, VA/Westfield HS) each earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team.

The Greyhounds under the direction of third-year head coach Paul Engelhardt posted a 21-20 overall record this spring, a school record for victories in a season.  Moravian also had a 12-6 mark in the Landmark Conference regular season to earn the second seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament, the program’s first postseason berth since 2004.  The winning record for the Greyhounds in 2009 was the first for the program since a 19-15 mark during the 1997 season.

O'Keefe, pictured at right, had a .421 average in his debut season while playing 38 games with 35 starts as a designated hitter or first baseman.  O’Keefe had 56 hits, a school record 59 RBIs, 27 runs, 13 doubles, four triples and six homers to go with 95 total bases, a .714 slugging percentage, 12 walks and two stolen bases.  O'Keefe also saw action on the mound, tossing 10 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts, seven walks and an 0-1 mark.  He also led Moravian with 247 putouts to go with 14 assists in 267 chances in the field.

Close, pictured at left, posted one of the best seasons in school history with a 7-2, which tied the school record for victories.  Close also had a 3.34 ERA, a school record 78 strikeouts including a school record tying 13 in a victory over Johnson & Wales University on March 1st, and just 12 walks in 64 2/3 innings.  He had four complete games during the season with a pair of shutouts.  Close pitched in 11 games, starting ten, and he had four putouts and 12 assists in 18 chances in the field.

Durso closed out one of the best offensive careers in Moravian history with a .391 average this spring.  Durso, pictured at right, had a school record 61 hits in a school record 156 at-bats to go with 51 runs, 58 RBIs, a school record 23 doubles, which is also tied for first in the nation, two triples, five home runs and a team high 24 walks.  Durso added a school record 103 total bases, a .660 slugging percentage and five stolen bases while being the only Greyhound to start all 41 games this season, another school record.  He had 39 putouts in 39 chances while playing left field.  Durso broke five career records this season, setting marks in doubles with 52, RBIs with 131, batting average at .352, total bases with 263 and hits with 175. 

Fenyak, pictured at left, had a 6-3 mark in his debut season on the mound for the Greyhounds.  Fenyak added a 4.60 ERA, 51 strikeouts and 19 walks in 62 2/3 innings,  Fenyak started ten games on the mound, pitching in a total of 12 games, and he had two putouts and 14 assists in 17 chances in the field.