Joey Mendez made his final season in a Riverdale Baptist baseball uniform one of the most memorable in program history.
Mendez, a senior catcher, captained the Crusaders to a school-record 30 consecutive victories, shattering the school's previous mark of 23 in 2006, before suffering a 4-1 setback to Caravel Academy (Del.) May 18.
Along the way, the team captured its third straight National Association of Christian Athletes Division I national championship with a 6-5 win against Johnson Ferry (Ga.) in Dayton, Tenn., May 13. Three weeks later, Riverdale Baptist capped a 35-3 campaign by defeating DeMatha, 6-5, for its second consecutive Maryland Private School baseball tournament crown.
For his part, the 6-foot, 180-pound Longwood commit batted .440/.500/.640/1.140 with one home run, 23 RBIs and 14 doubles in 75 at bats. Behind the plate, Mendez gunned down 6-of-13 would-be base stealers for a 46.2 caught-stealing percentage and compiled a .980 fielding percentage in 50 total chances with 13 assists.
