Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock is heading to the pros.

Hallock was chosen 310th in the 10th round by the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Hallock garnered Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I Third Team All-America selection as members of the No. 24 ranked Kent State. Hallock was the 27th pick of the 49th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2010 MLB Draft, but chose to go back to college.

"After last year (drafted by the Phillies) I felt going back to college was a better fit," Hallock said. "I wanted to further my education and raise my stock for this year."

Hallock posted a MAC-best 10 wins, which tied him for 17th in the nation and second on the school’s single-season records list. Hallock struck out 83 while allowing just 21 earned runs over 99 innings and 15 starts and his ERA of 1.91 ranked 30th in the country.

"It feels great," Hallock said. "I look back at all the travel baseball I played growing up. This has been a vision, dream of mine since I was 8 years old and started playing competitive travel baseball."

He ranks second in school history with 232 career strikeouts, third with 289 2/3 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 22 career victories.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

AUSTIN, Texas — Pinch hitter Jason Bagoly delivered the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 11th inning to push No. 3-seeded Kent State baseball team to a 4-2 triumph over No. 2-seeded Texas State on Friday in the opening game of the Austin Regional of the 2011 NCAA Championship at the University of Texas’s UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Ranked No. 24 in the nation according to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Golden Flashes (44-15) won their first NCAA postseason game since eliminating then No. 24-ranked Cal Poly, 10-9, on May 30, 2009, at the Tempe Regional.

Kent State advances to the regional semifinal on Saturday against No.1-seeded Texas.
MAC Pitcher of the Year Kyle Hallock put together a solid 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out three and allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks.

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock, along with teammate Kyle McMillen (North Canton) garnered Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I Third Team All-America selection as members of the No. 24 ranked Kent State.

"It’s a tribute to what they’ve been able to accomplish, not only this season, but their entire careers," MAC Coach of the Year Scott Stricklin. "They’re very hard workers and guys that came in as freshmen and paid their dues. They worked their way into their roles and both have had phenomenal seasons."

The duo is mentored by 14th-year associate head coach Mike Birkbeck, who has helped tutor a pitching staff that ranks sixth in the country with a team earned run average of 2.56 and helped lead Kent State to a 43-15 record, MAC regular season and tournament titles and the 12th NCAA Championship berth in program history in 2011.

A 2010 MLB Draft selection of the Philadelphia Phillies, Hallock has posted a MAC-best 10 wins, which ties him for 17th in the nation and second on the school’s single-season records list. The team captain anchors a Kent State pitching staff that leads the conference and is sixth in the country with a 2.56 team ERA. Hallock has struck out 83 while allowing just 21 earned runs over 99.0 innings and 15 starts and his ERA o 1.91 ranks 30th in the country.

He ranks second in school history with 232 career strikeouts, third with 289.2 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 22 career victories.

"This is one of the goals I had when I came to college," Hallock said. "It’s very gratifying, and it’s big deal for me and my family, but the team goals come first. When you win, individual honors come, and that’s what this is the result of."

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock was named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Hallock wins MAC Pitcher of the Year honors for the first time on the wings of a solid senior campaign and the best of the southpaw’s four-year career wearing the blue and gold.

"It’s exciting," Hallock said. "I’m glad I was able to overcome some obstacles and get on a roll. This is for the team and the university. It’s nice to be acknowledged and to be a part of this program."

Hallock, a 2010 MLB Draft selection of the Philadelphia Phillies, posted a MAC-best nine wins, which ranks among the top 20 in the nation and ties him for fifth on the school’s single-season records list. His 1.63 earned run average is tops in the conference and currently ranks as the fifth-best in school history.

Hallock anchors a Kent State pitching staff that leads the conference and is among the country’s best with a 2.62 team ERA. Hallock has struck out 80 while allowing just 17 earned runs over 94.0 innings and 14 starts. He has won seven of his last eight starts, posting an 0.62 ERA with 53 strikeouts while allowing just four earned runs.

He ranks second in school history with 229 career strikeouts, third with 284.2 innings pitched, tied for seventh with 21 career victories and tied for seventh with 65 career appearances.

"Kyle is very deserving, and he’s had a great year," said Kent State coach Scott Stricklin, who was named the MAC’s Coach of the Year. "He’s been consistent the whole year, and I thought it was very fitting that, with him being a senior and a captain, he earned Pitcher of the Year."

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock recorded another stellar pitching performance for Kent State as the Golden Flashes won their 30th game of the season in a 4-0, 9-1 doubleheader sweep of Ohio University.

Hallock struck out eight batters in 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one walk. Hallock won his fifth straight start and improved to 7-4. His 207 career strikeouts move him into sole possession of seventh place on Kent State’s all-time list.

Kent State improved to 30-12 and 15-3 in the Mid-American Conference.

Kent State has won 22 of its last 26 games and seven straight. The Flashes have won at least 30 games for the 13th straight season and 24th time in the last 28 years – including all seven seasons current head coach Scott Stricklin has been at the helm.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock earned his sixth win of the season in the first game of a doubleheader as Kent State sweeped Buffalo, 13-3 and 7-0.

The game Hallock won marked the 1,500th in program history for the Golden Flashes (26-12, 12-3 MAC), which also improved their home record to 11-1.

Hallock struck out seven in seven innings, improving to 6-4 on the season. He allowed one earned run on seven hits and two walks while sitting down the side in three innings.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins graduate Kyle Hallock struck out seven batters in seven masterful innings to help Kent State bounce back against Central Michigan with a win, 9-3, in a Mid-American Conference game at Theunissen Stadium on Saturday.

Despite battling poor weather conditions, Hallock fanned seven, walked one, allowed one earned run on eight hits to tie for the Kent State (23-11, 9-2 MAC) lead with his fifth victory of the season.

"Kyle Hallock was the difference," seventh-year Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin said. "He really performed well in tough surroundings. The wind was really blowing, and it was raining. The conditions were not favorable for baseball today, and I thought our players played really well through that."

swalker@MorningJournal.com

New London’s Corey Chaffins faced a familiar opponent in Perkins’ Kyle Hallock as the Kent State-Eastern Michigan featured a pitcher’s duel at Schoonover Stadium on Saturday.

Chaffins pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one run and eight hits, but was the hard-luck loser in a 1-0 Kent State win.

Hallock pitched seven innings, allowing just five hits, while striking out four to pick up his fourth win of the season.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock, a senior left-handed starting pitcher on the Kent State baseball team, was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week. It is the first honor for the senior this season, and the second consecutive pitcher of the week for the Golden Flashes.

Hallock tossed game one of Kent State’s doubleheader at Western Michigan. He matched his career high by throwing eight innings to help push the Golden Flashes to a 4-1 win. Hallock allowed just one earned run on six hits and struck out five while walking three.

For the year, Hallock owns a 3-4 record with a 2.86 ERA in seven appearances. In 44 innings of work, Hallock has 32 strikeouts to just 14 walks.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies on the final day of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday.

Hallock was selected in the 49th round with the 27th pick (1,491 overall) by the Phillies.

The southpaw finished this past season at Kent State with an 8-5 record and a save with a 5.64 ERA in 83 innings pitched.

The highlight of the season for Hallock came on May 29 when he received the win in both games of a double header on championship Saturday of the Mid-American Conference tournament. In Kent State’s 9-8, 10-inning win over Eastern Michigan, Hallock threw a scoreless top of the 10th before KSU prevailed in the bottom of the inning. Just 45 minutes later, he started the championship game against Central Michigan, allowing only two earned runs and on five hits in seven innings pitched.

For his Kent State career, Hallock has a 12-9 mark with four saves in 190 2/3 innings of work.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock picked up a pair of wins to improve to 8-5 as Kent State won five games in three days to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship last Saturday.

"Kyle Hallock was unreal," head coach Scott Stricklin said through a press release. "For him to do that, to come in and get the win in the first game and pitch into the eighth inning in the second game, you can’t ask for anything more. We were hoping for four or five innings out of him. What he gave us was unbelievable. He is a tough kid and a competitor. He had something to prove after the first outing on Wednesday. I am really proud of the way he pitched."

Hallock, after throwing the 10th inning to pick up the win in the first game against Eastern Michigan, threw seven innings and gave up only five hits and two runs while striking out six.

Hallock was able to keep Central Michigan off the board. In the fifth inning, the first two Chippewa batters reached and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, but a ground ball back to Hallock and a strikeout ended the inning. In the sixth, two singles wrapped around a fly out put a pair of runners on with one out. Hallock induced a ground out and a fly out to end the threat.

Hallock is third in innings pitched with 83 at Kent State, while striking out 69 batters.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock picked up his fifth win of the season in a 11-3 win in the front end of a doubleheader against Ohio University on Saturday.

Hallock struck out six, and allowed just two runs, five hits and one walk over six innings, improving to 5-3 on the season.

Hallock pitched the Flashes to a 8-4 win to complete a doubleheader sweep over Buffalo last weekend to pick up his fourth win. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs, while striking out two.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out six as Kent State (18-16, 6-3) defeated Eastern Michigan (14-18, 5-4 MAC) 5-0 Sunday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich.

"Kyle Hallock was really good," head coach Scott Stricklin said on the team’s website. "He gave us seven good, shutout innings. He was a huge factor in the win."
Hallock improved to 3-2 on the season through seven starts. He also leads the team with 39 strikeouts and has a save.

Last year as a sophomore, Hallock went 4-3 in 13 starts and had a 4.57 ERA with one save. He was named to the MAC All-Tournament team for his performance. In summer league action, he played for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League and finished second on the Pilots in wins with a 5-2 record and a 4.33 ERA in seven starts.

His freshman season, he made five starts and made 18 appearances. He struck out 38 batters and also earned two saves.

At Perkins, he was a standout athlete, lettering four times in baseball and basketball. He was named the Sandusky Bay Conference and Ohio District VI Player of the Year in baseball as a senior and was first team All-Ohio. He also helped lead the Pirates to the SBC, district and regional championships and to a state final four berth.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins' Kyle Hallock picked up first win of the season, pitching for Kent State this weekend.

Hallock pitched five innings and didn't allow a run as the Golden Flashes defeated Penn State, 10-5 in the the championship game of the Coca-Cola Classic in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Hallock also pitched two innings on Friday, in a 5-2 win over Columbia.

In his last seven innings pitched, Hallock has allowed just one run.

swalker@MorningJournal.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Western Reserve’s Andrew Chafin was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week for games played March 30-April 5, while pitching at Kent State.

For the week, Chafin went 1-0 with a save in six innings of work. Against Malone last Tuesday, he threw the final three innings and struck out six. Last Friday against Northern Illinois, he struck out seven batters in the final three innings for his team-leading fourth save of the year.

He is currently 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA. That includes nine appearances with two starts. Opposing batters are batting .215 against him. In 22.1 innings pitched this year, Chafin is also second in strikeouts (34).

Perkins’ Kyle Hallock, who is in his sophomore year, is currently 1-1 with a save in six appearances, including five starts. He has pitched 26 innnings and has 14 strikeouts, along with 3.46 ERA.

Last year as a freshman, he made 18 appearances, including five starts. He struck out 38 batters and also earned two saves.

Hallock was an impressive athlete at Perkins. He lettered four times in baseball and basketball. He was named first team All-Ohio, the Ohio District IV Player of the Year and the Sandusky Bay Conference Player of the Year. He is also Perkins’ all-time leading scorer in basketball with 1,293 points.

Kent State went 5-0 last week and swept Northern Illinois in a key conference weekend series. The Golden Flashes are currently 23-7 on the year.

swalker@MorningJournal.com