Temple University Athletics
Barksdale Named Big 5 Co-Player Of The Year; Five More Owls Honored
5.29.07 | Baseball
2007 All-Philadelphia Big 5 Team (PDF)
May 29, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Temple sophomore Sean Barksdale was named the Philadelphia Big 5 Co-Player of the Year and four other Owls were named to the All-Big 5 team, in voting conducted by the city's head coaches. Juniors Tom Dolan, Mike Kelch, Stan Orzechowski, and Ryan Weber joined Barksdale on the All-Big 5 team. Sophomore John Coyle was named to the Philadelphia Big 5 All-Academic Team. Temple had more All-Big 5 honorees than any other school.
"We're proud of the performances of these six players," head coach Rob Valli said. "We're excited to have all of them back next season."
Barksdale, a transfer from Gloucester CC (NJ), made an immediate impact in the Temple lineup. The city leader in RBI (59), he batted .359 with 13 doubles, three triples and seven home runs and led the team in slugging percentage (.544), stolen bases (14) and RBI (59). The 59 runs batted in are good for fourth on the Temple single-season list and are the most at TU in 22 years.
A one-time Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week (5/21), the first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection batted a team-high .432 with runners in scoring position. He owned a 19-game hitting streak from March 23-April 22, batting .457 over that span. Barksdale also had five games with at least four RBI, including three in his final six games.
Dolan led the Owls in all major pitching categories, going 6-5 with a 3.96 ERA. He struck out 70 batters in 86.1 innings and allowed opponents to hit just .260 off him. A three-time Big 5 Pitcher of the Week, Dolan was named Collegiate Baseball's National Co-Player of the Week after striking out 16 batters at Dayton on April 8.
Kelch batted .300 with two home runs and 27 RBI in his first season at Temple after transferring from Chesapeake CC. A versatile player who played all four infield positions this season, Kelch was third on the team in doubles with 15. He is the second straight Temple 3B to be named to the All-Big 5 team, following Dan Brady last season.
Orzechowski led the team and the city in doubles with 20 and also had three triples and six home runs as Temple's starting centerfielder. A transfer from Gloucester CC, Orzechowski batted .349 and led the team with 52 runs scored. His 82 hits are good for third on the single-season list at Temple.
Weber, a transfer from Eastfield JC (TX), set a new program record for hits in a season with 86 and led the team in batting average (.368), good for second in the city. He was second on the team in runs (50) and doubles (17), while driving in 34 runs from the second spot in the batting order. A converted closer, Weber nailed down four saves and had a 4.50 ERA.
Coyle was named to the Philadelphia Big 5 All-Academic team. A sophomore marketing major, he owns a 3.19 GPA and was 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA on the mound for the Owls.
Villanova's Derek Shunk shared the Co-Player of the Year award with Barksdale, while the Wildcats' Mike Loree and Penn's Todd Roth earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Roth was also named the Big 5 Rookie of the Year, Villanova's Dan Terpak was the Student-Athlete of the Year, Penn's John Cole was the Coach of the Year and the Quakers were named the Team of the Year.
For the complete Big 5 team, see the attached PDF.
