GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Tuesday afternoon, three Falcons were named All-Region after D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced their Regional Awards. Relief pitcher
Kenny Runkel was the lone Falcon to be named to both teams, picking up Second Team honors from D3baseball.com and First Team accolades from the ABCA. Catcher
Dustin Isanogle was named Third Team from D3baseball.com and outfielder
Kasey Caras picked up Third Team honors from the ABCA.
The trio helped the Falcons to a Play-In Game appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament, falling to Widener. Messiah finished the season with an overall record of 20-20, their most wins in a single season since the 2016 campaign.
Despite missing three weeks of the season,
Kenny Runkel was fantastic out of the bullpen for the Falcons during his senior season. The big left hander earned First Team All-MAC Commonwealth honors while pitching to a 1.71 ERA on the season across 26.1 innings. He struck out 31 batters and walked just nine, allowing only four doubles and 20 total hits for a WHIP of 1.10, the best on the team. Additionally, he held batters to a .217 batting average against as one of the go-to arms out of Messiah's bullpen.
Runkel's two All-Region honors are the first of his career.
Kasey Caras caps off his Messiah career with the highest honor of his career, picking up a Third Team All-Region nod from the ABCA. Caras earned First Team All-Conference honors in left field after leading the Falcons with a .347 batting average and a slugging percentage just south of .600 at .592. Caras hammered five home runs while finishing the season with 23 extra-base hits and 37 runs batted in. He walked 34 times while stealing 14 bases in 16 attempts. His 1.057 OPS led the team by .200 points as he anchored the middle of the Falcons' order for another season.
Dustin Isanogle anchored Messiah's defense all season long behind the dish. Isanogle earned First Team All-MAC Commonwealth honors and was named the Conference's Rookie of the Year after finishing second on the team with a .341 batting average. He finished the season with a .454 on base percentage thanks to 21 walks against just 14 strikeouts. An all-around player Isanogle ripped seven doubles while driving home 21 runs and scoring 23 of his own. On the bases Isanogle finished second on the team with 17 stolen bases while being caught just once. Defensively, Isanogle turned in a .984 fielding percentage while catching nearly half of would-be base stealers, throwing out 17 runners on the season while allowing just 19 stolen bases.
As a result of his stellar play at a premium position, Isanogle was named Third Team All-Region by D3baseball.com for the first such honor of his career.
