Baseball Team Pic 2019
Tyler Schueck

Baseball

Baseball finishes as NEAC runner-up after title game gets canceled

AURORA, N.Y. - The Penn State Berks baseball team had its shot at a sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance taken away after the NEAC Championship was canceled on Sunday afternoon with the field considered to be unplayable.

The championship was given to Penn State Abington, who had a 2-0 record in the postseason, while Berks is runner-up with a 2-1 postseason record.

The season draws to a disappointing end for the 2019 squad and especially for four-year standout seniors Toby Welk, Dalton Hughes, and Austin Madeja. The team finishes with an overall record of 25-14, which matches the 2018 squad for most wins in a season.

Welk has been the most dominant player in program history and is one of the top players in the country. He leads all of Division III in slugging percentage (.938), while ranking second in batting average (.483). Welk is fifth in RBI (58), sixth in runs scored (56), and tied for seventh in home runs (13). He finishes his phenomenal career at Berks with a .433 batting average (241-for-557) with 53 doubles, 16 triples, 34 home runs, 201 RBI, 165 runs scored, 78 walks, and struck out only 31 times.

Hughes has been a reliable player at the plate and in the field these last four years. He finishes 2019 with a .387 batting average (58-for-150) with 10 doubles, one triple, one homer, 40 RBI, and 48 runs scored. For his career, Hughes hit .331 (144-for-435) with 18 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 86 RBI, 149 runs scored, and 96 walks.

Madeja made major contributions for the Nittany Lions, particularly these last three seasons as his playing time significantly improved. He batted .304 (31-for-102) with four doubles, one triple, 14 RBI, and 33 runs scored. Madeja ends his career hitting .267 (76-for-285) with 11 doubles, two triples, one homer, 37 RBI, and 74 runs scored.

This trio of seniors will be sorely missed and will never be fully replaced. But head coach Justin Konnick has a strong returning core of players, to go along with incoming recruits and transfers that will be ready to compete in the 2020 season.
 
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Players Mentioned

Dalton Hughes

#5 Dalton Hughes

OF
5' 11"
Senior
L/R
Austin Madeja

#21 Austin Madeja

OF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Toby Welk

#18 Toby Welk

SS/3B
6' 2"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Dalton Hughes

#5 Dalton Hughes

5' 11"
Senior
L/R
OF
Austin Madeja

#21 Austin Madeja

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
OF
Toby Welk

#18 Toby Welk

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
SS/3B