Leonard Selected to Ping! All-Freshman Team

YPSILANTI, Mich. — Eastern Michigan University freshman third baseman Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) has been selected to the Ping! Baseball All-Freshman team. The Canton, Ohio native is one of just three Mid-American Conference players to earn the honor, joining outfielder Ben Klafczynski of Kent State and pitcher Brian Stroud of Western Michigan.

Leonard enjoyed a stellar first year with the Eagles, starting 54 of 57 games played in at third base for the Green and White. He carried a team second-best .348 average and ranked in the top five in nearly every offensive category, including leading EMU in home runs with nine. He collected 79 hits, 27 of which went for extra-bases, and ranked second in RBI (51), total bases (125) and slugging percentage (.551).

During EMU’s remarkable run to the 2008 MAC Tournament Title, Leonard, the Tournament MVP, carried a .400 batting average and tournament-high 11 RBI in four games. Of his eight hits, four went for extra bases, including two home runs, one of which gave EMU its first lead in the championship game, a towering shot over the scoreboard in left field.

Leonard and the Eagles went on to play in the Ann Arbor Regional, falling to No. 1 seed and eventual regional champion Arizona, 13-7 in the first round and No. 3 seed Kentucky, 4-3. The Eagles’ regional berth culminated a season where they started 0-17 before winning 25 of their last 40 games, including a 15-8 mark in the MAC West Division, good for their second straight divisional crown.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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