HYANNIS, Mass. - Mercyhurst University baseball standout Zak Blair has been named to the Cape Cod League's All-League Team as announced by the league office this week. Blair was the only non-Division I player to earn a spot on the postseason squad.

Blair played in all 44 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and finished the season with a .338 batting average, which placed him second on the team, and seventh in the Cape Cod League. He belted two home runs and drove in 20 runs for the Red Sox while leading the team with eight stolen bases.

The Red Sox lost two games to one to the Wareham Gatemen in the best-of-three Cape Cod Baseball League championship series, losing the decisive third game 8-6 in extra innings. Blair did his part in the postseason for Yarmouth-Dennis, batting .348 (8-for-23) with two doubles, four runs batted in, and three stolen bases in seven playoff games.

Earlier this month, Blair, a native of Jefferson, Ohio, earned the prestigious Daniel J. Silva Award for Sportsmanship prior to his team's first game of the opening round of the Cape Cod League playoffs. Selected annually by the Cape Cod League's umpiring staff, the Silva Award is named for the first modern-era Cape League commissioner, who was a member of the inaugural CCBL Hall of Fame class in 2000. Introduced in 1973, it honors a player who exemplifies sportsmanship both on and off the diamond.

Also, for a time in June, Blair was leading all Cape League hitters with a .402 batting average, earning him a starting role for the East All-Stars on July 28 against the West at Whitehouse Field in Harwich. He was the only player from a Division II school to start for either squad in the All-Star Game.

The Cape League is recognized as the best amateur summer leagues in the country by college coaches, as well as professional baseball scouts. Players from around the USA and all college divisions are recruited to play in the ten-team loop. According to Cape Cod League records, 946 of their former players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. And, on a year-to-year basis over the past five years, there's been an average of more than 200 former Cape League players playing in Major League action each season.

Some of the current stars that are Cape Cod alums include: Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies), Lance Berkman (St. Louis Cardinals), Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies), Mark Teixeira (New York Yankees), Michael Bourn (Atlanta Braves), Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers), Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox), Tim Lincecum (San Francisco Giants), Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays), and Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants). Stars of the past include Hall of Famers "Pie" Traynor and Carlton Fisk, along with Thurman Munson, Craig Biggio, Albert Belle, Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas, and Nomar Garciaparra.

Blair, who will be entering his senior season at Mercyhurst for the upcoming 2013 season, finished third on the Lakers' roster in hitting this past spring with a .369 batting average. His 18 stolen bases led Mercyhurst, despite missing 14 games due to a broken wrist midway through the season.