2012 Baseball
David Lyon
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Emporium, Pa.
- High School:
- Cameron County
Kent State Awards & Honors
• 2012 Team Co-Captain
• 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Mideast Region Second Team
• 2011 Second Team All-MAC
• 2011 All-MAC Tournament Team
• 2011 All-NCAA Championship Austin Regional Team
• 2011 Academic All-MAC
• 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Participant
• MAC East Division Player of the Week - 2011 (3/28, 5/2)
• Tied for fourth on the school's career records list in triples with 10.
• Ranks 10th on the school's career records list in putouts with 774.
• Letterwinner: 2009, '10, '11
Career Game Highs
At-bats: 6 (twice, last time: Akron, 5/20/11)
Runs: 4 (twice, last time: Bowling Green, 5/14/10)
Hits: 5 (at Ohio, 4/29/11)
RBIs: 6 (Western Michigan, 4/4/10)
Doubles: 2 (twice, last time: at Ohio - DH Game 2, 4/30/11)
Triples: 1 (10 times, last time: vs. Miami, 5/28/11)
Home Runs: 2 (Western Michigan, 4/4/10)
Walks: 3 (at UNC Greensboro, 2/20/09)
Stolen Bases: 2 (three times, last time: Western Michigan, 4/3/10)
2011 Junior Season Highlights
• Started 61 of the 62 games he played in, primarily serving as the team's starting catcher (54 games) and also seeing time as the squad's designated hitter (seven games). 
• Put together a career season, posting a career-best .315 batting average (second on the team), .384 on base percentage (fifth on the team) and .538 slugging percentage (fourth on the team, eighth in the MAC) with a career-high 75 hits (tied for second on the team), career-high 36 runs, 12 doubles, career-high seven triples (most on the team, second in the MAC; tied with Matt Rundels, 1991 for most in a single season in school history), career-high nine home runs (third on the team), career-high 27 walks (third on the team), career-high 53 RBIs (second on the team, second in the MAC) and career-high 128 total bases (third on the team, fourth in the MAC). Also led Kent State with 404 putouts, the eighth most in a single season in school history. Earned 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Mideast Region Second Team and Second Team All-MAC honors for his efforts.
• Batted a team-best .388 with a team-high 40 hits and three triples during conference play.
• Posted 19 multi-hit games to rank fifth on the team, including one with five-plus hits, six with three hits and 12 with two hits.
• Recorded 11 multi-RBI games to rank third on the squad, including one with five-plus, two with four, five with three and three with two.
• Hit .412 with seven hits, five runs, two triples, a home run and a team-high nine RBIs in the Johnny Gill Memorial Tournament in Winthrop, S.C. Went 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored vs. Wagner (2/25) in a 12-2 win for Kent State. Went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored against Winthrop (2/26) as Kent State posted a 13-0 victory. Smacked his first home run of the season to go along with a base hit and drove in three scores vs. Wagner (2/27) in a 13-2 win for Kent State.
• Accounted for three singles and a run scored at Houston (3/18).
• Hit a whopping .778 with a team-high seven hits, two doubles, a home run and six RBIs in the MAC-opening series against Toledo to earn MAC East Division Player of the Week honors. Led Kent State with a 3-for-3 effort -- including a double -- in 1-0 win over the Rockets (3/25). Went 2-for-3 with two RBIs -- including an RBI double -- against Toledo (3/26). Went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored – including a three-run home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the second to lead the way for Kent State in an 8-2 win over Toledo (3/27) to win the series.
• Collected a team-high three hits -- including a solo homer to right lead off the fourth inning -- as Kent State beat Eastern Michigan (4/10), 8-5, as the Flashes swept the regular season series over the Eagles.
• Had a huge series at Ohio to earn MAC East Division Player of the Week honors, batting a team-best .643 with a team-high nine hits, three doubles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs as the Golden Flashes swept the three-game series over the Bobcats. Was a double shy of hitting for the cycle while collecting two RBIs in a career day at the plate with five hits as Kent State beat Ohio (4/29), 11-3. Led all hitters with a three-hit performance -- including two doubles and three RBIs -- to help Kent State earn a 9-1 victory over Ohio (4/30) in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader.
• Carried his hot hitting into a key series against Miami, helping Kent State earn the series win with two victories with a team-best .462 batting average with a team-high six hits, a double, a triple, a home run and five RBIs. Posted three hits and three RBIs to power Kent State to a 14-1 win over Miami (5/7).
• Sent a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall in the 12th inning to provide Kent State with a 6-5 win over Akron (5/20) and finished the contest with three hits.
• Posted a team-best .667 slugging percentage and six RBIs to earn All-MAC Tournament Team honors as Kent State captured an unprecedented third straight conference tournament title to advance to the NCAA Championship as the MAC's automatic bid. Saved his best for the 11-0 championship game thrashing of rival Miami (5/28), smacking a bases-clearing triple to right-center field in a five-run opening frame for the Flashes. Added a two-run round tripper over the left field wall to make it 9-0 in the seventh.
• Earned All-NCAA Championship Austin Regional honors after he produced perhaps the most memorable hit in Kent State history to help down then-No. 5 Texas (6/4), 7-5, on its home field as the Golden Flashes earned their first regional final berth since 2001. Trailing 2-1 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Lyon sent a 1-2 pitch sailing over the left field wall and into the Kent State bullpen to give the Golden Flashes a 5-2 lead with his second career grand slam.
• Spent his summer competing for both the Keene Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League as well as the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team under Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin, who served as an assistant coach for the squad. Hit .263 with five hits, three runs, two doubles and one RBI in 10 games representing his country and help the USA win three of five games against Japan. Following his stint with the Collegiate National Team, he helped Keene capture its third NECBL championship in franchise history alongside Kent State freshman second baseman Derek Toadvine and redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Tyler Skulina. Hit .273 with 24 hits, 11 runs, three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 12 RBIs in 21 games with the Swamp Bats.
2010 Sophomore Season Highlights
• Started 53 of 58 games he appeared in, splitting time between catcher and designated hitter.
• Totaled a .272 batting average with 59 hits -- including 18 doubles, a triple and five home runs -- in additon to scoring 34 runs and collecting 42 RBIs.
• Smacked his first career home run to go along with a single, two RBIs and two runs scored at Western Kentucky (2/19) in Kent State's 13-10 season opening victory.
• Posted 11 multi-hit games, including matching his career-high of four at Wake Forest (2/28) in a 13-8 Kent State win and also against Bowling Green (5/14) in a 14-12 Kent State triumph. He recorded a double to go with three singles in each of those games.
• Drove in a career-high six RBIs as the designated hitter against Western Michigan (4/4), totaling a career-high two round trippers and a single and scoring four runs as Kent State won, 14-4.
• Went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored vs. Eastern Michigan (5/28) in the MAC Tournament to help Kent State roll to a 15-1 win.
• Spent summer ball playing for the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaska League. Earned Second Team All-Alaska League selection and was a member of the Mat-Su Miners 2010 Alaska League championship team. Posted a .269 batting average with 25 hits, four doubles, two triples, a team-high two home runs, 22 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
2009 Freshman Season Highlights
• Appeared in 31 games and made 22 starts behind the plate for the Golden Flashes.
• Had a career-high five RBI with three hits against Northern Illinois (4/4) in KSU’s 20-9 win.
• Went 4-for-4 with two runs scored against Ohio (4/25) in the Golden Flashes 28-16 victory.
• Had two hits -- including a triple -- in three at-bats with four RBI against Duquesne (4/29) in game two of a doubleheader that Kent State won, 13-0.
Prior to Kent State
• Played catcher for Cameron County High School in Pennsylvania under head coach Dick Harrier.
• Helped the Raiders win a District 9 Championship in 2006 and a Pennsylvania State Quarterfinals appearance in 2007.
• For his high school career, he batted .469 with 14 home runs, 24 doubles, 53 RBI and 70 runs scored.
• Made the American Legion East-West All-Star game his sophomore year.
• Was also named to the Big-30 All-Star team his junior year
• Also played with the Kersey Diamonds.
Personal
• Born Jan. 19, 1990.
• Parents are Dave and Connie Lyon. Sibling is Brandi.
• Was on the honor roll all four years in high school.
• Was also named to the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society at Cameron County.
• Majoring in finance.
