The LaGrange College baseball team landed four players on the 2022 D3baseball.com All-Region 6 team as announced by the website. In addition, Coach David Kelton was chosen as the Region 6 Coach of the Year.
Junior third baseman Joe Ruth is the Region 6 Player of the Year and freshman relief pitcher Jacob Brown is the Region 6 Rookie Pitcher of the Year. Ruth and senior outfielder McKinley Erves are on the first team. Brown is a second team selection, while senior infielder/outfielder Jack Layrisson was named as the third team designated hitter.
Ruth was on the USA South first team. He is batting .443 with 10 home runs and 82 RBIs, all team bests. Ruth leads NCAA Division III with 101 hits. He is just the third Division III player with 100 hits in a season. Ruth also leads the team in at-bats (228), doubles (21), total bases (156), and slugging percentage (.684). He has set school records for hits in a season and RBIs.
Erves was also a first team all-conference selection. He is batting .413 with five home runs and 45 RBIs. Erves has set a new school and Division III season record with 90 runs scored. He has walked a school record 50 times this season. Erves has a .653 slugging percentage and a team-high on-base percentage .543.
Brown posted a 9-0 record with three saves while earning first team all-conference honors. He has a 3.05 ERA in a team-high 21 appearances: striking out 40 in 44-1/3 innings. Layrisson made the all-conference first team as a utility player after being the designated hitter, playing in left field and at first base. He is batting .368 with five home runs, 64 RBIs. Layrisson is the Division III career leader with 26 sacrifice flies.
Kelton, in his ninth year coaching the Panthers, has led LC to a 42-7 record and the team's first ever berth in the upcoming D-III World Series. The Panthers won their fifth straight USA South Tournament championship, along with winning a NCAA regional and super regional for the first time. Kelton is 237-117 with LC.
D3BASEBALL.COM ALL-REGION TEAMS
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