Seven Behrend Lions Named to AMCC Baseball All-Conference Team
The
Penn State Behrend baseball team had seven players named to the 2008 AMCC
All-Conference team. Junior pitcher David Koerbel
(Pittsburgh/Central Catholic) received top honors as he was selected as the
Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year for the 2008 season.
Koerbel led the league in wins (8), while ranking second in strikeouts (69)
and third in the earned run average (2.64).
Head coach Paul Benim was honored with the Coach of the Year selection. Back in April when the blue and white took on Grove City college, Coach Benim received his 300th career win. With winning the 2008 AMCC title, Coach Benim recorded his 322nd win of all-time. This season he led the Behrend Lions to a 34-10 overall record and an impressive 17-1 mark in conference play.
Junior pitcher Andrew Chrobak (New Castle/Laurel) was selected for the first-team All-Conference, along with teammates Dustin Dubensky (Punxsutawney/Punxsutawney) and Jon Gray (State College/State College) . Chrobak ranked number one in batters struck out looking (18) as well as taking the number two spot in the wins category (7) and earned run average (2.56).
Dubensky was a
powerhouse for the blue and white this season, leading the league in doubles
(23) and ranked second in the RBI category with 46 runs batted in.
Gray had a superb 2008 season with a .381 batting average, 34 runs scored, and 15 RBIs.
Other
members of the Behrend Lions receiving honors include Adam Martin
(Rochester/Rochester), Josh Fyffe (Fredonia/Sharpsville), and Geoff Lang
(Pittsburgh/North Allegheny). Martin makes his second All-Conference
appearance with a .394 batting average and 37 RBIs, while adding 20 runs
scored. Lang ranks fourth in the AMCC for runs scored (38). He
batted a .350 for the year, driving in 19 runs for the Behrend Lions off of
49 hits. Fyffe also returns to the All-Conference list for his second
consecutive year. He leads the league in runs scored (38) and is fourth spot in stolen bases (21).
The blue and white (34-11) now move on to play in the Division III NCAA Tournament in Newark, NJ. After being defeated 8-1 in game one by Messiah, the Behrend Lions will play Thursday, May 15 at 10:00 a.m. against the loser of the Kean vs. Gwynedd-Mercy at 4:30 p.m today.