ISU’s Hendren named Newcomer of the Year, four earn All-MVC honors

Posted on May 19, 2015

By ISU Sports Information

NORMAL – Jacob Hendren has been named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Newcomer of the Year, while he and three other Redbirds earned All-MVC honors, the league announced Tuesday.

Hendren was joined on the All-MVC First Team by Redbird teammates Paul DeJong and Mason Snyder, while Joe Kelch was an All-MVC Second Team selection. Hendren was also named to the MVC’s All-Defensive Team.

Hendren is the first member of the Illinois State baseball team to win the Newcomer of the Year award. He posted a 10-2 record and a 2.84 ERA in his first season wearing a Redbird uniform, tying Illinois State’s single-season wins record. He was tied for the Valley lead in both wins and innings pitched.

The junior left-handed pitcher led the Redbirds in wins and ERA, as well as starts (14), complete games (3), innings pitched (98.1) and strikeouts (92). He also fielded his position exceptionally well, playing the entire season without committing an error, to earn All-Defensive Team accolades.

DeJong was named to the All-MVC First Team as a utility player, having started games at four different positions, and as the team’s designated hitter, in 2015. DeJong slashed .333/.427/.605 and led both the Redbirds and the MVC in home runs, with 14. He also led Illinois State in hits (70), doubles (15), runs (47) and RBIs (48).

Snyder was named the Valley’s First Team first baseman. The senior hit .302/.418/.471 in his final season at Illinois State, ranking among the top 10 in the league in doubles (14) and RBIs (41). He hit six home runs, ranking second on the team, and also posted one of the team’s top on-base percentages, thanks to his 28 walks and the 12 times he was hit by a pitch.

Kelch was named to the All-MVC Second Team as a second baseman. The redshirt junior had a monster second half of the season, finishing with a team-best .359 batting average, despite hitting just .138 after the first month of the season. Kelch was especially good in Valley play, batting .393 in games against conference opponents.

The Illinois State baseball team will open play at the MVC Tournament on Wednesday, taking on host Wichita State in a 7:30 p.m. opening-round contest. Wednesday’s game, and all games at the MVC Tournament this week, will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

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