#1 - Jimmy Rider
Position: INF
Year: Sr.
Hometown: Venetia, Pa.
High School: Peters Township
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
Bats/Throws: R/R

Kent State Awards & Honors

RIDER CHASING HISTORY       

• 50 ASSISTS AWAY FROM BREAKING SCHOOL'S CAREER RECORD

(591 - CHRIS TREMBLAY, 2006-09)

• 2012 Team Co-Captain

• 2009 Second Team All-MAC

• 2009 All-MAC Tournament Team

• Ranks third on school's career records list with 541 assists.

• Letterwinner: 2009, '10, '11

 

 

Career Game Highs

At-bats: 6 (12 times, last time: Akron, 5/20/11)

Runs: 5 (at Ohio, 4/25/09)

Hits: 5 (twice, last time: at Wake Forest - DH Game 1, 2/27/10)

RBIs: 5 (Niagara - DH Game 1, 3/25/09)

Doubles: 3 (vs. Penn State, 3/21/10)

Triples: 1 (seven times, last time: Cleveland State, 5/16/11)

Home Runs: 1 (seven times, last time: Buffalo, 4/23/11)

Walks: 3 (at UNC Greensboro, 2/20/09)

Stolen Bases: 2 (twice, last time: at Eastern Michigan, 4/9/11)

 

2011 Junior Season Highlights

 

• Started all 62 games for Kent State at shortstop and joined senior outfielder Ben Klafczynski and junior third baseman Travis Shaw as the only Flashes to achieve the feat.

• Posted a .281 batting average, an on base percentage of .333 and a slugging percentage of .375 with 75 hits (second on the team), 41 runs (fifth on the team), 16 doubles (second on the team), career-high three triples (second on the team), a home run, matching career high of 46 RBIs and accumulating 100 total bases (fourth on the team.

• Posted 23 multi-hit games to rank second on the team.

• Compiled 181 assists, the fourth most in a single season in school history.

• Opened the campaign with a 15-game hitting streak (2/18 at Georgia Tech-3/18 at Houston).

• Led the team in the season opener at Georgia Tech (2/18) with two singles, an RBI and a run scored.

• Batted .476 and tied for the team lead with 10 hits, two doubles and a triple to go along with six RBIs in four games at the Johnny Gill Memorial Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. Collected two singles, drove in a run and scored two more as Kent State rolled to a 12-2 victory vs. Wagner (2/25). Tallied three hits --  including a triple -- while posting two RBIs and three runs scored to help the Flashes blank host Winthrop (2/26), 13-0.

 

2010 Sophomore Season Highlights

 

• Started all 63 of the games he played in.

• Finished with a .344 batting average for the season, ranking fourth on the team.

• Collected a career-high 95 hits, ranking third on the team for the season, third in the conference, tied for 41st in the nation and third on the school's single-season records list.

• Set the school's single-season assists record with 199, leading the team in the category for the second consecutive season and finishing second in the conference.

• Ranked fourth on the team and in the conference with a career-high 21 doubles.

• Ranked as the 48th toughest player in the nation to strike out, averaging just 14.5 strikeouts.

• Recorded 34 multi-hit games, including a season-best five hits (four singles, one double) that matched his career high in the first game of a doubleheader at Wake Forest (2/27), an 11-5 win for the Flashes. Had at least three hits in a game eight times.

• Hit safely in 15 straight games spanning from 3/6 vs. Indiana when he tallied a single to 3/27 in game one of a doubleheader at Toledo when he posted a base hit. Had nine multi-hit games during the stretch, including a span of seven straight games (3/19 vs. Penn State to 3/26 vs. Toledo) with two or more hits.

• Went a combined 10-for-20 in four games of the Coca-Cola Classic (3/19-3/21) with four doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored as Kent State went 3-1. Had multiple hits in all four games, including a career-high three-double outing in a 10-5 triumph vs. Penn State (3/21).

• Totaled eight assists at Pittsburgh (4/20) in a 16-3 win for Kent State.

• Went 2-for-4 with a run scored in both NCAA Los Angeles Regional games at UCLA (6/4) and vs. UC Irvine (6/5).

• Competed for the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League in summer ball action, recording a .248 batting average with 35 hits, six doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

 

2009 Freshman Season Highlights

 

• Led the team with a .353 batting average.

• Also paced the squad with 161 assists, ranking 10th on the school's single-season records list.

• Went 3-for-4 in the first game of a three-game sweep of Northern Illinois (4/3).

• Had a hit in all five at-bats at Ohio (4/25), including a double and his first collegiate home run. Also scored five runs and drove in three more.

• Hit his first career grand slam and scored three runs against Duquesne (4/29).

• Hit .207 with 28 hits in summer league action with the Columbia Blowfish of the Coastal Plains League.

 

Prior to Kent State

• Played shortstop for Peters Township High School under Joe Maize.

• Helped the Indians to a WPIAL Class AAAA state championship in 2007.

• Named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-Section Team his sophomore and junior seasons. Was also named All-Region by the Post-Gazette.

• Batted .435 while driving in 31 runs and scoring 31 runs his junior season.

• Also was a member of the Steel City Wildcats, winning a league championship in 2007.

 

Personal

• Born May 5, 1990.

• Parents are Rosalind and Jim Rider. Sibling is Shelley.

• Father played baseball at Jacksonville University.

• Accounting.