AUSTINTOWN, Ohio -- Seven members of the Heidelberg University baseball team have been selected to all-conference teams, as announced by the Ohio Athletic Conference on Monday. The team was led by two first team selections, Evan Long and Trevor Adkins. The Student Princes have had five or more All-OAC selections every season since 2000.
Long has earned first-team honors for the second year in a row. In 2018, he hit .382 and led the OAC with 48 runs driven in. Long, a native of Okemos, Mich., had a team-high 11 stolen bases and 12 doubles and added three triples and two home runs. Defensively, he made just two errors in 190 total chances and helped turn 21 double plays. Long is a four-time All-OAC honoree, having earned honorable mention accolades in 2015 and 2016.
Adkins, a transfer student, worked his way up to the ace of the pitching staff. The Xenia, Ohio, native finished the season with a 5-0 record and a 2.43 ERA. The southpaw led the team with 70.1 innings pitched and 71 strikeouts.
Darrin Shirk, Matt Psychas, Alex Sir Louis and Joey Rydzewski all earned spots on the second team.
Shirk, a center fielder, hit .341 and had a team-best six home runs in his senior season. He contributed nine doubles, two triples, 22 RBI and 10 stolen bases to the offense. The Fredericksburg, Pa. native made one error in 99 chances and had five outfield assists.
Serving as the primary left fielder, Psychas hit .338 and socked 11 doubles as a junior. He hit five homers and three triples while driving in 37. Psychas, a native of Ypsilanti, Mich., tied Shirk for the team lead in outfield assists with five.
From North Royalton, Ohio, Sir Louis came on strong in the middle of the season and helped solidify the starting rotation for The Berg. In 41 innings, he fanned 27 and had a miniscule 1.10 ERA. He finished with a perfect 6-0 record.
Rydzewski surged late in the year and had a .349 average, second-best among HU starters. Batting atop the lineup, he hit 10 doubles and a triple while driving in 23. He swiped 10 bases and drew a team-high 22 walks. Defensively, the rangy shortstop from Chesterfield, Mich., had a team-high 125 assists and helped turn 20 double plays. He also earned All-OAC honors a season ago.
Middleburg Heights native Kyle Slovick was selected as an honorable mention following a breakout senior year. He hit .277 with 42 RBI and three homers -- including a memorable game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth in game against Mitchell in Florida.
Heidelberg finished 27-13 overall, and 11-7 in the OAC. The Berg missed out on the four-team OAC tournament by a tie breaker and did not receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Photo courtesy Doug Sampson