• 2013 OVC Baseball Report - Final (PDF)
Team Notes
Austin Peay (47-15, 22-7 OVC): Austin Peay ended the regular season by winning 12 in a row (a program record) and 16 of 17 games to finish 42-13 overall and 22-7 in OVC play. Although the Govs came up 1.5 games short of winning its third-straight OVC Regular Season Championship they did earn the No. 2 seed for the OVC Tournament. APSU would sweep its way through the tournament field to win its third-straight and sixth overall OVC Tournament title, joining championships won in 1996, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2012. With a Top 30 RPI, the Governors earned the No. 2 seed in the Bloomington Regional, marking the first time an OVC team had not been a No. 4 seed since the current regional format began in 1999 (the team would have likely earned an at-large bid had they not won the OVC Tournament). Austin Peay would top Florida in the first game of the event before losing to host Indiana. The Govs bounced back to eliminate Valparaiso and advance to the regional final for the second year in a row. Unfortunately the team saw its year end with a 6-1 loss to the host Hoosiers. Austin Peay finished the year 47-15 overall; the 47 victories were tied for the most in OVC single-season history (with WKU in 1980). Austin Peay ended the year ranked No. 21 nationally in the Baseball America Top 25, No. 23 in the NCBWA Top 30 and No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. As a team APSU finished the year first in the OVC and 10th nationally in batting average (.312); the team was also 15th nationally in on-base percentage (.399). Senior Tyler Rogers, who became the first relief pitcher to be named OVC Pitcher of the Year, finished the year with 23 saves which tied the NCAA single-season record set in 1998; that record, however, was broken by UCLA’s David Berg during the College World Series. Rogers was named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and the ABCA; he is the first Austin Peay player to earn All-American honors from three different organizations in the same year. Junior 1B Craig Massoni, the OVC Player of the Year, came up just short of winning the Triple Crown this year as he led the OVC in batting (.385) and home runs (16) but was three RBI behind TTU’s Zach Stephens (who finished the year with 71). No OVC player has won the Triple Crown since 1982 (WKU’s Ralph Antone). Massoni ranked eighth nationally in total bases (158), 12th in slugging (.661) and 22nd in batting average. Massoni was named a second-team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper after the season. Senior SS Reed Harper has started and played in 234 career games, which set OVC records in both of those categories (breaking the marks previously held by JSU’s Bert Smith). Harper also set the Austin Peay career record for hits during the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Hankins earned a pair of All-American honors following the season, earning third-team honors from Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. Austin Peay had five players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, a new record for the program.
Belmont (38-20, 22-8 OVC): In its first year in the OVC Belmont won 38 overall games and compiled a 22-8 OVC mark which placed the Bruins third overall. The team lost its opening game at the OVC Tournament against Southeast Missouri before bouncing back to eliminate Jacksonville State before being eliminated the next day by Southeast Missouri. Senior hurler Chase Brookshire was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team after striking out 14 batters in the victory against JSU in the tournament; the 14 strikeouts set a new OVC Tournament neutral site record (since 2001) and earned him National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Brookshire finished his final season at Belmont with a 5-2 record and 2.28 E.R.A. in 11 appearances. He struck out 82 and walked only 12 batters despite missing part of the season due to injury. By not winning the OVC Tournament the Bruins failed to make the NCAA Tournament field for the third-straight season. Senior closer Josh Davis was one of 11 finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award this season; Davis finished the year with 12 saves and a 2.22 E.R.A. in 29 appearances and batted .293 with 24 RBI. The 12 saves were tied for fifth-most in OVC single-season history. Senior Jessie Snodgrass set a new OVC single-season record by making 44 relief appearances during the year, which was just seven appearances off the NCAA all-time record; Snodgrass had a 2.23 E.R.A. (which led all OVC pitchers) to go along with a 5-2 record and two saves in 77.2 innings. Sophomore Dan Ludwig finished the year with 11 victories which ranked first in the OVC (and 15th nationally). Three Belmont players (Brookshire, Jared Breen and Austin Coley) were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft following the season. As a team Belmont ranked first in the OVC in team pitching (3.78 E.R.A.) and seventh in batting (.278).
Eastern Illinois (22-27, 11-17 OVC): Eastern Illinois completed its season by winning its final two games of the regular season against UT Martin to finish at 11-17 in OVC play. The Panthers finished the year in seventh place in the standings, two wins behind sixth place Southeast Missouri. EIU had two players (Caleb Howell and Brant Valach) named to the All-OVC second-team following the season. Howell finished the year with a team-best .362 average while Valach (the 2012 OVC Freshman of the Year) was second on the team with a .332 average. Treysen Vavra ended the year with 20 doubles, the fourth-most in EIU single-season history; his 0.41 doubles/game ranked second in the OVC. Sophomore Matt Borens, who tossed his second complete game of the season and first shutout the final week of the season, finished the season with a 4-4 overall record and 4.30 E.R.A. in 88.0 innings of work. Freshman Jake Johansmeier (an OVC All-Rookie team pick) made 20 appearances and won three games and had a save in 48.2 innings of work. Joe Greenfield was slated to be the team’s closer to start the season but was pushed into the rotation and led the team with a 3.66 E.R.A. in 93.1 innings of work; he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. As a team EIU was fourth in the OVC in team E.R.A. (4.77).
Eastern Kentucky (23-34, 16-13 OVC): Playing with a young roster Eastern Kentucky ended the regular season by winning 14 of its final 20 OVC games. The Colonels started the season 2-7 but rebounded to finish 16-13 and finish fifth in the league and qualify for its 29th OVC Tournament (which is the most in league history). Eastern Kentucky topped Jacksonville State in the first round of the OVC Tournament before falling to eventual champion Austin Peay in the next round. The Colonels bounced back to best Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech to advance to the Championship Round where they were topped once again by APSU. The three wins in the tournament helped the Colonels snap a six-game losing streak in the tournament and matched the total number of tournament wins the program had achieved since 2006. EKU had five players named to the OVC All-Tournament team including Alex Hughes, Luke Wurzelbacher, Kyle Nowlin (the OVC Freshman of the Year), Bryan Soloman and Shane Grimm. EKU had a league-high four players named to OVC All-Freshman Team, including Nowlin (who was the third Colonel to win Freshman of the Year since it was first handed out in 2000), Wurzelbacher, Kenny Hostrander and Doug Teegarden. Nowlin, Hostrander and Teegarden would go on to earn Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Catcher Sean Hagen, a first-team All-OVC selection, was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Award (given to the most improved player in college baseball) and was also on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List. Hagen finished the year with a .353 batting average, 41 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 50 games. As a team EKU ranked third in the OVC in team batting (.293).
Jacksonville State (32-26, 22-8 OVC): Jacksonville State finished in a tie for third place in the OVC this season with a 22-8 overall record but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Belmont to earn the No. 4 seed for the OVC Tournament. It marked the 10th-straight season the Gamecocks qualified for the event. JSU would go two-and-out at the OVC Tournament losing to Eastern Kentucky and Belmont in the two games; that marked the first time the Gamecocks had lost its first two games at the event since joining the league prior to the 2004 season. Sophomore Travis Stout earned third-team Louisville Slugger All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball newspaper following a great season in the bullpen. Stout made 31 appearances and netted 17 saves, the second-most in OVC single-season history. He also compiled a 3-0 record and 1.42 E.R.A. in 31.2 innings of work. Outfielder Michael Bishop also earned All-American honors after hitting .340 with 21 doubles, 26 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Paschal Petrongolo earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors after a season where he had 37 hits, 24 runs, three triples, four home runs and 33 RBI. Junior Coty Blanchard was selected in the 15th round by Tampa Bay following the season; Blanchard hit .305 with 19 doubles, 37 RBI and 15 stolen bases during the season.
Morehead State (16-40, 10-20 OVC): In its first season under head coach Mike McGuire Morehead State ended the year on a high note, ending an 11-game losing streak with a convincing 22-3 victory over Jacksonville State. The Eagles finished the year 10-20 in OVC action. Sophomore utility player Kane Sweeney, a second-team All-OVC selection, finished the season with a .376 batting average which ranked second in the OVC. In 27 OVC games Sweeney hit .400, which was second-best in the OVC. Chase Greenwell finished second on the team with a .339 average and was also second on the squad with 34 RBI in 56 games. Greenwell had 27 multiple-hit games this season, which ranked third in the OVC. Freshman Alan Mocahbee was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after registering 49 hits, 21 runs, seven home runs and 36 RBI in 52 games.
Murray State (21-33, 9-21 OVC): Murray State wrapped up the 2013 season by snapping a six-game losing streak and coming from behind to top Eastern Kentucky 9-8 at the end of the regular season. The Thoroughbreds ended the season with a 9-21 OVC mark. Brandon Eggenschwiler, a CoSIDA Academic All-American for the second-straight year in 2013, ended the season as the team’s leading hitter (.340). Eggenschwiler had 24 multi-hit games during the season which was fifth in the OVC. Mike Kozlowski was the team’s leader in RBI (43) during the campaign. Junior outfielder Ty Stetson had the longest hitting streak in the OVC in 2013 (18 games). During the junior Cameron Finch recorded the first no-hitter in the OVC since 2006 and first nine-inning no-hitter since 2003 on March 22 against SIUE. It was the eighth no-hitter in MSU history (first nine-inning no-hitter) and first since 1986 for the Thoroughbreds.
Southeast Missouri (26-33, 13-17 OVC): In the first season under head coach Steve Bieser, Southeast Missouri finished 13-17 in the OVC and earned the sixth seed for the OVC Tournament. It marks the 19th-consecutive season that Southeast Missouri had qualified for the OVC Tournament, which extended the all-time OVC record (the second longest streak in OVC history is 13-straight years). The last time the team did not qualify for the event was in 1994; that year only the top four teams made the tournament field and Southeast finished fifth in the standings. Southeast topped Belmont in the opening game of the tournament before losing to No. 1 seed Tennessee Tech. The Redhawks would go on to eliminate Belmont before losing to Eastern Kentucky. Clayton Evans was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American following the season after hitting .325 with 24 RBI and eight stolen bases. Dalton Hewitt led the team with a .345 batting average. Sophomore Jason Blum finished the season with 21 doubles, which ranked in the Top 10 in Southeast single-season history. Blum was also hit by pitch 23 times, establishing a new OVC single-season record. As a team Southeast hit .285 which was fourth in the OVC.
SIUE (16-35, 10-20 OVC): SIUE ended its first season of full Division I postseason eligibility by losing its final five games of the season including three to nationally-ranked Austin Peay. Joel Greatting ended the season as the team’s leading hitter at .326; he also had seven home runs and a team-high 34 RBI. Greatting was the only SIUE player to hit above .300 on the season as the team hit a combined .241 (11th in the OVC). Travis Felax ended the season with the second-best E.R.A. in the OVC (2.26); Felax struck out 58 batters and walked only six in 75.2 innings of work. Felax struggled to get run support at times this season and finished the year with a 3-6 record, but did share the OVC lead with four complete games and was named a second-team All-OVC selection. Skyler Geissinger was named an OVC All-Freshman pick after registering 49 hits, 19 runs, 12 doubles, five home runs and 29 RBI.
Tennessee Tech (40-17, 24-6 OVC): Tennessee Tech finished the OVC season with 24 victories, establishing a new single-season record for conference wins, topping the 23 Jacksonville State recorded in 2008. That included two wins over Belmont the final week of the regular season to claim the OVC Regular Season Championship outright. Overall it marked the eighth title for the Golden Eagles (including two divisional titles in 1970 and 1988). Tech has also won the outright title in each 1949, 1955, 1956, 1997 and 2010. The team appeared in its first OVC Tournament since 2011 and topped Southeast Missouri in its first game before losing to eventual champion Austin Peay. The Golden Eagles were then eliminated by Eastern Kentucky. Tech finished the season with 40 victories, setting a new school record for wins (breaking the record of 39 by the 1997 squad). For leading his team to the OVC Championship, head coach Matt Bragga was named OVC Coach of the Year. TTU had eight players selected to the All-OVC team following the season. Included in that was first-team pitcher Tristan Archer who tied the OVC career record for pitching appearances (55). Archer, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 21st Round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, finished the season with a 9-4 record and 3.34 E.R.A. in 97 innings of work. Junior 1B Zach Stephens finished the season leading the OVC in RBI (71) and ranking second in home runs (15). Stephens now has 43 career home runs, which ranks second on the TTU career list (only behind the 51 home runs from A.J. Kirby-Jones). Stephens finished the year ranked third in RBI/game (1.25) and 14th in home runs/game (0.26). As a team Tennessee Tech ranked second nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.0), seventh in slugging (.464), seventh in home runs/game (0.95), eighth in sacrifice flies (38), 10th in scoring (7.3 runs/game) and 12th in doubles/game (2.19).
UT Martin (11-40, 4-26 OVC): UT Martin concluded the 2013 season with a 4-26 mark in OVC competition. Included in that win total was a road victory over Eastern Illinois the final weekend of the regular season which ended a 13-game losing streak and marked only the second road victory of the season for the Skyhawks. Nico Zych ended the season as the team’s leading hitter among regular players (.283). Senior hurler Dan Tobik finished his four-year career with 263 strikeouts, four shy of the UTM career record. Tobik, who had 71 strikeouts during the 2013 season, was drafted in the 39th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; it marked the third-straight season UTM had a player drafted.
Notes From Around the League
Govs Reach Regional Final For Second-Straight Year: For the second-straight season Austin Peay won two games at the NCAA Regionals and advanced to the Regional Championship before falling to the host and No. 1 seed. The Governors earned a No. 2 seed, the first OVC school to not earn a No. 4 seed in the current Regional format (since 1999), and topped No. 3 seed Florida in the first game before losing to No. 1 Indiana. APSU bounced back and eliminated No. 4 seed Valparaiso before losing to Indiana in the Championship Round. In each of its last four NCAA appearances the team has won at least one game (2007, 2011, 2012, 2013). Austin Peay is now 6-12 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Overall OVC teams have won a game in the NCAA Regionals in five of the last seven years.
Two Govs Named to NCAA All-Regional Team: Two Austin Peay players were named to the Bloomington All-Regional Team following the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Hankins and Cody Hudson were each selected after Austin Peay went 2-2 at the event and advanced to the Regional Final against host Indiana. Hankins hit .400 (6-for-15) with five runs, two doubles and two RBI while Hudson hit .333 (5-for-15) with three runs scored, two doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases. It marked the second-straight year Hankins had been named to the team.
Austin Peay Ties OVC Record for Victories: Austin Peay finished the season with 47 victories, tying the OVC single-season record also set by Western Kentucky in 1980. Overall it marked the second-straight season the Govs had reached that mark (and 10th time an OVC school had reached that mark). Tennessee Tech also finished the year with 40 victories marking just the second time in OVC history the league had two teams win 40 or more games in the same season (Middle Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky each won 42 games in 1990).
“Three-Peayt”: Austin Peay captured its third-straight OVC Baseball Tournament Championship this season, marking the first time since 1990-92 that an OVC team had won three-straight titles (Middle Tennessee). The Govs have also won OVC Tournament Championships in 1996, 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2012.
OVC Tournament History: This season marked the 35th OVC Baseball Tournament, as the first event was held in 1979. Prior to the 1979 event, the winner of each division matched up in a three-game series to determine who the OVC champion was in that season. Since 2001 the tournament has been played at a neutral site (prior to that, the event was held at the No. 1 seed and regular season champion). From 2001-09 that neutral site was Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky.; the 2010 event was the first in Jackson, Tenn. and this year is the 13th time the event has been held at a neutral site.
Tennessee Tech Wins 2013 OVC Regular Season Championship: Tennessee Tech, picked sixth in the OVC preseason poll, finished the OVC season 24-6 to claim the regular season championship. The 24 Conference wins were the most in OVC history (topping 23 victories by Jacksonville State 2008). Including a pair of divisional championships in 1970 and 1988, it is the eighth OVC title for the Golden Eagles. The team has also won the outright title in 1949, 1955, 1956, 1997 and 2010.
Southeast Missouri Makes Record 19th-Straight OVC Tournament Appearance: Southeast Missouri State appeared in its 19th-straight OVC Baseball Tournament in 2013, which is an all-time OVC record for consecutive appearances. The Redhawks set the record five years ago, passing Eastern Kentucky’s mark of 13-straight appearances from 1981-93.
Massoni and Rogers Earn Top OVC Awards: Austin Peay became the first school to sweep the OVC Player and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same season since 2001 (Southeast Missouri) as junior 1B
Craig Massoni was named Player of the Year and senior reliever
Tyler Rogers was named Pitcher of the Year (Rogers became the first relief pitcher to earn the honor). Tennessee Tech head coach
Matt Bragga was named OVC Coach of the Year for the second time while Eastern Kentucky freshman outfielder
Kyle Nowlin was tabbed OVC Rookie of the Year. The awards are voted on by league head coaches and sports information directors and were awarded along with first and second-team All-OVC and All-Freshman honors. Austin Peay had the most first-team selections with a program record six, while Peay and Tennessee Tech each had eight total selections across the two teams. Eastern Kentucky led the way with four All-Freshman Team picks.
Austin Peay Finishes Season Ranked in Three National Polls: Austin Peay finished the season ranked in three different national polls. The Governors were No. 21 in the Baseball America Top 25, No. 23 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 30 and No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Govs entered the national polls on May 13 and was the first OVC team to be ranked since Eastern Illinois in the 2009 season.
12 Selected in MLB First-Year Player Draft: For the second-straight year 12 Ohio Valley Conference players were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Overall six of the 11 OVC baseball-playing institutions had at least one player selected and Austin Peay led the way with five selections. The 12 selections were just one off the record of 13 selections in 2010. Overall the OVC has had 46 players selected over the past four years.
Tyler Rogers, RHP (Austin Peay) - San Francisco Giants, 10th Round (No. 312)
Jordan Hankins, 2B (Austin Peay) - Chicago Cubs, 11th Round (No. 318)
Coty Blanchard, 2B (Jacksonville State) - Tampa Bay Rays, 15th Round (No. 458) Lee Ridenhour, RHP (Austin Peay) - Philadelphia Phillies, 16th Round (No. 481)
Chase Brookshire, LHP (Belmont) - St. Louis Cardinals, 20th Round (No. 605)
Tristan Archer, RHP (Tennessee Tech) - Milwaukee Brewers, 21st Round (No. 632)
Jared Breen, SS (Belmont) - Baltimore Orioles, 24th Round (No. 729)
Reed Harper, SS (Austin Peay) - Atlanta Braves, 25th Round (No. 763)
Austin Coley, RHP (Belmont) - New York Mets, 27th Round (No. 806)
Craig Massoni, 1B (Austin Peay) - San Francisco Giants, 34th Round (No. 1002)
Joe Greenfield, RHP (Eastern Illinois) - Minnesota Twins, 36th Round (No. 1070)
Dan Tobik, RHP (UT Martin) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 39th Round (No. 1177)
Massoni Comes Up Shy of Triple Crown: For the second-straight season a player came up just short in trying to win the first Triple Crown in the OVC since 1982. Austin Peay junior first baseman
Craig Massoni entered the final week of the regular season leading the OVC in batting average and tied for the Conference lead in home runs and RBI but finished just shy of the RBI title. After the postseason Massoni led the OVC in batting average (.385) and home run (16) but had 68 RBI which was three shy of the crown. No OVC player has achieved the feat since Western Kentucky’s Ralph Antone achieved the honor in 1982. Antone’s crown in 1982 actually marked the third time in four years that an OVC player won the award (Morehead State’s Jody Hamilton achieved the feat in 1979 and WKU’s Mike Williams did in 1980) but the league has now gone the past 31 years without a player leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI in the same season.
Rogers Ties NCAA Single-Season Saves Record; Sets OVC Single-Season and Career Saves Mark: Austin Peay senior closer
Tyler Rogers ranked second Division I with 23 saves this season. After his 23rd save against Valparaiso in the NCAA Tournament on June 2 he had tied the NCAA single-season record held by USC’s Jack Krawczyk (done in 34 games in 1998). That record would last until June 24 when UCLA’s David Berg saved the first game of the College World Series Championship Series against Mississippi State. Rogers set the new OVC single-season saves record by recording his 16th save on April 24 against Evansville. It broke the record of 15 set by Jacksonville State’s Todd Hornsby in 2011. He broke the OVC career record of 32 (also held by Hornsby) with his 33rd save in May 25’s OVC Tournament Championship victory over Eastern Kentucky; he finished his career with 35 saves. Below are the top single season saves outputs in NCAA history.
24 - David Berg, UCLA (2013 - 51 games)
23 - Tyler Rogers, Austin Peay (2013 - 41 games)
23 - Jack Krawczyk, Southern Cal (1998 - 34 games)
22 - Cory Scott, East Carolina (2000 - 32 games)
22 - Scott Wright, Cal State Fullerton (1984 - 47 games)
21 - Blake Taylor, South Carolina (2002 - 37 games)
21 - Danny Graves, Miami (Fla.) (1994 - 40 games)
21 - Jimmie Sherfy, Oregon (2013 - 38 games)
20 - 10 Other Players Tied
Year of the Closer in the OVC: For the second-straight year the OVC saw dominating performances out of the bullpen. This season four of the top six save totals in OVC single-season history were established with Austin Peay’s
Tyler Rogers setting a new record with 23, Jacksonville State’s
Travis Stout finishing second in OVC history (17) and Belmont’s
Josh Davis and Tennessee Tech’s
Seth Lucio finished tied for fifth in a season (12).
APSU’s Harper Sets OVC Record for Career Games Played and Started: Austin Peay senior
Reed Harper finished his career by starting and playing in 237 career games. That broke the previous OVC records of 233 games started and 234 games played held by Jacksonville State’s Bert Smith (2006-10).
TTU’s Archer Ties OVC Career Record For Starts: Tennessee Tech senior
Tristan Archer tied the OVC career record for pitching starts on May 23 during the OVC Tournament. It marked his 55th career pitching start, tying the OVC record also held by Middle Tennessee’s Chris Norton (1985-88).
Snodgrass Sets OVC Season Appearances Record: Belmont senior pitcher
Jessie Snodgrass set the OVC single-season record for pitching appearances on May 12 when he appeared in his 39th game of the season. Snodgrass topped the previous record of 38 set by a trio of pitchers a year ago (Tyler Rogers and Mike Hebert from Austin Peay and Darin Worman from Eastern Illinois). Snodgrass finished the season with 44 appearances (seven off the NCAA single-season record).
Six Players Named to Louisville Slugger All-American Team: Six Ohio Valley Conference players were named to the 2013 Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American baseball teams as announced by
Collegiate Baseball newspaper. That included two players selected to the second-team and four players selected to the third-team. Austin Peay had four players selected including junior first baseman
Craig Massoni and senior outfielder
Cody Hudson (both second-team picks), senior closer
Tyler Rogers and junior second baseman
Jordan Hankins (both third-team picks). It marked the first time in program history that four players earned All-American honors from the same organization in the same year. Jacksonville State had the other two selections, sophomore closer
Travis Stout and junior outfielder
Michael Bishop (who were both third-team picks). It marked the first time the Gamecocks have had two All-American in the same season. Last season (2012) the OVC had only two players named to the Louisville Slugger All-American Team.
Six Players Named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans: Six OVC baseball players were named to the 2013 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team as selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. This year’s selections include three players from Eastern Kentucky and one each from Jacksonville State, Morehead State and Southeast Missouri. The EKU selections were second baseman
Kenny Hostrander, third baseman
Doug Teegarden and outfielder
Kyle Nowlin. JSU’s selection was designated hitter
Paschal Petrongolo, Morehead State was represented by third baseman
Alan Mocahbee and Southeast Missouri’s pick was outfielder
Clayton Evans. Last year only one OVC player was named to the Freshman All-American Team.
Rogers Named Second-Team All-American by NCBWA and ABCA: Austin Peay State closer
Tyler Rogers was named a second-team All-America selection by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The honors followed Rogers’ third-team Louisville Slugger All-America honor making him the first Governors player to receive three All-America honors in the same season. Rogers ranked second in Division I with a 23 saves. He also posted a 7-2 record and finished the campaign with a 1.63 ERA in 49.2 innings of work (41 appearances). Rogers struck out 41 batters and held opponents to a .169 batting average.
Hankins Named Third-Team All-American by Perfect Game: Austin Peay infielder
Jordan Hankins
earned third-team All-American honors from Perfect Game following the season. It was the second of two All-American honors for Hankins during the season. A 2012 and 2013 first-team All-OVC selection, Hankins played both second (where he was selected for All-America honors) and third base in his junior campaign. He played 44 games at second base and 18 at third, including the season’s final 14 games. Hankins also saw his position in the batting order change during the season, moving from the No. 3 spot to the No. 2 spot late in the season. The changing of positions did not affect his production at the plate where he posted a .352 batting average with 11 home runs and 54 RBI. Always a difficult player to strikeout, Hankins led the Govs with 39 walks in 2013 and his 25 strikeouts were the fewest of any Govs player with more than 180 at-bats.
Four Players Named ABCA All-South Region: Four OVC players were named to the All-South Region Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) following the season. Austin Peay senior closer
Tyler Rogers was a first-team selection while teammates
Jordan Hankins and
Craig Massoni along with Eastern Kentucky catcher
Sean Hagen were second-team picks.
Rogers Named Finalist for Stopper of the Year Award: Austin Peay senior closer
Tyler Rogers was one of five finalists for the ninth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. During the season Rogers was one of four OVC players on the Watch List that was trimmed to the five finalists after the NCAA Regionals. The other OVC players who appeared on the list during the season were Belmont senior
Josh Davis, Jacksonville State sophomore
Travis Stout and Tennessee Tech sophomore
Seth Lucio. Nominations for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award were made by baseball sports information/media relations contacts. The winner of the award was UCLA’s David Berg.
Rogers Among Final 22 on National Pitcher of the Year Watch List: Austin Peay senior closer
Tyler Rogers was one of 22 players on the whittled down National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List, although he did not make the final three. The award is sponsored by Diamond Sports and presented by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Rogers was one of 41 players (including Belmont closer
Josh Davis) on the initial watch list at the beginning of the season.
Davis on of Final 11 Players on John Olerud Award Watch List: Belmont senior
Josh Davis was one of the final 11 players on the Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List. Davis was one of 25 baseball players that play multiple roles on their team named to the initial list as he served as both the team’s closer on the mound and well as a hitter in the middle of the team’s lineup. Davis was not among the finalists for the award.
Hagen Named Semifinalist for Greg Olson Award: Eastern Kentucky junior catcher
Sean Hagen has been named a semifinalist for the inaugural Gregg Olson Award, presented by Toolshed Sports. The award honors college baseball’s breakout player of the year. Hagen is one of 46 NCAA Division I players on the list of semifinalists, and the only representative from the Ohio Valley Conference. Hagen improved his batting average 101 points, going from .252 as a sophomore to .353 his junior season. He also improved his slugging percentage 130 points (.480) and his on-base percentage (.401) by 62 points. Hagen doubled his previous career best for hits, drove in 22 more runs and scored nine more times. In his first two seasons combined, Hagen had a total of one home run and 10 doubles. He had four homers and 14 doubles in 2013.
Belmont Wins OVC Team Sportsmanship Award: Belmont University was the recipient of the 2012-13 Team Sportsmanship Award for baseball. Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans. The 2012-13 school year marks the eighth year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded. This marks the first award for the Bruins program. In its inaugural season in the OVC Belmont finished the 2013 campaign with a 38-20 overall record and 22-8 record in the OVC.
Murray State’s Ritzheimer Named CoSIDA Academic All-American: Murray State senior outfielder
Paul Ritzheimer was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ritzheimer was a third-team selection. Overall there have been 34 OVC baseball players named Academic All-America all-time. It marks the second-straight year Ritzheimer has earned the honor (he was a first-team selection a season ago). Ritzheimer graduated this past May with a 4.0 grade-point average in geoscience. He closed out his three-year career by hitting .297 with 25 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 71 RBIs. He also scored 96 runs, drew 70 walks and ranks fifth on the all-time list after being hit by 28 pitches. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution, be nominated by his/her sports information director and be a first-team selection at the district level. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
Eight OVC Players Named to CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams: Eight Ohio Valley Conference baseball student-athletes were named to the Capital One Academic All-District ® baseball teams as selected by CoSIDA. The selections were Austin Peay’s
Reed Harper, Belmont’s
Drew Turner, Eastern Illinois’
Cameron Berra, Jacksonville State’s
Robby Lilly, Murray State’s
Paul Ritzheimer and Southeast Missouri’s
Jason Blum,
Derek Gibson and
Dalton Hewitt. Each of the eight were first-team selections and for making the first-team each will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American. The Capital One Academic All-America baseball team will be announced on Friday, May 31. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average.
Three OVC Players on Johnny Bench Award Watch List: Three OVC catchers are on the official watch list for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced recently. The three players are Eastern Kentucky junior
Sean Hagen, Austin Peay junior
P.J. Torres and Tennessee Tech junior
Jordan Parris. The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission started the Johnny Bench Award in 2000. The award was formed to be given annually to the nation’s top NCAA Division I catcher based on athletic ability, sportsmanship, team leadership and character. A watch list for the Johnny Bench Award is compiled from nominations received from universities.
Two OVC Shortstops Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List: Two OVC players were named to the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award Watch List by the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The OVC selections were Austin Peay senior
Reed Harper and Tennessee Tech sophomore
Dylan Bosheers. The OVC was one of just five conferences with multiple selections on the 25-person team. Neither were among the finalists for the award.
McClure Sets OVC All-Time Coaching Victories Record: Austin Peay head coach
Gary McClure, now in his 26th year at his alma mater, set the OVC career victories record when he recorded his 777th victory with a 7-3 win over Tennessee Tech on April 5. He broke the previous record of 776 held by Murray State’s Johnny Reagan (1958-93). Last season McClure began the first coach in OVC history to reach 300 Conference victories in a career. McClure now has 799 wins.
Finch Tosses First No-Hitter in OVC Since 2006: Murray State junior
Cameron Finch tossed a no-hitter in the Thoroughbreds 1-0 victory over SIUE on March 22. It was the first no-hitter in the OVC since Eastern Kentucky’s Christian Friedrich tossed a 7-inning no-hitter versus Morehead State on March 26, 2006. It was the first 9-inning no-hitter since Southeast Missouri’s Tim Alvarez accomplished the feat on May 22, 2003 during the OVC Tournament. Overall it was the eighth no-hitter in Murray State history (and first of nine innings) and first since the 1986 season.
OVC Players in the Pros: Entering the 2013 season, there were five players from OVC schools on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters. Austin Peay had the distinction of having three former players on teams including pitcher
Matt Reynolds (Arizona), catcher
A.J. Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers) and relief pitcher
Shawn Kelley (New York Yankees). Former Tennessee Tech standout
Stephen Pryor is a setup man with the Seattle Mariners while former Morehead State pitcher
Jon Rauch started the year as a setup man with the Miami Marlins but was released in May and signed a minor league deal with Baltimore. Former Jacksonville State pitcher
Donovan Hand (Milwaukee) made his MLB debut in May. Former Eastern Kentucky pitcher
Christian Friedrich will start the year in the minor leagues with the Colorado Rockies but is on the Rockies 40-man roster will likely be called up at some point (after being up with the parent team last season).
Brookshire Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News (May 27): Belmont senior left-handed pitcher
Chase Brookshire was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on May 27. Brookshire registered a complete game and struck out a career-high 14 in Belmont’s 6-3 win over Jacksonville State in the OVC Tournament. He walked only one batter and scattered five hits in picking up his fifth victory of the season. The 14 strikeouts set a new OVC Tournament neutral site single-game record. He was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team for his performance. It marked the third-straight week (and fourth time overall) that the OVC had the National Pitcher of the Week.
Hess Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News (May 20): Tennessee Tech sophomore
David Hess was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on May 20 after a dominating performance against Belmont. Hess struck out 11 of the 14 batters he faced in 4.1 innings of work in leading Tennessee Tech to an 8-5 victory over Belmont and helping the Golden Eagles clinch a share of the OVC Regular Season championship. Entering the game with two outs in the fifth inning, he allowed just one single and no walks the rest of the game in mowing down the Bruins lineup. His 11 strikeouts accounted for 85 percent of the outs, the second-highest percentage nationally by a pitcher who tossed at least four innings of work this season.
Delgado Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News (May 13): Austin Peay senior
Casey Delgado was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on May 13 after his performance against UT Martin on May 11. The senior struck out a school record 16 batters as the Governors topped the Skyhawks 5-1. He allowed two hits and a run in the first inning but after allowing a single in the second frame, Delgado retired the final 22 batters he faced. He struck out two batters in every inning except the sixth, when he retired the side on just six pitches.
Miles Named National Player of the Week (April 8): Tennessee Tech junior 3B
Daniel Miles was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on April 8 after hitting .500 (7-for-14) with seven runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, a 1.357 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage in four games. The junior had a pair of hits in the midweek game at East Tennessee. After going hitless in the opener with Austin Peay, Miles rebounded to go 3-for-4 with three home runs (tying a TTU single-game record) and six RBI in a 10-7 victory over the Governors. He also drew a walk and stole a base in that contest. He ended the week with another home run and two RBI in a win over Austin Peay.
Finch Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News (March 25): After throwing a no-hitter against SIUE on March 22, Murray State junior
Cameron Finch was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News. Finch retired the first six and 15 of the first 17 batters he faced and struck out five on only 96 total pitches in the 1-0 victory.
Hudson Named National Player of the Week by NCBWA and CollegeBaseballInsider.com (March 11): Austin Peay senior outfielder
Cody Hudson was named the National Player of the Week by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and CollegeBaseballInsider.com on March 11 for his outstanding play. Hudson hit .500 (11-for-22) with 11 RBI and three stolen bases to help the Govs post a 5-0 mark during that week. He posted multiple hits in each of the five games during the week, including three game-winning hits. Hudson began the week with a walk-off three-run home run in the Govs victory against Michigan State, Monday. Hudson added a walk-off suicide squeeze in the 10th inning of the Govs win against Milwaukee, Saturday. He then added a game-winning two-run double in the eighth inning of APSU’s 9-8 win against Creighton.
Brookshire Named Finalist for Senior CLASS Award: Belmont senior
Chase Brookshire was one of 10 finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award ®. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. Austin Peay’s
Reed Harper was one of the 30 original candidates for the award but did not make the final cut. The finalists will be placed on the official ballot which will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Hankins and Stephens Named Preseason All-Americans: Austin Peay junior second baseman
Jordan Hankins and Tennessee Tech junior first baseman
Zach Stephens were each named Preseason All-Americans this year. Hankins was tabbed a third-team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball News and a third-team selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Stephens was named a third-team selection by the NCBWA as well.
Six OVC Coaches Coaching at Their Alma Mater: This season five of the 11 OVC head baseball coaches are currently coaching at their alma maters. That lists includes Austin Peay’s
Gary McClure (1987), Eastern Kentucky’s
Jason Stein (1997), Murray State
Rob McDonald (1984), Southeast Missouri’s
Steve Bieser (1989) and SIUE’s
Tony Stoecklin (2003).
Austin Peay Picked as 2013 Preseason Favorite: After winning the OVC regular season and tournament championships each of the past two years, Austin Peay has been tabbed the 2013 preseason favorite for the 11-team league in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and sports information directors. The first-place votes in the preseason poll were split among two schools with Austin Peay picking up 14 of the votes and OVC newcomer Belmont picking up the other eight. Overall Austin Peay received 193 total points to be picked the favorite while Belmont finished with 182 points. Jacksonville State (156 points) was picked third and followed by Eastern Kentucky (139), Eastern Illinois (133), Tennessee Tech (107), SIUE (91), Southeast Missouri (73), Morehead State (70), Murray State (45) and UT Martin (21).
APSU’s Hankins, TTU’s Stephens, Belmont’s Brookshire Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Austin Peay junior second baseman
Jordan Hankins and Tennessee Tech junior first baseman
Zach Stephens were named OVC Preseason Co-Players of the Year while Belmont senior
Chase Brookshire was named OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Last season Hankins hit .336 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBI a season ago on his way to first-team All-OVC honors. After the season he was named to the OVC All-Tournament team as well as the Eugene All-Regional squad and this past summer he was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, joining a select group of 30 players from across the country. Last season Stephens ranked fourth nationally in home runs (18, 0.34/game) and sixth in slugging percentage (.696) while hitting .368 overall with 13 doubles and 52 RBI. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award and participated in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha last season. Last season the lefty Brookshire had 16 starts and compiled an 8-4 record and a 2.45 E.R.A. in 110 innings of work. He struck out 81 batters while walking just 26 and holding opponents to a .217 batting average.
Belmont and SIUE Ready for Full OVC Schedule This Season: On July 1, 2008 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) became the 11th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Last season marked the first for the Cougars playing a full OVC schedule and this year marks the first that the program is postseason eligible (after completing the reclassification process to Division I). On July 1, 2012 Belmont became the 12th member of the OVC. The University is located just nine miles north of the OVC headquarters and had previously played in the Atlantic Sun.
OVC Digital Network: The OVC launched the OVC Digital Network (OVCDN) in August 2012. The OVCDN is the exclusive home for live web streamed athletic contests involving OVC schools. This marks the seventh year the OVC has streamed live events, but first time the events will be offered free of charge and in an HD format and will feature improved quality thanks to an investment in new equipment conference-wide. Fans will also find it easier to log onto OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams and can do so without any registration. The events will be available on any computer, tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads or apps thanks new streaming technology. Select baseball games will be aired on the OVCDN this season.