NJCBA All-State Selections

May 16, 2007

NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey Institute of Technology senior Kwesi Mitchell was selected by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association as a first-team outfielder on the 2007 Division I all-state team.

With NJIT becoming the eighth Division I program in New Jersey this year, Mitchell was one of just three outfielders named to the first team. The team was chosen in voting conducted among the coaches of the state Division I teams, which include Rutgers, Seton Hall, Princeton, Monmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rider and Saint Peter's, in addition to the Highlanders.

Mitchell has more than earned his place in history as the first NJIT player named to the Division I all-state team. A power hitter who also plays excellent defense in right field, he is having one of the most productive individual seasons in school history.

Leading the Highlanders in nine important batting categories, he is batting .364 with 11 home runs (one shy of the school season record set in 1983) and 36 runs batted in (six shy of the school record set last year).

Mitchell also has eight doubles, with a slugging percentage of .682 and 18 walks and a hit by pitch, giving him an on-base percentage of .443.

He has played in 36 of NJIT's 37 games, starting 35. In those games, he has scored 35 runs to go with his 36 RBI, meaning he produces about a run a game in each category. He has been remarkably consistent, producing a hit in 31 of his 36 games and reaching base via walk in two of his five hitless games. He hit safely in the first 22 games of the 2007 season.

Combining the speed that has seen him steal nine bases in 12 attempts and a major league-caliber outfielder's arm, Mitchell is a fine defender. He has handled 74 chances this season without an error and is rarely challenged by runners attempting to advance on fly ball outs.

Mitchell and his teammates have eight games remaining on their first Division I schedule. They will visit Saint Peter's in Jersey City on Wednesday, before heading to West Hartford, Connecticut for a three-game set at the University of Hartford. The season will end with four games at the 2007 Division I Independent Championship Tournament, hosted by Utah Valley State in Orem, Utah, from May 23 to May 26.