CHELMSFORD, MA – Redshirt junior outfielder Ryan Siegel of the Mercyhurst University baseball team had a fantastic summer with the Marthas Vineyard Sharks of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, claiming the 2013 league batting title, and helping the Sharks earn the regular season championship with a 35-18 record.
Siegel, a Second Team All-PSAC selection in 2013 and the PSAC Freshman of the Year in 2012, built off of his success with the Lakers to post a Futures League-best .373 batting average with the Sharks (63-for-169). He held off Mitch Elliott of the Brockton Rox, who posted a .358 average.
The Sharks will be beginning a best-of-three series for the Futures League Championship on Wednesday, August 14 against the Nashua Silver Knights. Game two will be on Thursday, August 15, while game three, if necessary, is scheduled for Friday, August 16.
Siegel had 63 hits in 45 regular season games with Marthas Vineyard, which included seven doubles, one triple, and one home run. He also scored 40 runs, knocked in 23 more, and went 6-for-8 in the stolen base department. Siegel also drew 23 walks during the regular season, posting a .448 on-base percentage.
The Sarver, Pennsylvania, native had 17 games with at least two hits, including a 5-for-6 game against the Rox on August 8 and a 4-for-5 performance against the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs. He belted his only home run of the season against the Seacoast Mavericks on July 18.
As a freshman, Siegel batted a team-leading .389 with Mercyhurst, recording 63 hits in 162 at bats with the Lakers. He scored 45 runs and knocked in 33 runs as a rookie. Eighteen of his 63 hits went for extra bases (14 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs). That season, he won the PSAC West Freshman of the Year Award, and earned numerous other accolades including the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Freshman of the Year. He was also a PSAC West First Team selection, an NCBWA Atlantic Region Second Team honoree, and an ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region Second Team nod.
Last season, the Laker centerfielder batted .279 with 13 runs batted in and was named to the All-PSAC West Second Team. He battled through several injuries last season and missed a dozen games throughout the year.
