Irizarry Named ROTY to Lead Nine All-Conference Selections

baseball united east all-conference selections web story photo

LATHAM, N.Y. - Carlos Irizarry was named the United East Baseball Rookie of the Year to lead nine Penn State Harrisburg all-conference selections.

 

Irizarry was joined on the United East All-Conference First Team by teammates Maddux Ryan, Kevin Lehner, Matt Parks, Dallas Hite, Fisher Druck, and Josh Berzonski, while Brendan Henn and Danny Eden were tabbed all-conference second-team selections. 

 

Irizarry becomes the second player in program history to earn conference rookie of the year recognition thanks to a breakout freshman campaign. The Chantilly, Va. native slashed .410/.452/.650 with a 1.102 OPS and racked up 48 hits, including eight doubles, six home runs, and a triple to go along with 49 RBI and 31 runs scored. He also tallied 84 assists and 39 putouts from his shortstop position.

 

Ryan was stellar during his senior season and was twice named the United East Player of the Week (3/6, 4/24). The Camp Hill, Pa. native ranks 14th in the nation in batting average (.463), 23rd in the country in on-base percentage (.545), and 32nd in Division III in hits (69). The first baseman posted a .664 slugging percentage and an 1.209 OPS with 13 doubles, five home runs, a triple, 49 RBI, and 47 runs. In a win at Wells in late April, the team captain became just the third player in program history to hit for the cycle. 

 

Lehner turned in an outstanding junior campaign that saw him named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week after earning United East Player of the Week honors in early April. The Tyrone, Pa. native ranks 16th in the country in on-base percentage (.550), 24th in the nation in batting average (.453), and 33rd in Division III in slugging percentage (.781). The outfielder posted a 1.331 OPS and racked up 62 hits, including 11 home runs and 12 doubles. He scored 46 runs and drove in 42 more, walked 23 times, and tallied 107 total bases. In a win at Virginia Wesleyan in March, he recorded five hits to match the single-game program record. 

 

Parks is in the midst of a strong senior season. The team captain ranks third among active Division III players in career walks (137) and ranks third in the nation with 48 walks this spring. He slashed .340/.498/.573 with a 1.071 OPS and and ranks 18th in the country in runs (60). The Three Springs, Pa. native had 51 hits, including 10 doubles, seven home runs, and a pair of triples to go along with 50 RBI and 110 total bases. The designated hitter became one of just three players in program history to hit 25 home runs when he homered in a win over No. 1 Salisbury in late April. 

 

Hite had another terrific season as a senior and recently became just the second player in program history to hit 30 career home runs thanks to a three-run blast in a win over Penn College in the United East Championship Game. The Lilly, Pa. native ranks 26th in the nation in runs (57) and slashed .367/.426/.622 with a 1.048 OPS this spring. The outfielder tallied 112 total bases after racking up 66 hits, including 11 doubles, nine home runs, and four triples. He also drove in 42 runs, stole 21 bases, and walked 19 times. In a win at Virginia Wesleyan in March, he became the second player in program history to hit for the cycle. For his efforts, he was named the United East Player of the Week in late February.

 

Druck had a memorable rookie season that included an 8-0 record on the mound. The Lancaster, Pa. native currently ranks 17th in the nation in wins and has racked up 51 strikeouts on the spring. The hurler recorded a 3.09 ERA in 12 appearances that included 58.1 innings thrown. He made 11 starts as a freshman and was named the United East Pitcher of the Week in early April. He struck out a career-high nine batters in a United East Tournament victory over Lancaster Bible in mid-May. 

 

Berzonski was excellent in relief during his freshman campaign, recording a 2.97 ERA in 39.1 innings thrown. The Glenville, Pa. native made 11 appearances and went 4-1 with two saves on the spring to go along with 47 strikeouts and a 10.75 strikeout-per-nine rate. In early March, he threw three scoreless innings of relief, striking out five and allowing just one hit to earn the win at No. 15 Randolph-Macon after throwing four innings and striking out six batters to earn the save in a victory over No. 16 Arcadia.

 

After injury cut his freshman season short a year ago, Henn bounced back in a massive way this spring. The Matamoras, Pa. native ranks ninth in the nation in runs (63) and is currently slashing .383/.473/.635 with a 1.108 OPS. The infielder racked up 106 total bases and 64 hits, including 13 doubles, nine home runs, and a triple to go along with 43 RBI, 28 walks, and 20 stolen bases. Most recently, he was named the United East Championship Tournament MVP after slashing .615/.667/1.615 with a 2.282 OPS, four home runs, a double, nine runs scored, and seven RBI across three tournament games. 

 

Eden accounted for a number of the team's biggest victories this season, including three wins over nationally-ranked programs in No. 1 Salisbury, No. 16 Arcadia, and No. 17 Rowan. The Morgantown, Pa. native started all 11 games in which he appeared, threw 49.1 innings, and recorded a 6-2 record. The sophomore struck out 42 batters with a 7.66 strikeout-per-nine rate and was named the United East Pitcher of the Week in early March. 

 

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