RICHMOND, Ky. – EKU outfielder Kendal Ewell earned a spot on the Appalachian League All-League Team this summer while playing for the Bluefield Ridge Runners.
 
Ewell was one of only four outfielders chosen to the All-League Team and one of only 14 players overall on the team. 
 
After serving as a rookie-level league in Minor League Baseball since 1963, the Appy League transitioned in 2020 to a collegiate summer league as part of the Major League Baseball and USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP), a pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States.  The league, which featured rising freshmen and sophomores, is an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other future national teams.
 
Ewell hit .333 while playing in 45 of the Bluefield's 52 games.  He finished the season with 15 doubles, six home runs, 42 RBIs and 43 runs.  In addition, he had 22 stolen bases and was only caught six times.  The Calumet City, Illinois native had a .610 slugging percentage and a .486 on-base percentage. 
 
He was the only player for the Ridge Runners to hit over .300.  He also led the team in slugging, on-base percentage, runs scored, runs batted in, doubles, total bases, walks and hit by a pitch.
 
It didn't matter if Ewell was facing a left-handed pitcher (.310) or a righty (.339), he hit over .300 against both.  He batted .368 with runners in scoring position.
 
Ewell started 29 times in right field, six times in left, four times in center and four times at designated hitter.
 
In the second game of the season, Ewell went 2-for-5 with two runs and six RBIs against Kingsport.  He had a 3-for-3 game with three runs and three RBIs against Bristol on June 26.  On July 22 against Danville, Ewell finished 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs.  That was part of a six-game span in late July when he hit .480 (12-for-25) with 15 RBIs and eight runs scored.
 
Ewell capped the season by going 2-for-3 with two runs and four driven in against Pulaski on Aug. 7.
 
The Appalachian League is comprised of 10 clubs in Bluefield, West Virginia; Bristol, Virginia; Burlington, North Carolina; Danville, Virginia; Elizabethton, Tennessee; Greeneville, Tennessee; Johnson City, Tennessee; Kingston, Tennessee; Princeton, West Virginia; and Pulaski, Virginia.
 
In 2021, the 6-foot-3 Ewell earned a spot on the Ohio Valley Conference All-Freshman Team.  He hit .303 in 2021, second-best among Colonels.  He had seven home runs, 34 RBIs and 31 runs.  Ewell hit for the cycle against North Dakota State on May 20, finishing 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs.