May 31, 2006
Dan Melito Wins a Spot on All–Mideast Region Baseball Team
On May 23, Baldwin-Wallace College senior right fielder Dan Melito was honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association with a spot on its All–Mideast Region baseball team.
Melito was chosen by the ABCA as a second team outfielder after leading the Yellow Jackets in almost every offensive category this season. He was the team’s batting champion with a .405 average and finished the regular season as the third-leading hitter in the Ohio Athletic Conference. He led the OAC with 43 runs scored while belting out nine home runs, 17 doubles and 46 RBIs in 38 games.
His 17 doubles were one short of B-W’s season record, but they were more than enough for him to smash the career record. He ended up with 47 two-base hits over the last four seasons — nearly a dozen more than the previous record holder.
A week before his All–Mideast Region selection, Melito was named to the All–Ohio Athletic Conference first team by the league’s head coaches. He was joined on the All-OAC roster by senior first baseman Matt Wilson and senior second baseman Kevin Brown, who were named to the second team, and senior left fielder Mike Farrell, who was an honorable mention.
[ B-W Baseball All–Mideast Region Selections ]
May 26, 2006
2006 B-W Baseball Team Sets or Ties Nine School Records
Led by senior co-captains Dan Melito and Kevin Brown, the Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team set or tied nine school records this season.
Melito capped one of the best offensive careers in B-W history by smashing the career record for doubles with 47 over the last four seasons — nearly a dozen more than the previous mark. He hit 17 this year alone, falling just one short of the season record set by Pat Shannon in 2003. He finished his career with more runs scored and a higher on-base percentage than any other player this decade, and he’s among the all-time top ten in nine categories, including hits, runs batted in, home runs, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
He’s also fifth all-time among B-W outfielders with a .970 fielding average. In fact, all three of the Yellow Jackets’ senior outfielders finished their careers with top-ten fielding averages. Center fielder Matt Green’s .974 average is second all-time — just five one-thousandths behind Brian Keller’s school record of .979 — and left fielder Mike Farrell is seventh with a .964 average. Farrell also finished in the top ten for career doubles, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage.
Brown, the Yellow Jackets’ leadoff hitter, earned his place in the school record book the hard way. He was hit by a pitch 11 times this year, breaking the season record and giving him the career record with 19. His tough luck led the Jackets to a new team record of 38 beanings. His 71 career walks are the most by any player this decade, and rank sixth all-time. He also finished in the top ten for runs scored and fielding assists.
On April 13, he hustled his way to three doubles against Case Western Reserve University, matching a school and Ohio Athletic Conference single-game record shared by Phil Stringer ’90, Brian Johnson ’01, Pat Shannon ’03 and Mike Turchan ’05.
On the mound, junior pitchers J.D. Fullerton and Clayton Kynkor made a record number of pitching appearances this season. Fullerton’s relief appearance in the Jackets’ final game of the season broke the career record for most appearances by a reliever with 28. He missed the season record by only two appearances. Kynkor’s 11 starts tied the season record set by Scott Medvin in 1982 and matched by Walt Kendzierski in 1985, Bernie Bonhotel in 1988 and Matt Palumbo in 1991.
Kynkor’s 10–4 career record going into his senior year is tied with Heath Baker’s 15–6 mark from 2000 to 2003 for the best record this decade. Kynkor and Baker are tied for the third-best record all-time with Bret Butler, who also went 10–4 from 1991 to 1992.
May 4, 2006
Mike Turchan Receives Academic All-America Award at Senior Day Doubleheader
Baldwin-Wallace College student assistant coach Mike Turchan ’05 was presented with his 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America award during the Yellow Jackets’ Senior Day doubleheader against Otterbein College at Heritage Field on Saturday, April 29.
The award was presented by B-W sports information director Kevin Ruple between the second and third innings of the day’s opening game, and several Yellow Jacket baseball alums were in attendance, including Carl Mieyal ’80, Jon Hopkins ’81, Pat Campbell ’84 and former assistant coach Eddie Klaehn.
Mike was a great all-around player for the Jackets at third base and on the mound. He finished his career with a stellar .385 batting average, and his 23 home runs are second on B-W’s all-time list. In his sophomore year, he set a school record by hitting four straight doubles over a two-game stretch. As a pitcher, he was 12–8 with a 4.23 earned run average and struck out 122 batters in 164 innings.
In addition to his Academic All-America award, Mike won a spot on two Academic All–Ohio Athletic Conference teams and two Academic All–District IV squads. He was also the Yellow Jackets’ 2004 Outstanding Scholar-Athlete.
Before the opener, seniors Kevin Brown, Mike Farrell, Matt Green, Dan Melito, Derek Skapes, Ryan Stassinis and Matt Wilson were introduced to the the Senior Day crowd and applauded for their leadership and their legacy to the B-W baseball program. On the diamond, they’ve compiled an 80–61 (.567) four-year record, including 24 wins and an OAC playoff berth in 2003. In the classroom, their hard work and scholarship has boosted the Jackets to the highest team GPA of any sport at B-W.
The Yellow Jackets’ class of 2006 will play their final game Saturday at Wilmington College, when they go after their fourth straight winning season.
