2012 Baseball All-Commonwealth Honors
by Cody Swartz, GoMessiah.com reporter
Annville, PA - The announcement of the 2012 All-Commonwealth awards highlighted four members of the Messiah Falcons' baseball team.
Senior
Ryan Brown received his second straight selection as First Team All-Commonwealth catcher. Classmate
Wes Hollenbach was chosen as a Second Team All-Commonwealth first baseman, his third such award, junior
Paul Mellinger was selected as the Second Team All-Commonwealth second baseman, and freshman
Derek Drake was honored as a Second Team All-Commonwealth outfielder.
Brown had a monster season at the plate, hitting at a .333 clip with a team-best .485 on-base percentage and .605 slugging percentage, leading to a 1.100 OPS that was surpassed by just one other hitter in the Commonwealth Conference. His seven home runs led the entire conference, and Brown drove in 29 runs while scoring a team-high 33. He also led the Falcons and the conference with 25 walks, and his 14 hit by pitches tied a single-season school record. Brown also was exceptional defensively behind the plate, and his strong arm and ability to handle the pitching staff made him an asset to the Falcons.
Hollenbach received his third such All-Commonwealth honor, having been named Second Team as a freshman and First Team as a sophomore. He batted .367 for Messiah this season, drawing enough walks to post a .453 on-base percentage and hitting with enough power to finish with a .533 slugging percentage. Hollenbach was second on the team with 12 doubles, despite missing over 10 games due to injury, and he handled more chances (167) than anyone else in the conference without committing an error. When he wasn't hitting or fielding at an exceptional rate, Hollenbach contributed as a pitcher, working his way into the rotation and eventually pitching as a conference starter. Hollenbach posted a 3-1 record to go with a 2.93 ERA, tying for the team lead in wins even though he only made four appearances on the mound.
Mellinger has been a starter for all three years at Messiah, and he finally got his due, earning distinction as the Second Team All-Commonwealth second baseman. He batted .308 and ranks second on the team in at-bats (143) and stolen bases (10), third in hits (44) and RBIs (24), and fourth in runs scored (30), doubles (10) and total bases (54). Mellinger showed exceptional plate discipline, drawing 10 walks and five hit by pitches while striking out just eight times all season.
Drake broke onto the scene at Messiah and made an immediate impact as a freshman, hitting .336 with a team-high 48 hits. He drew 18 walks, leading to an impressive .418 on-base percentage, and he has played outstanding defense in right field where his strong arm has made him a valuable part of the Falcons' offense. Drake was at his best in a conference doubleheader against Widener University, going 5-for-5 with three walks, reaching base all eight times in which he batted.
Alvernia rounded out the major awards, with Chris Ray taking home his second straight Player of the Year honor, Richie Riccardi earning Rookie of the Year, Aaron Benusis winning Pitcher of the Year, and Yogi Lutz receiving the Coach of the Year award.
The Falcons will begin postseason play on Thursday afternoon with a game against Alvernia at Owls Field in West Lawn, PA. Game time for that contest is slated for 4:00 p.m.
The 2012 Championships website
can be found here.
