Wednesday, May 11, 2011

SEVEN GREYHOUNDS NAMED TO LANDMARK BASEBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS;
Close Named Pitcher of the Year

MADISON, NJ --- The Moravian College baseball team placed four players on the 2011 Landmark Baseball All-Conference First Team and three more on the Second Team while junior pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) earned Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year honors as released by the conference office.

Close, junior catcher Austin Rock (Arlington, VA/Flour Bluff {TX} HS), senior outfielder Mike Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) and junior pitcher Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) were all named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team.  Senior third baseman Jon Baltz (Easton, PA/Easton HS), senior outfielder Jason Huber (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) and freshman pitcher Jonathan Harasin (Springfield, VA/South County HS) each earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team.

The Greyhounds under the direction of fifth-year head coach Paul Engelhardt have a 31-9 overall record this spring, a school record for victories in a season for the third straight year.  Moravian also had a 17-1 mark in the Landmark Conference regular season to earn the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament.  The Greyhounds were knocked out of the conference tournament and are awaiting the NCAA Division III Tournament announcement on Monday, May 16th to see if they have earned their second straight trip to the tournament.

Close, who was on the 2009 Landmark All-Conference First Team and the Second Team last season, has a 10-0 record, a 1.00 ERA, four shutouts, 100 strikeouts and just five walks allowed in 80.2 innings, setting school record for wins, shutouts, strikeouts and innings pitched.  Close, pictured at left, has also set the school records with 22 career wins (22-3 overall), seven shutouts and 232 career strikeouts, and he is second in innings pitched at 202.1 in three seasons while walking just 27 batters.

Rock, pictured at right, has seen action as a catcher and as a designated hitter this season, and he is hitting .347 with 26 hits, 18 runs, five doubles, a triple, a homer, four stolen bases, nine walks and 16 RBIs.  Rock also recorded 116 putouts and 16 assists including throwing our eight of 24 stolen bases attempts this season.  Rock has 69 career hits to go with 44 runs, 16 doubles, nine homers and 59 RBIs in 90 games.

Zubia, pictured at left, is Moravian’s starting right field and the top hitter on the team this year.  He is hitting .397 with 56 hits, 28 runs, 14 doubles, three triples, 16 stolen bases, eight walks and 36 RBIs.  Zubia, who returned for a fifth season this year after missing his sophomore campaign with an injury, also had 72 putouts and two assists this spring.  Zubia has a .319 career average to go with 88 hits, 52 runs, 20 doubles, five triples and 50 RBIs in 103 career games.

Longernecker, pictured at right, is Moravian’s closer for the second straight season, recording a 2-0 record and nine of the team’s ten saves.  He has a 3.00 ERA to go with just four walks and 24 strikeouts in 27 innings of action over 16 appearances.  In two seasons, Longernecker is 6-1 with 13 saves, a 1.81 ERA, eight walks and 46 strikeouts in 49.2 innings over 29 appearances.

Baltz, who was on the Landmark All-Conference First Team last season, has hit .294 this spring with 40 hits, 21 runs, five doubles, 13 walks, five stolen bases and 28 RBIs in his final year.  Baltz, pictured at left, has a .298 career average with 124 hits, 79 runs, 17 doubles, a triple, 39 walks, ten stolen bases and 76 RBIs.

Huber, the Greyhounds’ starting centerfielder, has a .302 average this spring with 45 hits, 29 runs, seven doubles, a triple, 20 RBIs and team highs of four home runs, 18 stolen bases and 17 walks.  Huber, pictured at right, has set the school records with 138 runs scored and 50 stolen bases in his career to go with a .321 average, 160 hits, the third most in school history, 29 doubles, seven triples, four homers, 76 walks and 73 RBIs.

Harasin, pictured at left, has had a strong debut season with the Greyhounds, posing a 6-2 record with a 2.57 ERA, one shutout, 11 walks and 39 strikeouts in 56 innings of action as part of Moravian’s starting rotation.