Penn State Abington’s Ryan McCarty was able to shape the most dominant Division III offensive season by focusing on the mental side of baseball, writes Sam Cohn for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The infielder/pitcher spent countless hours during the season reading or watching videos from hitting coach Steve Springer and Ken Ravizza, the late sports psychologist.

The time invested paid off. The Yardley native finished his senior season by leading NCAA Division III in hits (100) and batting average (.529). He also had the most homers (29), doubles (27), RBIs (91), and runs (89).

Additionally, he set a new Division III single-season record for total bases (220).

“I could say I got stronger and made certain swing changes, but that only adds up to a very small portion of what goes into that success,” said McCarty. “Over the last four years, I’ve been working from a mentality standpoint in the game.”

McCarty is planning to start playing for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League, the country’s top summer collegiate league, in June. After that, he is hoping to hear his name called at the MLB draft in July.

Additionally, Ryan McCarty has been named a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award, a competition for the top amateur baseball player of the year. He is the only non-NCAA Division I player and only Penn State player to be nominated.

Fan voting is one piece of the Golden Spikes Award process. Click here to vote for McCarty through June 6.

Read more about Ryan McCarty in The Philadelphia Inquirer.