Brandywine Places Five On All-PSUAC Baseball Teams

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A total of five Penn State Brandywine baseball players received all-conference awards, including three first team selections, as the Penn State University Athletic Conference released its end-of-year honors on Thursday.

Seniors Tyler Michaels (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) and Joey Buoni (Chester Heights, Pa./Salesianum) were joined on the first team by freshman Nick Wright (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), while juniors Brian Reynolds (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) and Ben Mutz (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) were honorable mention selections.

Michaels is in the midst of one of the top seasons by a Brandywine pitcher in recent memory, leading the PSUAC in nearly every statistical category. He tops the conference with seven victories, 63.0 innings pitched, 57 strikeouts, four complete games and three shutouts. Michaels also owns a 2.43 earned-run average, the fourth-lowest in the league.

A three-time PSUAC Pitcher of the Week, he made six appearances in conference games (five starts), going 5-0 with a 0.74 ERA after allowing just three earned runs in 36.2 frames, while fanning 29 batters.

Buoni enjoyed the best of his three years in a Brandywine uniform this spring, batting .306 with 17 runs batted in and 24 runs scored. Buoni, who also stole five bases in as many attempts, hit safely in 12-of-15 conference games, collecting 18 of his 30 hits against league foes for a .375 batting average.

Additionally, Buoni started five games on the mound, pitching to a 2-2 record and striking out 20 in 29.1 innings on the hill.

Wright was one of Brandywine's top hitters, tying for the team lead with 36 knocks. Overall, he batted .333 with 19 RBI, 16 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Wright produced a pair of four-hit games during the final two weeks of the regular season, both against conference opponents.

Entering Brandywine's PSUAC Tournament game against DuBois on Sunday, Wright has a hit in 15 of the Lions' last 18 games and has reached base safely in 25 of the team's last 26 outings.

Mutz collected 34 hits, including 13 that went for extra bases, in 35 games as the team's utility man. He drove in 20 runs, while scoring 23 and hitting .286 at the plate overall. Also the team's top reliever, Mutz topped all PSUAC hurlers with three saves. He made 11 appearances out of the bullpen, fanning 20 batters in 12.2 innings, while posting a 2.84 ERA.

Reynolds is now a two-time all-conference performer after earning rookie of the year honors two seasons ago as a freshman. Fourteen of Reynolds' 20 RBI came in conference games when he hit .309 in 15 contests. Reynolds tallied 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts and collected 26 hits, giving him 86 during his three-year career at Brandywine.

In addition, Eddie Caufield (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) received the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award. Caufield is in the midst of his fourth season as the team manager at Brandywine. Named after former PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, the sportsmanship award is given to one player from each team in the league who best displays the core values of the league and sportsmanship to teammates and opponents throughout the season.

Brandywine (20-15) will face defending PSUAC champion Penn State DuBois in the PSUAC Tournament Sunday afternoon in DuBois at 12:30 pm.