Leonard, Wendzicki Earn 2011 MAC All-Tournament Team Honors

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Seniors Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) and Robert Wendzicki (Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark) both earned 2011 Mid-American Conference All-Tournament Team accolades after impressive performances throughout this year's postseason event, the league office announced following the championship game that saw Kent State win its third straight MAC title.

Leonard earned MAC All-Tournament team honors for the third time in his career after being recognized in each of his first two seasons while claiming MVP honors his freshman year. Leonard batted .409 (9-for-22) this week with a double, three runs scored and four RBI. The Canton, Ohio native also added a stolen base and converted each of his 23 chances in the field. The EMU second baseman tallied three multi-hit games in the tournament, giving him 29 for the season and extended his tournament hitting streak to 17 games, never going hitless in a single tournament game for his career.

He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in EMU's tournament opening, 4-2, win over Northern Illinois and added a 3-for-6 effort in their dramatic come-from-behind win over the Huskies May 26. He concluded the tournament by adding a 2-for-4 performance in the tournament semifinal loss to Kent State today.

Wendzicki was one-of-five pitchers to earn MAC All-Tournament honors as he put together two starts that were matched by only David Starn, who garnered tournament MVP honors. Wendzicki threw a tournament-most 15.1 innings and registered a 2.93 ERA. The Brook Park, Ohio native tossed 8.2 innings and earned the 4-2 win over NIU in the tournament opener before coming off two days rest to face Kent State in the semifinal today.

Wendzicki went 6.2 innings in a gutsy performance that saw him log 227 pitches over the four-day tournament and striking out 12 batters while walking only two. Wendzicki finished the season with 106.2 innings pitched, the fifth-most in program history for a single season. He threw seven or more innings in eight of his last 10 starts of the season while going eight innings or more five times during that span including a complete game victory over Western Michigan back on April 23.

The aforementioned Starn hauled in MVP honors after pitching Kent State to an 11-0 shutout win over Miami in the championship game. The 2011 MAC Tournament at V.A. Memorial Stadium saw just shy of 7,000 fans walk through the gates over the course of the four-day event.

2011 MAC All-Tournament Team
Zack Leonard (2B) – Eastern Michigan
Robert Wendzicki (LHP) – Eastern Michigan
Nate Theunissen (DH) – Central Michigan
Tyler Hall (3B) – Central Michigan
Brooks Fiala (RHP) – Miami
Tyler Melling (LHP) – Miami
David Lyon (C) – Kent State
Evan Campbell (OF) – Kent State
Andrew Chafin (LHP) – Kent State
David Starn (LHP) MVP – Kent State

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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