MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Three Morehead State baseball student-athletes who put together arguably some of the greatest single season efforts and career totals have earned All-Region awards by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings.
First baseman
Roman Kuntz was named First-Team All-Midwest Region, while outfielder
Ryley Preece and pitcher
Luke Helton were named to the second-team.
A native of New Carlisle, Ind., and a transfer from Lake Michigan Community College, Kuntz recorded the single most prolific offensive season in Morehead State and Ohio Valley Conference history. He earned OVC Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference. Kuntz set the MSU and OVC single-season records for home runs (33), RBI (100), and total bases (202). He also led the team with a .366 batting average, pounding 86 hits (including 15 doubles) and scoring 71 times, which is fourth on the MSU single-season chart. His .860 slugging percentage finished as the second highest total for a season in program history. Kuntz produced 27 multi-RBI performances, including a career-high seven once and six on two occasions. He is just the third player in all of Division I to record 100 RBI in a season in the past 15 years. He also set the MSU and OVC career record for runs produced with 191. In just three seasons, Kuntz homered 57 times, which would have set the MSU career record if not for teammate Preece's 59.
Preece, from Paintsville, Ky., ended his collegiate career with the aforementioned MSU career home run mark of 59. But, he also finished as the MSU career leader in runs scored (249), walks (172), total bases (507), extra base hits (114) and finished second in stolen bases (57). In 2024, he batted .340 with a school-record 86 runs scored. Preece drilled 19 home runs and had 62 RBI. He was named First-Team All-OVC.
Helton, from Whiteland, Ind., was named Second-Team All-OVC. He posted a 9-2 record to lead MSU, which ranks tied for second on the program's single-season wins chart. He also ended his career ranked first in program history in wins (22) games started (56) and innings pitched (317.0). He also ended with 286 strikeouts in four seasons to rank third all-time for the Eagles.
