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Brynildsen, Paskanik, Pierce take top post-season baseball honors for VWC
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Pike Brynildsen came on strong for the Virginia Wesleyan College baseball team in the latter month of the 2011 season, matching his consistently strong performance in the classrooms.
When it all combined, Brynildsen's outstanding balance of
athletics and academics earned him a major post-season award.
The junior from Alexandria, Va. (T.C. Williams)
(left) was selected as the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year in
baseball. It marks the second consecutive year that a VWC
player has earned the award, a first for the highly successful
program.
Brynildsen, who also earned honorable mention All-ODAC honors, shared the post-season awards spotlight with junior teammates Shayne Paskanik (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) andJacob Pierce (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch). While Paskanik was named a first-team All-ODAC honoree, Pierce was named a second team American Baseball Coaches Association All-South honoree.
Brynildsen, an outfielder, started the final 17 games of the season for VWC. He connected for 20 hits, including four doubles and a triple, hitting for a .303 average. His highlight game was a 4-for-4 showing against Lynchburg College. He also scored four runs in that game, an 8-3 Marlin victory. It was the best series of the season for Bryildsen as he finished 6-for-7 at the plate in the doubleheader, belted a triple, and scored six runs.
Academically, Brynildsen owns a 3.9 grade point accume as a double major in political science and earth and enviornmental sciences. He has been named to the Dean's List for four consecutive semesters.
Paskanik (left), another outfielder, led VWC hitting in 2011 with
a .384 batting average. He led the Marlins with 138 at-bats,
53 hits, and 33 runs-batted-in. He also ranked second in runs
scored with 22, in doubles with 14, and in home runs with three.
Paskanik, who started in 35 games, posted his best effort against
Eastern Mennonite University with a 5-for-5 showing that included a
double and homer. He drove in two runs in the game and also
scored two.
Pierce (right), a catcher for the Marlins, gave the Marlins the
second part of a strong 1-2 hitting punch at the plate. He
connected for a .379 batting average and led VWC with 18 doubles,
six home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 83 total bases. He
connected for 47 hits overall and ranked second on the squad with
173 put outs.
Paskanik's All-ODAC award gives VWC a first-team honoree for the 16th consecutive year. Pierce's award is the 24th in nine consecutive years of All-South honors for VWC players.
--AMDG--
