June 24, 2011

ATHENS, Ohio – Junior shortstop Brian Blasik and junior starting pitcher Burny Mitchem were named to the 2011 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Mideast Region Second Team, as announced American Baseball Coaches Association.

Mitchem was a First Team Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection as a starting pitcher for the Flyers. The Farmington, Mich., native led all A-10 pitchers in conference wins (7-0) as UD won all 8 conference regular season games which Mitchem started. Mitchem recorded 93 strikeouts – which stands as the second-most in a single-season at Dayton, while also ranking second in career strikeouts at Dayton (248). Mitchem’s 2.07 ERA was the second-lowest in the A-10, which now makes his career ERA the lowest at Dayton since 1971 (3.41). During the regular season Mitchem won seven consecutive games, including a string of three consecutive complete-game victories. Mitchem was named the A-10 Pitcher of the Week on May 9.
 
Blasik, a two-time A-10 First Team All-Conference performer, recorded a hit in 38 of his 44 games played this season while hitting .369 with 72 hits, 23 stolen bases and five triples. His 23 stolen bases are tied for the most ever at UD, helping Dayton to rank sixth in the nation in stolen bases (121). The Germantown, Ohio native was the team leader in homeruns (6) and hit UD’s only grand slam of the season. He was named the A-10 Player of the Week on April 11.

Mitchem and Blasik became the first Flyers to be named to an ABCA All-Mideast Region since Luke Trubee was listed as a First Team selection in 2005.

In all, Kent State University had the most selections with seven this season. Five of the players named to All-Mideast Region First Team were also selected to the 2011 ABCA/Rawlings All-American Teams.

The All-Mideast Region Teams are voted on by all the region’s head coaches and chairman Joe Carbone (Ohio head coach), who tallies the votes and creates the two teams.