Demon Deacons dynamic duo slated to roost in Newport this summer
May 2, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, RI - Wake Forest University junior outfielder Evan Stephens and freshman left-handed pitcher Mark McCoy will both play key roles for the defending NECBL champion Newport Gulls summer.
Stephens, a junior outfielder, is batting a team-leading .378 (65-for-172) in 49 games (43 starts) with five doubles, two triples, 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases this spring. Stephens .500 on-base percentage not only leads the Demon Deacons, but ranks in the top-10 among all NCAA Division I batters this spring.
As a sophomore, Stephens batted .289 (46-for-159) in 56 games (48 starts) with four doubles, a pair of home runs, 17 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Stephens appeared in 17 games (one start) as a freshman.
In high school, Stephens earned three varsity letters at Lexington Christian Academy in Kentucky. He led his team to a 27-10 record, setting a school record for single-season batting average, and a fifth place finish in the state, as a senior. Stephens graduated in the top-five of his class with a 4.1 grade point average in high school.
McCoy, a freshman left-handed pitcher, has not factored into any decisions, posting a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances (four starts) with 18 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work this spring.
McCoy is coming off an outstanding four-year high school career at Barnegat High School in New Jersey. McCoy was a four-year varsity starter, excelling both on the mound (sub-2.00 career ERA) and at the plate (.405 career batting average). The southpaw was an All-Conference selection in each of his first three seasons and was ranked among the Top 500 players nation-wide by Perfect Game USA.
Stephens and McCoy follow in the footsteps of their Demon Deacon teammate, junior second baseman Conor Keniry, who played two seasons with the Gulls in 2011 and 2012. Keniry batted .326 with one homer and 18 RBI in 35 games, helping lead the Gulls to their fifth Fay Vincent Sr. Cup (batting .370 in seven playoff games) last season. Keniry was also named to the 2012 NECBL Eastern Division All-Star team.
Since moving to Newport in 2001, the Gulls have captured the New England Collegiate Baseball League championship, the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup, an NECBL-record five times, and in 2012 were named the No. 1 summer collegiate team in the country by Perfect Game USA in Perfect Game's Top 50 final rankings, capping a record-breaking season by Newport and marking the first time ever that an NECBL franchise has been ranked No. 1 nationally.
The Gulls, which attract more than 50,000 fans annually to historic Cardines Field in Newport, recruit players from the top college baseball programs in the country, and to date have sent six alumni to Major League Baseball teams, and more than 130 players to professional baseball teams ranging from Independent leagues to Triple-A.
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- Demon Deacons dynamic duo slated to roost in Newport this summer - Newport Gulls
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