The Kenyon College baseball team went 21-14 and was 8-8 in conference action, tying for fourth place, but missed out on the NCAC post-season tournament due to tie-breakers. The Owls were 7-4 at home, 5-5 away and 9-5 at neutral sites, and outscored their opponents 303-224.
“We were an extremely young group, we played almost exclusively with players that had zero or one year of collegiate experience with a few veteran players mixed in,” coach Matt Burdette said. “That said, we had a pretty good season overall, gained some outstanding experience and played meaningful playoff-type atmosphere games all the way to the final weekend of the season.
As a team, the Owls were at or near the best of all time statistically. The team hit .327 (fourth), had 26 homers (second), hit 14 triples (fourth), smashed 89 doubles (third) and came around to score 303 times (third).
Accolades:
This year, the team was well-recognized in the All-North Coast Athletic Conference awards. Making first team was sophomore Edwin Groff, who was also a second team All-American honoree. Designated hitter Groff hit .443 to lead the Owls, along with a team-leading 16 doubles and four triples. His five homers and 38 RBIs were both second on the team. He had a .721 slugging percentage, well ahead of anyone else on the squad, and posted a team-high 1.198 OPS. His 62 hits and 101 total bases also led the squad.
The Owls had three players make the second team – one pitcher and a pair of infielders. Freshman starting pitcher Theo Canning posted a 3-2 record with a 4.11 ERA. He logged 50 innings and allowed 48 hits, with a .258 batting average against. He also struck out 45 batters, which was second on the squad.
Junior third baseman Tripper Capps made second team, as well. He was second on the team in hitting with a .402 batting average and also had a 1.050 OPS. He belted 11 doubles, a triple and a homer with 23 RBIs.
Junior second baseman Malcom Gaynor made second team. He proved he was a run-producing machine this spring, leading the team with 39 RBIs. He was third with a .354 average and smashed a team-high six homers to go with 12 doubles.
Groff was also named to the d3baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NCAA Division III All-Region teams. He was the first team for d3baseball.com and named second team for ABCA/Rawlings.
Five players were on the Academic All-District team, including Gaynor, senior Kyle Dwyer, junior Stephen Carr, Drew Robinson and sophomore Frank Lynch.
Five Owls were on the All-NCAC team with Groff on the first team, Canning Capps and Gaynor on the second team and Robinson on the third team. This was the most since 2015 for Kenyon, and it is the first time each player has been named.
Other top performers:
Burdette said the team also was excited about the play of Carr at catcher, Robinson trolling centerfield and shortstop Nate Rosen.
“All were terrific defensive players this year in the three most demanding positions,” Burdette said. “They did play well offensively but their value on the defensive end was tremendous."
Carr batted .283 and had eight doubles, a homer and 22 RBIs. Robinson was a force on the base paths, stealing 17 bags on the season. He was also solid at the plate with a .339 batting average and an OPS of .941. He blasted a pair of homers, and also had eight doubles and four triples. Rosen batted .305 with a homer, 19 RBIs, six doubles and two triples.
“There is a ton of optimism heading into the offseason with excited anticipation for the 2024 spring season with so many returning players with a year more of experience under their belts," Burdette said. "We will still be young, but with more experience and the knowledge of what they know they can accomplish."
