Complete Ping! Team Release
Six Ohio Valley Conference baseball players have been named to the 2010 Ping!Baseball Preseason All-American Team.
Morehead State shortstop Drew Lee was a second-team selection, while Eastern Kentucky third baseman Jayson Langfels, Jacksonville State outfield Todd Cunningham, Eastern Illinois utility man Richie Derbak and Tennessee Tech utility man A.J. Kirby-Jones were each third-team selections. Murray State first baseman Wes Cunningham was listed as a "for your consideration" or honorable mention choice.
Lee had one of MSU's best offensive seasons in school history last season. He set a school-record for hits in a season with 86 and also had a team-high 18 doubles and 17 home runs. He had 67 RBI, scored 62 runs and totaled a league-best 159 bases during the 52 games MSU played this year. He ranked in the top five in the OVC in homers, doubles, RBI and runs scored and his total base final stats were only three shy of the MSU single season mark. He ended with a .413 batting average and was named First-Team All-OVC. He was also one of 15 semifinalists for the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award, which honors NCAA Division I's best shortstop. Lee also got the job done in the classroom, as he was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Langfels won the OVC batting title in 2009 with a .441 average and also led the country in run production at 1.67 RBI per game and was a first-team All-OVC selection (one of only two sophomores on the first-team). He was also named a second-team All-American by CollegeBaseballInsider.com and an honorable mention All-Ping! performer by Ping!Baseball.com last spring. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2008, Langfels exploded as one of the top hitters in the OVC in 2009. His .441 batting average was one of the best in modern EKU history and his 72 RBI ranks third on the all-time EKU single-season list. He was also second in the OVC in triples (6), total bases (136) and slugging percentage (.800). Langfels blasted a team-best 12 home runs in 2009 and displayed a propensity for delivering in the clutch as two of his home runs were walk-off jobs and one of them came at home against in-state rival Western Kentucky on March 18.
Todd Cunningham led the prestigious Cape Cod League with a .378 batting average after playing for the Falmouth Commodores. He also led the league in hits (59) and on-base percentage (.458) after winning the batting title by 36 points. The junior outfielder was second in the Cape in runs scored (31) and slugging percentage (.500), while posting 12 extra-base hits with 22 RBI and also drew 19 walks to post a .458 on-base percentage. As a sophomore at Jacksonville State last season, Cunningham batted an impressive .339, scored a team-high 66 runs, tied for the team lead in home runs (10), tied for second in stolen bases (9) and led the team in triples with nine.
Derbak is a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference honoree at EIU. He was a first-team utility pick last season after batting .417 with a team-high 78 hits. On the mound, he went 6-3 with seven saves. During his summer experience, Derbake was named the MVP of the Prospect League's All-Star Game after delivering a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning of the West Division's 7-4 victory. As a freshman in 2007, he was a second-team All-OVC utility selection and also a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. He served as the starting catcher his sophomore season and has seen action at seven different positions during his collegiate career.
Kirby-Jones was a second-team All-OVC pick last season and MVP of the 2009 OVC Tournament. He starteded all 56 games in 2009, filling roles at first base, designated hitter, starter and reliever. At the plate, Kirby-Jones tied the Tech record for most home runs in a season, leading the OVC with 20. He batted .325 with 15 doubles and posted a .706 slugging percentage with 68 RBI. He walked 42 times, including eight intentional walks. He was third in the OVC in both RBI and total bases. On the mound, he appeared in 18 games including four as a starter and 14 in relief spots. He posted a 3-3 record with a 5.51 earned run average, with 52 strikeouts in 49 innings.
In 2009, Wes Cunningham earned first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, after hitting .411 with 12 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. His .411 average was the fifth-best single-season performance for a 'Bred. Cunningham spent last summer playing for the El Dorado Broncos of the Jayhawk League. He was named the top prospect in the league by Baseball America after hitting .395, with 42 runs, 18 doubles, six triples, four home runs and 39 RBIs. He led the Broncos to the National Baseball Congress National Championship, being named the NBC All-America team along the way.
OVC Players Selected to the 2010 Ping!Baseball Preseason All-American Team
Second Team
SS - Drew Lee, Morehead State
Third Team
3B - Jayson Langfels, Eastern Kentucky
OF - Todd Cunningham, Jacksonville State
UT - Richie Derbak, Eastern Illinois
UT - A.J. Kirby-Jones, Tennessee Tech
Honorable Mention
1B - Wes Cunningham, Murray State