The greatest slugger in Delaware’s rich baseball history, Kevin Mench was among the nation’s top players for three seasons under coach Bob Hannah in 1997-99 and has gone on to an outstanding career as an outfielder for the major league Texas Rangers. A native of Newark, DE (St. Mark’s High School) and a 2000 graduate of Delaware, Mench was a three-time all-conference selection, a two-time conference Player of the Year, and a two-time All-American, establishing numerous school records, including marks for home runs in a season (33) and career standards for home runs (71), batting average (.409), and slugging percentage (.875). He captured the America East conference “Triple Crown” in 1998 when he batted .455, led the NCAA with 33 home runs, and knocked in 72 runs to earn Collegiate Baseball Magazine National Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors. He led the Blue Hens to a three-year record of 123-45, two conference titles, and NCAA Tournament berths in 1998 and 1999. He finished the 2005 season batting .264 with 25 home runs and 73 runs batted in for the Rangers and in four major league seasons has batted .272 with 68 home runs and 215 RBI in 423 games. He resides in Keller, TX. |