A-Sun Announces Baseball Awards

FGCU’s Tollet becames fifth head coach to win back-to-back honors

Cruz, Jenkins, Craig Claim Baseball Awards

(Courtesy Atlantic Sun Conference)

MACON, Ga. - For the first time in the history of the Atlantic Sun, players and coaches from four different institutions received the annual awards as Kennesaw State’s Chad Jenkins earned the Pitcher of the Year; Stetson’s Jeremy Cruz picked up the Player of the Year; Belmont’s Dylan Craig won Freshman of the Year and FGCU’s Dave Tollet repeated as Coach of the Year, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

Jenkins, who teamed with Kyle Heckathorn for form a dominating one-two punch, also received a unanimous spot on the First Team in addition to his Pitcher-of-the-Year honor. He highlighted his junior campaign with a 41-inning scoreless streak that spanned across the entire month of April. He finished his season as the conference’s leader in ERA, 2.54; wins, eight; and innings pitched, 92.0. He recorded five double-digit strikeout games in his final six starts and surrendered only three home runs, the fewest among any qualifying A-Sun pitcher with at least five starts.

Heckathorn made the Second Team with a 4-1 record, a 3.44 ERA and 98 strikeouts, tying Jenkins for third. Owl closer Kenny Faulk earned the reliever spot on the first team by virtue of his seven wins, four saves in 56 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched. The other half of the Kennesaw State battery, catcher Jace Whitmer, landed on the Second Team after leading the Owls in home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.603) while sharing the team RBI title (51).

Jeremy Cruz, the A-Sun's Preseason Player of the Year became the ninth Hatter to win Player of the Year, four more than any school in conference history (Georgia Southern). The unanimous First-Team choice enters A-Sun Championship play with 80 RBI, tied for the sixth-best single-season total in A-Sun history and as the third-highest total in the league in the last 20 years. His teammate, short stop Casey Frawley earned a second-straight selection to the First Team, with fellow Hatter Aaron Crittenden claiming the Second-Team designated hitter slot.

Much like in 2008 when FGCU also the regular season title, the Eagles led the way with four members on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team, to go along with Tollet’s consecutive Coach-of-the-Year award. A trio of sophomores led the Eagle represention in starting pitcher Chris Sale (7-4, 2.72 ERA, 104 K’s in 89.1 innings), third baseman Tim Roberson (.345 average, 19 HR, 65 RBI) and designated hitter Zach Maxfield (.383 average, league-best 20 HR, 66 RBI). From that group, only Sale made the All-Freshman team a season ago. Senior Josh Upchurch, the Eagles’ table-setter, shared the team lead in runs and led in triples and stolen bases.

The Bruins’ Craig joined senior Derek Wiley as just the second Belmont player to receive an annual award. Like Wiley, Craig earned the Freshman of the Year honor. He carried a 26-game hit streak from March 6 to April 14. During the streak, he hit .443 and picked up six of his conference-leading nine triples. He closed the regular season sixth in average, .395 and third in hits, 88. By making the Second Team, Craig’s selection earned the distinction as the lone freshman to make either the First or Second Team. Wiley, the A-Sun’s career home-run leader (58), made the Second Team as did Belmont’s Brandon McCall.

The top-seeded Jacksonville Dolphins placed a pair on both the First and Second Teams. Catcher Jeremy Gillan, a Second-Team choice in 2008, moved up to the First Team in 2009 after ranking in the top five in hitting, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Chuck Opachich earned the First-Team nod at second base. His 84 hits and 18 stolen bases both ranked fifth in the A-Sun. A pair of Dolphin pitchers, starter Matt Loosen (3-1, 3.79 ERA, 80 K’s in 71.1 innings) and closer Chris Kamanski (A-Sun leading eight saves, 2.48 ERA) made the second team.

UNF’s John Frawley capped the impressive group of starting pitchers on the two All-Atlantic Sun teams. The senior closed his career with a season that included seven wins (tied for second), a 3.20 ERA (third) and conference-leading three shutouts and five complete games (tied with Jenkins). His teammate, outfielder Preston Hale also made the Second Team after leading the Ospreys in average, .371; hits, 82; runs 46; doubles 17; and sharing the team lead with 10 home runs and 43 RBI.

Lipscomb, the reigning conference champion, only had a single representative from the First or Second Team, in starting pitcher Rex Brothers. The potential first-round pick consistently baffled hitters, striking out a conference-leading 126 hitters. He needs but four strikeouts during the A-Sun Championship to crack the league’s top-10 list.

Two of the league’s dominant offenses, Campbell and ETSU each placed position players on both the First and Second Team. Campbell, the highest scoring team in A-Sun history (10.1 runs per game), featured the conference’s top three hitters by average. Ryan Hamme, the batting champion at .438 (the highest average by an A-Sun hitter since 1998), made the First Team and Ellis Lowe, third in average at .404, finished play as the leader in hits, 90, and runs, 69. The Buccaneers, feature the First-Team first baseman, Paul Hoilman. The sophomore owns the top slugging percentage, .760, in the league while Second-Team outfielder Troy Mendez finished second to Hoilman on the team in average, runs, hits and on-base percentage. The Bucs’ Bo Reeder (top 10 in four offensive categories, 4-4 as a pitcher) earned a spot on the All-Freshman team unanimously, as did Stetson’s Mark Jones (.360 average, tied for 10^th in the A-Sun in hits, 80).