LEXINGTON, Va.- Kelly Sweppenhiser, who last month was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, has been named to the 2006 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Division All-State Baseball team. He becomes the first Keydet to earn the honor since Ian Ostlund did so in 2000.

Sweppenhiser (Herndon, Pa./Line Mountain) left the Institute as perhaps the most-decorated baseball player in the program's history, as he became the first Keydet to be named to the prestigious Dick Howser Award Watch List, became the first player to be named as a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, while also becoming the only player in school history to rank in the top five in career hits, runs, RBI and home runs. He was also selected as a First Team All-Big South player as both a junior and senior, while also being named the Big South's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for baseball while also being named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Team. In 2006, he helped lead the team to the school-record for wins for the third time in his career.

A four-year starter at third base for the Keydets, Sweppenhiser became the school's all-time leader with 263 hits, 172 runs, 411 total bases, 756 at bats and a .457 on-base percentage, while also ranking in the top five in the program's history in doubles, home runs, RBI and batting average. In his senior season, he led the Keydets with a .350 batting average, 72 hits, seven home runs, 41 RBI, a .524 slugging percentage and a .479 on-base percentage. He also set a new school record by scoring 58 runs, helping the Keydets set new single-season marks for runs, hits and RBI. He is currently playing for the Blue Jays' Single A New York-Penn League affiliate, the Auburn (N.Y.) Doubledays after being selected by the club in the 44th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

The Keydets also posted their first winning season in 41 years by going 30-25 in 2006, breaking the school record for wins for the third time in four seasons. To do so, VMI won the final two contests of the season versus then-#16 Winthrop, taking their first series over a ranked team in the program's history, while completing their first-ever 30-win campaign.