MAY 19, 2009
KING'S VENARCHICK NAMED TO ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-REGION TEAM
WILKES-BARRE – King's College baseball standout Jon Venarchick (Lehighton/Lehighton Area) has been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region Team as a second-team selection.
Venarchick recently concluded an outstanding career at King's where he became the program's all-time career and single-season hits leader. Venarchick led the Monarchs to a 22-14-1 record and a berth in the Freedom Conference Tournament as a senior. He posted a team-high .447 (67-150) batting average with 15 doubles, 10 triples, five home runs, 43 RBI, 49 runs scored and a .780 slugging percentage. His total of 67 base hits in 2009 stands as King's single-season school-record.
Over the course of his career, Venarchick owns a .383 (227-592) batting average with 41 doubles, 18 triples, 10 home runs, 134 RBI and scored 135 runs. Venarchick, who was a 2007 first-team all-conference choice, also posted a .564 slugging percentage. He hit safely in 34 of the 36 games he played in while posting a career-high 14-game hitting streak, before ending the season with an 11-game hit streak. His 227 base hits are the most in King's baseball history.
Venarchick was a four-year starter who helped the Monarchs to three berths in the Freedom Conference Tournament, a Freedom Conference championship, and the program's first-ever NCAA Division III National Tournament berth in 2006.
As a senior, he finished the year by winning the 2009 Freedom Conference batting title, while also finishing atop the conference with 10 triples and 118 total bases. During the year, he posted a career-best 14-game hitting streak, then hit safely in the final 11 games of the year. On the season Venarchick registered at least one base hit in 34 of the 36 games he played in.
Venarchick ends his career as the only player in King's baseball history to reach the 200-hit plateau, graduating with a school-record 227 base hits. Overall, he finished his four-year career with 41 doubles, 18 triples, 10 home runs, 134 RBI, and 135 runs scored, while posting a career .383 batting average. Additionally, he was a two-time All-Freedom Conference selection and a three-time MAC All-Academic choice. He wrapped up his time at King's by receiving the 2009 Middle Atlantic Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete award by posting a 3.544 overall grade-point average as a biology major.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Jon to have been selected to the Mid-Atlantic All-Region team, “King's coach Jerry Greeley stated. “It is a reward for four years of hard work and dedication to not only making himself a better player, but also an outstanding leader to the players in the King's College baseball program.”
