Baseball

1st-Team All-NESCAC Julian Sonnenfeld '11 & Brett Yarusi '12 Get Summer Spots in NECBL & Cape League

After helping put Wesleyan in the NESCAC tournament for a second straight year, Julian Sonnenfeld '11 (#12, main photo) and Brett Yaursi '12 (#26, photo insert upper left) were named to the all-NESCAC first-team while Brice Kelly '10 (#13, photo insert lower left) found a spot on the second team. In addition, Yarusi secured a spot on the Wareham Gateman roster in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the summer while Sonnenfeld has been picked up by the Newport Gulls in the exclusive New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) for summer play. For a brief interview with Yarusi just after he signed his temporary contract with the Gateman, go to:
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5rXx2ji6s8 >.

Sonnenfeld, a second-team all-NESCAC pick in 2009, and a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine District I Academic All-America selection, led Wesleyan with a .418 batting average in 2010 as Wesleyan secured the #2 seed in the NESCAC West with a 7-5 conference mark and a 22-14 overall record. Sonnenfeld set a Wesleyan record for doubles in a season with 25 and runs scored with 53. He led the NESCAC in doubles, runs scored, total bases (105), and was second in RBI (49), tied for third in homers (8) and fifth in hits (56). His batting average placed him seventh in the NESCAC. Over his three seasons, Sonnenfeld has collected 131 hits to rank 14th on the Wesleyan leader list with a year still to play. He sports a career .391 batting average. Sonnenfeld picked up two more honors after the season as he went on to be named a third-team national Academic All-American and a New England Baseball Coaches Association third-team all-New England Division III choice.

Yarusi came through with a 3.81 ERA in 59 innings of work on the mound, and produced a record of 7-3. He ranked fifth in the conference in strikeouts with 47 while his ERA placed him eighth. In his final outing of the regular season, Yarusi posted a six-hit shutout against Trinity, the first shutout by the Cardinals against the Bantams since 1984. A year ago, Yarusi had an outstanding rookie campaign with a 3-3 mark and 3.50 ERA as he posted 44 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work.

Kelly put together a mammoth senior campaign as he hit .385 with a school-record 56 RBI, upping his career total to a Wesleyan-best 133. Over his four years, he amassed 171 hits, ranking third all-time among Cardinal players. Among his hits were 37 doubles, 10 triples and nine homers. His career batting average was a solid .320 as he played in more games (139) with more at-bats (534) than any player in Wesleyan history over his four years as a starter.