Our #2 reliever in the 2014 Valley League season is a very highly decorated pitcher for Division-III Alvernia- Kevin Becker-Menditto, who was the Front Royal closer in 2014. Read on for his full list of awards and accomplishments. Warning: the list is long!
First of all, for the Cardinals in Front Royal, Kevin went 2-0, 0.93 with 7 saves in 19 games and 19 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed only 7 hits and 7 walks, while striking out 14. His opponent’s batting average was .117 (1st from the list of relievers), his WHIP was 0.725, his BB/9 was 3.3, and his K/9 was 6.5. The 6-foot-3 righty, a submariner, was exceedingly difficult to hit!
For more of the same, let’s look at his college stats. In 2012, as a freshman, Kevin went 5-1, 0.96, with 9 saves, 0.893 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts and only 2 walks in 28 innings pitched. (My freshman year did not go anything like this!)
He got even better in 2013 in his sophomore year, when he went 6-1, 0.28, with 12 saves, a 0.694 WHIP, which included only 20 hits, 2 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings pitched. That’s 22 baserunners in those almost-32 innings.
As a junior, his ERA went all the way up to 2.86. He went 0-2, with 10 saves, an even 1.000 WHIP, and 21 hits, 2 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched. Even though this was still a superb season, it looks worse next to Kevin’s first two seasons!
Just to see how crazy his first three years of college were, here is his combined line: 11-4, 1.20, with 31 saves, a 0.846 WHIP, 64 hits, 6 walks, and 77 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings pitched. He has not given up a home run in college, but he has given up 8 doubles and 1 triple.
This young man needs to be inducted into the Alvernia Crusaders’ Athletic Hall of Fame, no matter how his senior year goes. (And if a hall of fame at Alvernia does not exist, they need to start one.)
Now, on to the awards. After his freshman year, Kevin was named Mid-Atlantic Rookie of the Year, and to d3baseball.com’s 1st team as a reliever.
In 2013, after his sophomore year, Kevin was ABCA/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic, a d3baseball.com ALl-American, d3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team, and Commonwealth Pitcher of the Year.
After his junior year, he was named First Team All-Commonwealth, 3rd team All Mid-Atlantic Region, and ABCA 2nd team Mid-Atlantic All-Region.
Wow.
After all that, all I have to say is congratulations to Kevin for a fantastic summer league season, and good luck this year at Alvernia!
All Things Valley League 
It sounds like Kevin has had a great college career. I saw him pitch last summer he was unhittable. He played his freshmen summer season in the Atlantic collegiate summer league where he was an all star. His soph year he played in the prospect league and made the all star team there as well. Hopefully we will be hearing about him at the next level.
I Just noticed that Kevin was awarded Pitcher of the Week for his Conference 2 out of the first 3 weeks of his season. Already has 4 saves in 12 games. Opponents hitting 130 off him. Sounds like he is off to a great start.