Four Brandywine Spring Athletes Named To PSUAC All-Senior Teams

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In the absence of all-conference teams due to the on-going pandemic, the Penn State University Athletic Conference released a spring All-Senior Team on Monday to celebrate the careers of the top 18 baseball and softball seniors from around the league for their accomplishments during the last four years. Named to the team from Penn State Brandywine were baseball players Ben Mutz (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven), Brian Reynolds (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown), Kevin Sessa (Broomall, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) and softball student-athlete Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City).

Velez, who will graduate this weekend with a degree in psychology, was a two-sport star in softball and basketball, earning all-conference accolades in both sports. A four-year starting shortstop for the Lions, Velez is one-of-eight players in program history with 100 career hits. She ranks sixth in the Brandywine record books with 107 hits and likely would have finished her career No. 2 had the entire 2020 season been played.

A career .363 hitter, Velez recorded 82 runs scored, 55 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 108 games. She was one of the toughest players in the league to strike out, fanning only 13 times in 295 career at-bats and known as one of the PSUAC's top defenders, owning a .958 fielding percentage.

Prior to getting started on the softball diamond, Velez finished her Brandywine basketball career with a program record 1,800 points. She was named national player of the year by the USCAA after receiving her fourth all-American award. Velez was a five-time PSUAC champion, winning three softball titles and two more as a member of the women's basketball team.

Mutz started at six different positions during his 49-game career at Brandywine. He received all-conference honorable mention as a utility man during his junior season after hitting .295 with 24 runs scored and 23 RBI.

During his first full season at Brandywine, Mutz played a major role in both of the team's postseason wins by coming up with a pair of key hits during the final inning of each game. He recorded a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh inning of the Lions' victory of Penn State Schuylkill and one week later, hit a game-winning, three-run home run against Penn State Mont Alto.

On the mound, Mutz posted a 1-1 record with four saves in 13 appearances. He led the conference with three saves during the 2019 season.

Reynolds started nearly every game at catcher for the Lions during the last four seasons. He began his career in 2017 by being named PSUAC Newcomer of the Year and was an all-conference honorable mention selection following his junior season.

Prior to the 2020 season being halted, Reynolds was hitting a team-leading .412 with 14 knocks in 34 at-bats. He reached the 100-hit mark for his career on March 9 against Curry College and now owns 103 career hits.

In 115 games, Reynolds has produced 60 runs batted in and scored 47 runs, while stealing 17 bases in 21 attempts. Defensively, he threw out more than 16 percent of attempted base stealers throughout his career.

Sessa was an honorable mention all-American and First Team All-PSUAC standout during his four years at Brandywine.

A starting pitcher in all four seasons, Sessa recorded 11 victories and one save during 34 career appearances, spanning 125.1 innings. He struck out 62 batters during his career, while firing three complete games.

Sessa's top season came as a sophomore in 2018 when he tied for the PSUAC lead with seven victories and went 24.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run during the year.