MAY 28, 2009
VENARCHICK NAMED TO ECAC SOUTHERN REGION ALL-STAR TEAM AS FIRST-TEAM SELECTION
WILKES-BARRE – Jon Venarchick (Lehighton/Lehighton Area), who recently concluded an outstanding senior year as a member of the King's College baseball team, has been named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region All-Star Team as a first-team selection at third-base.
Venarchick led the Monarchs to a 22-14-1 record and a berth in the Freedom Conference Tournament as a senior, breaking a pair of major school records in the process. In his final season at King's, Venarchick posted a team-high .447 (67-150) batting average with 15 doubles, 10 triples, five home runs, 43 RBI, 49 runs scored and a .780 slugging percentage. His total of 67 base hits in 2009 stands as King's single-season school-record. As a senior, he finished the year by winning the 2009 Freedom Conference batting title, while also leading the conference with 10 triples and 118 total bases. Venarchick hit safely in 34 of the 36 games he played in while posting a career-high 14-game hitting streak, before ending the season with an 11-game hit streak.
Over the course of his career, Venarchick tallied a .383 (227-592) batting average with 41 doubles, 18 triples, 10 home runs, 134 RBI and scored 135 runs with a .537 slugging percentage. His 227 base hits are the most in King's baseball history and he stands as the only player in King's history to reach the 200-hit plateau. Venarchick was a four-year starter who helped the Monarchs to three berths in the Freedom Conference Tournament, a Freedom Conference championship, and the program's first-ever NCAA Division III National Tournament berth in 2006.
Additionally, he was a two-time All-Freedom Conference selection and a three-time MAC All-Academic choice. Venarchick was also named to the 2009 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Team as a second-team choice. An outstanding student, Venarchick wrapped up his time at King's by receiving the 2009 Middle Atlantic Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete award by posting a 3.544 overall grade-point average as a biology major.
He will continue his education at Drexel University where he will pursue a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy.
