By: Kristy Booher Angelo, Associate Athletic Director
For More Info: booherk@gilmour.org
Varsity baseball player Ben DeMell '21 was named the 2019 News-Herald Player of the Year, the highest honor bestowed by the local newspaper for each sport it covers.
During his sophomore campaign, the Penn State commit helped lead the Lancers to its best season in program history as Gilmour (25-7) made its first-ever trip to the OHSAA state championship game, finishing second to the defending Division II state champions Chaminade Julienne. Earlier in the season, the Lancers earned conference, sectional, district and regional championships.
DeMell led the team in batting average (.468), triples (8), RBI (40), runs scored (45), pitching wins (11), ERA (0.28) and strikeouts (105), setting new single-season program records for triples, pitching wins and ERA.
Among the News-Herald coverage area, offensively he was the leader in RBI, ranked second in batting average and tied for third among the home-run hitters. As a pitcher, he led the area in wins and ERA, while finishing second in strikeouts.
DeMell earned top honors in the conference as the North Coast League (NCL) Pitcher of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. He earned First Team All-District and Second Team All-Ohio from the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association (OHSBCA). Additionally, he was recently voted MaxPreps' Ohio High School Athlete of the Week for his commanding two-hit shoutout pitching performance in Gilmour's state semifinal win against St. Clairsville.