West Liberty Trio Named to All-MEC Team

West Liberty Trio Named to All-MEC Team

   BECKLEY, W.Va. – Three West Liberty University baseball standouts were named to the All-Mountain East Conference Team on Wednesday as the league coaches announced the results of their annual balloting on the eve of the MEC Tournament.

   Starting left fielder Ty Helmke was a first-team All-MEC selection with starting pitcher Ian Brady earning second-team All-MEC honors and designated hitter/utility man Kaden Blomquist earning an Honorable Mention berth for head coach Eric Burkle’s MEC North Division runners-up.

   A 6-1, 170-pound sophomore from Johnstown, Ohio, Helmke batted a team-high .352 while starting every game for the Black and Gold. He ranked second in the MEC with 25 stolen bases and cracked the MEC Top 10 in home runs, slugging percentage, total bases and OPS. Helmke also led the Hilltoppers in nearly every offensive category including runs scored (28), home runs (7), RBIs (29), extra-base hits (17), total bases (71), OBA (.470) and OPS (1.127)

   A 6-4, 245-pound junior righthander from Torrance, Calif., Brady led the Hilltoppers and ranked second in the MEC with 6 wins and a 2.25 ERA. He finished the regular season with a 6-3 record, giving up 44 hits in 48 innings while striking out 37 and walking 15. Opponents batted just .244 against Brady this season, which ranked among the Top 10 in the MEC.

   A 6-2, 215-pound junior corner infielder/designated hitter from St. Clairsville, Ohio, Blomquist was a potent force in the middle of the WLU lineup. He ranked third on the team with a .303 batting average that included 4 doubles and 2 home runs while driving in 19 runs. The lefty swinger was second on the team with a .456 OBA, which ranked among the Top 15 in the conference, and also tied for the team lead in walks (20).            

   Concord shortstop Anthony Stehlin was the MEC Player of the Year with Charleston’s Logan Campbell earning MEC Pitcher of the Year honors. Charleston third baseman Mitchell Vincent was voted MEC Freshman of the Year and Wheeling’s Ryan Lewicky was Coach of the Year.

   The Hilltoppers take on Charleston Thursday in the first round of the MEC Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Linda K. Epling Stadium.

BASEBALL

2021 All-Mountain East Conference Team

MEC Player of the Year: Anthony Stehlin (CU)

MEC Pitcher of the Year: Logan Campbell (UC)

MEC Freshman of the Year: Mitchell Vincent (UC)

MEC Coach of the Year: Ryan Lewicki (WU)

First Team

Pos. Name                                 School                           Cl.        Hometown

C      Drew Hefner                     Charleston                    Sr.        Bridgeport, W.Va.

1B   Matt Harrison                   W.Va. State                  Sr.        Cross Lanes, W.Va.

2B   Zack Saryeldin                  Concord                        R-Fr.    Weston, Fla.

SS    Anthony Stehlin               Concord                        Jr.        Woodbridge, Va.

3B   Luis Dominguez                Wheeling                      Sr.        Bronx, N.Y.

UT   Jacob Murray                    Wheeling                      So.       Beallsville, Ohio

DH   Tre'von Smith                   Glenville State             Jr.        Barboursville, W.Va.

OF   Hayden Cartt                    Charleston                    Jr.        Grove City, Ohio

OF   TY HELMKE                       WEST LIBERTY             SO.      JOHNSTOWN, OHIO

OF   Chris Iazetta                     Wheeling                      Jr.        Clinton, N.J.

OF   Colby Johnson                  Charleston                    Sr.        Lewisburg, W.Va.

SP    Logan Campbell               Charleston                    Sr.        Sparta, Mich.

SP    Ethan Lauchart                 W.Va. State                  Sr.        Sissonville, W.Va.

SP    Jared Naida                       Wheeling                      So.       Cleveland, Ohio

SP    Colt Webb                         Charleston                    Jr.        Newport, N.C.

RP   Albert Baez                       Wheeling                      Jr.        Fort Worth, Texas

Second Team

Pos. Name                                 School                           Cl.        Hometown

C      Riley Cameron                  Wheeling                      So.       Vass, N.C.

1B   Bryce Jackson                   Frostburg State           Jr.        Millersville, Md.

2B   Bryce Toussaint               Charleston                    Jr.        Oconomowoc, Wis.

SS    Ben Ross                            Notre Dame                 R-Fr.    Springfield, Ohio

3B   Evan Antonellis                Concord                        Jr.        Dumfries, Va.

UT   Tyler Haskins                    Fairmont State            So.       Ripley, Va.

DH   Ryan Roell                         Frostburg State           Sr.        Pittsburgh, Pa.

OF   Tylyn James                      Alderson Broaddus     Sr.        Cincinnati, Ohio

OF   Jack Maruskin                   Frostburg State           Jr.        Frederick, Md.

OF   Richard Ortiz                     Concord                        R-Fr.    Woodbridge, Va.

OF   Michael Stone                  W.Va. State                  Jr.        Nitro, W.Va.

SP    Trent Abernathy              Concord                        Sr.        Harrisonburg, Va.

SP   IAN BRADY                       WEST LIBERTY             JR.       SOUTH TORRANCE, CALIF.

SP    Austin Henrich                 Charleston                    Sr.        Ellview, W.Va.

SP    Aidan Massad                   Alderson Broaddus     Jr.        Leamington, Ontario

SP    Adam Riggleman             Glenville State             So.       Beverly, W.Va.

RP   Jacob Bradley                   W.Va. State                  Sr.        Nitro, W.Va.

All-MEC Honorable Mention

      C: Chasen Claus (AB); 1B: Tyler Dellerman (UC); 2B: Andrew Stone (WVSU); SS: Braxton Boddorf (UC); 3B: Lane Casto (AB); UT: KADEN BLOMQUIST (WLU), Andrew Smith (FROST); DH: Matt Kline (WVSU); OF: Justin Brown (FAIR), Cameron Sheets (AB), Jack Skantze (WU), Colby Werry (GSC); SP: Brady Biglin (NDC), Austin Mora (NDC), Logan Pillars (WU), Michael Rotenberry (FAIR); RP: Seth Nightingale (UC)