MARION, Ill. – Tuesday's OVC Baseball Awards Banquet was highlighted by the Morehead State baseball team, as eight Eagles were named All-OVC for their performances during the 2023 regular season. MSU had the most players honored among the members of the First, Second, and All-Freshman teams.
Jackson Feltner,
Roman Kuntz, and
Ryley Preece were named First Team All-OVC.
The honor marked the third time
Jackson Feltner has been named First Team All-OVC at first base. The junior from Louisa, Ky., was First Team All-OVC and Freshman of the Year in 2021, and First Team All-OVC in 2022 as well. This season, Feltner led Morehead State in batting average at .352, while ranking among the league leaders in walks (45) and on-base percentage (.478). He won OVC Player of the Week once this season.
Roman Kuntz was named Second Team All-OVC at DH in 2022, but slugged his way onto the First Team this season. Kuntz is tied with Feltner for second on the team in home runs with 14, including four across two games vs. Little Rock over the weekend. He ended the season by winning his first career OVC Player of the Week award.
Ryley Preece was named to the All-OVC Freshman Team in 2021, and after being left off the All-OVC teams in 2022, Preece exploded and took home OVC Player of the Year and has been named First Team All-OVC this season. The junior centerfielder became the first player in Morehead State history to post 20 HR and 20 SB in the same season, finishing with 21 in each category. He won OVC Player of the Week twice this season.
Colton Becker,
Luke Helton, and
Nick Gooden were named Second Team All-OVC.
Becker continued his ironman streak in 2023, starting all 53 games at shortstop for Morehead State to move his streak to 152 straight starts. In his junior season, Becker posted career highs in nearly every offensive category. The Maineville, Ohio native had 66 total hits, scored 43 runs, hit four triples and eight home runs with 48 RBI – all career highs. He also smashed 16 doubles, while drawing a career best 28 walks. On the basepaths, Becker tied for the team lead in stolen bases, going a perfect 21-21 in stolen base attempts – also a career high.
Luke Helton made the All-OVC Freshman Team in 2021, and pitched his way to a Second Team All-OVC honor in 2023. Helton finished tied for the league lead in wins with a career best seven W's as a senior. The Whiteland, Ind., native finished in the top 10 in nearly every category among pitchers in the OVC, including ERA (5.60), innings pitched (70.2), and strikeouts (63). In OVC play, Helton finished as the league leader in wins with a perfect 5-0 record, while finishing second in innings pitched at 47.1 and seventh in strikeouts with 38.
Nick Gooden became an everyday player in 2022 and was named First Team All-OVC at second base, and battled through an injury in the early part of 2023 on his way to being named Second Team All-OVC. Gooden was a steady presence in the middle infield for Morehead State, posting a .982 fielding percentage while turning 33 of Morehead State's 48 double plays, which ranks 14
th nationally and first in the OVC. At the plate, Gooden posted a career high six home runs, with eight doubles and a triple as well. He also had a career best 36 RBI batting mostly in the cleanup spot.
Carter Owens and
Luke Lyman took home All-OVC Freshman Team honors.
Owens burst onto the scene in his very first AB at the collegiate level, smashing a home run against Indiana on the first pitch he saw. In his first AB at Allen Field, Owens homered again vs. Ohio. The Lexington, Ky., native finished with 11 total extra-base hits (6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR) and 11 RBI, while drawing 16 walks. In the field, Owens posted a pair of outfield assists and a .948 fielding percentage.
Luke Lyman became a huge piece of the Morehead State bullpen in his freshman season, posting a 3.91 ERA across 24 appearances. Lyman had a 1-1 record with a save as well, and allowed just 22 hits and 11 earned runs in 25.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. Only five of the 22 hits he allowed went for extra bases, and opponents hit just .234 against him.
Morehead State takes the field at Mtn Dew Park in Marion on Thursday, as the quest for the program's fifth OVC Tournament title begins.
