June 19, 2008

VILLANOVA, Pa. - For the second time in three years Villanova has had a player named to the ABCA All-East Region team as shortstop Derek Shunk received second team honors. The 2008 ABCA All-Region teams were announced this week.

Shunk was a preseason All-American in 2008 and earned All-BIG EAST honors for the third time in his career. He batted a team-high .377 while setting single-season program records with 58 games played and 228 at-bats this spring. Shunk owned a .467 on-base percentage and a .539 slugging percentage with 15 doubles, two triples and six home runs during the year. He scored 43 runs and drove in 51.

Though his senior season may have been the best of Shunk's four years at Villanova, his body of work over a four-year period helped his accomplishments this year to cap off a remarkable collegiate career. Shunk broke career school records for hits, games played and at-bats in 2008 and finished his career ranked in the top-10 in program history in eight different offensive categories. His 291 collegiate hits were 49 more than the team's previous top mark.

The Wildcats had an outstanding season thanks in part to Shunk's offensive contributions. Villanova went on a tear down the stretch of the regular season and for the second year in a row clinched a playoff spot in the BIG EAST Championship during the final weekend of the regular season. In the conference tournament, the eighth-seeded Wildcats knocked off tournament top seed St. John's and eventually reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Louisville.

Earlier this month, Shunk was a 17th-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. His selection was the highest a Villanova position player had been drafted since shortstop Larry Kleinz was also picked in the 17th round of the 1996 draft. Shunk was assigned to the short season Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League in the Padres minor league system and has batted .429 (3-for-7) through his first two games at the professional level.

The last Villanova player to earn All-East Region honors was first baseman Jeremy Hunt in 2006. Ironically, Hunt was also a draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2006 and also played for Eugene during his first professional season. He remains in the Padres organization and currently plays for the Lake Elsinore Storm in the Advanced Class-A California League.