Kerry Herndon-Brown, Connar Penrod earn Appalachian League opening week honors

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Appalachian League announced that Elizabethton’s Kerry Herndon-Brown and Greeneville’s Connar Penrod were named Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the period of June 6 to June 11.

Herndon-Brown, 18, earned Hitter of the Week honors for the first week of the Appalachian League season after he led the league (7 PA min.) with a .647 average (11-for-17) with one home run, two doubles and five RBIs in five games for the River Riders. He also paced the circuit in on-base percentage (.700), slugging (.941) and OPS (1.641) and finished tied atop the leaderboard in both hits and total bases (16).

Herndon-Brown began the week by going 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, three runs scored and two RBIs to help power Elizabethton past Kingsport, 9-7, on Opening Day. He recorded a three-hit performance the next day, going 3-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI, and was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in the River Riders’ victory over Greeneville on Thursday. Herndon-Brown turned in his third multi-hit game of the week on Sunday, going 3-for-4 with an RBI.

A Germantown, Md. native, Herndon-Brown appeared in nine games, including four starts, for the University of Memphis as a true freshman, logging 19 at-bats this past spring. Prior to Memphis, Herndon-Brown attended IMG Academy in Florida, where he received First Team All-Conference honors in 2021. He also participated in the 2022 MLB Draft Combine.

Penrod, 20, garnered Pitcher of the Week honors after posting 3.2 hitless innings with 10 strikeouts across two relief appearances for Greeneville. The right-hander pitcher led the league with 24.6 strikeouts-per-nine innings, tied for first in ERA (0.00) and opponents’ average (.000), and tied for third in strikeouts.

Penrod struck out seven of the eight batters he faced, including the first six he faced, over 2.2 perfect innings in his season debut for the Flyboys against Elizabethton on June 8. He added three more strikeouts during a scoreless appearance on June 10, when he allowed one unearned run on two walks in one inning. Overall, Penrod recorded all but one of his outs via the strikeout.

The Waseon, Ohio native was 4-0 with one save and a 3.90 ERA this past spring as a Bowling Green sophomore. Penrod made 10 scoreless appearances for the Falcons and led the team with 18 appearances, all in relief. In 30 innings, he compiled 40 strikeouts (12.0 K/9) against 11 walks while allowing three extra-base hits.