College of Charleston’s Jeremie Tice was named Southern Conference Player of the Year, Elon’s Steven Hensley earned Pitcher of the Year honors and Elon’s Thomas Girdwood in a vote of the conference coaches. Elon coach Mike Kennedy was named Coach of the Year by his peers.
Georgia Southern had five players (two first team and three second team) earn all-conference recognition. College of Charleston boasted four players (three first team and one second team) while Elon (three first team), Furman (one first team and two second team) and Appalachian State (one first team and two second team) had three players each recognized. The Citadel (one first team and one second team), Western Carolina (one first team and one second team) and UNC Greensboro (two second team) placed two players each on the all-conference teams while Wofford had one player earn second team All-SoCon honors.
Player of the Year
College of Charleston’s Jeremie Tice was named the league’s Player of the Year in a vote of the conference coaches. The third baseman batted .410 this season, second in the conference this year, with 22 home runs, second in the league, and led the SoCon with 79 RBI. The junior boasted a .849 slugging percentage and .510 on-base percentage.
Pitcher of the Year
Elon right-hander Steven Hensley was named Pitcher of the Year. The junior finished the regular season with a 9-1 mark and a 3.52 earned run average. The native of Asheville, N.C. was 6-1 in conference play with a 3.49 earned run average. Opposition batters hit just .226 off him this season.
Freshman of the Year
Elon’s Thomas Girdwood was named Freshman of the Year. The right-hander from Charlotte, N.C. was 5-1 in 2008 with nine saves. He had a 2.78 earned run average with opponents batting .227. He was 4-1 with a 3.77 ERA in SoCon play.
Coach of the Year
Elon’s Mike Kennedy was named Coach of the Year. Kennedy led the Phoenix to a 39-16 overall mark and first place in the Southern Conference with a 19-8 record, earning Elon the top seed in the conference championship.
Coaches All-SoCon Team
First Team
Catcher- Blake Murphy (WCU)
First Base- Michael Harrington (COFC)
Second Base- Brandon Sizemore (COFC)
Shortstop- Jason Altenhof (ASU)
Third Base- Jeremie Tice (COFC)
Outfield- Chris Shehan (GSU)
Outfield- Cory Harrilchak (Elon)
Outfield- Chris Swauger (CIT)
Designated Hitter- Ty Wright (GSU)
Pitcher- Jay Jackson (FUR)
Pitcher-Steven Hensley (Elon)
Relief Pitcher- Tom Girdwood (Elon)
Second Team
Catcher- Griffin Benedict (GSU)
First Base- Ricky Orton (UNCG)
Second Base- Nick Liles (WCU)
Shortstop- Michael Gilmartin (WOF)
Third Base- AJ Wirnsberger (GSU)
Outfield- Sonny Meade (CIT)
Outfield- David Rubinstein (ASU)
Outfield- David Richardson (GSU) tie
Gabe Marchant (COFC)
Designated Hitter- Reese Wade (FUR)
Pitcher- Greg Martin (UNCG)
Pitcher- Matt Andress (ASU)
Relief Pitcher- Nick Karow (FUR)