Reyes, Davis Named to All-Region Team
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Two Elon University baseball players were recognized for their performances at the Atlanta Regional with spots on the Regional All-Tournament squad. Of the 11 players honored, Elon was represented by pitcher Jimmy Reyes (Miami, Fla.) and second baseman Bennett Davis (Katy, Texas). Regional champion Southern Miss placed five players on the team, runner-up Georgia Tech three players and Georgia State one player.
Reyes, a sophomore left-handed pitcher, struck out a career-best 14 hitters in 8.0 innings in Elon's 4-3 victory over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon. He also walked just one hitter and scattered eight hits. In the game, Reyes reached 101 strikeouts on the season, becoming just the fourth player in the more than 100 seasons of Elon baseball to accomplish that feat. Reyes finished the year with an 8-0 record, 4.78 ERA and just 19 walks in 84.2 innings.
Davis, a senior, had a stellar tournament performance, hitting .583 with eight RBI, six runs scored and four homers. In the tournament opener, Davis recorded his first career three-homer game and went 4-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBI. He then homered in his first at bat in Elon's victory over Georgia State to start the tournament 5-for-5. Davis concluded his senior campaign with a .343 batting average, 63 runs scored, 16 doubles, 18 homers, 64 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
NCAA ATLANTA REGIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
P - Jimmy Reyes, Elon
P - J.R. Balliner, Southern Miss
C - Marc Mimeault, Georgia State
1B - Joey Archer, Southern Miss
2B - Bennett Davis, Elon
3B - Matt Skole, Georgia Tech
SS - B.A. Vollmuth, Southern Miss (Most Outstanding Player)
OF - Luke Murton, Georgia Tech
OF - Michael Ewing, Southern Miss
OF - Bo Davis, Southern Miss
DH - Jay Dantzler, Georgia Tech
Two Eagles Named to All-Regional Team
Brian Pierce and Ty Wright represent the Eagles on the All-Regional Team
FULLERTON, Calif. - Two Georgia Southern seniors were named to the NCAA Fullerton All-Regional Team. Shortstop Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) and outfielder Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) represented the Eagles on the 11-man team, selected by position.
Pierce batted .556 (5-for-9) with a double and two RBI. Wright also went 5-for-9 at the plate, hitting two home runs. He scored three times and drove in five. They were not the only offensive highlights on the weekend.
Senior catcher Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) hit three homers and finished 6-for-9 at the plate. He hit two doubles, scored five runs and drove in four. Junior DH Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) was 4-for-7 with three runs, two RBI and two walks. Freshman first baseman Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) batted .444 with a double, home run, four RBI and error-free defense. Junior second baseman Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) batted .375 with a run scored and .444 on-base percentage.
The Eagles ended the season 42-17 and Southern Conference Tournament champions. Other team highlights included:
The 42 wins tied for sixth-most in program history. The .712 winning percentage ranked ninth all-time and sixth-best in the Division I era.
The 565 runs scored and 501 RBI both finished second-most on the season 'Top 10'.
GS finished with 703 hits, good for sixth-most in a season. The 87 home runs tied for third-most, as did the 1,107 total bases. The Eagles hit six doubles and seven home runs (including four in one inning) in the Regional.
The team posted a .327 overall batting average, fifth-best in program history.
The pitching staff recorded 469 strikeouts, ninth-most in a season. The 5.11 ERA is the lowest since the 2004 season (4.39).
FULLERTON ALL-REGIONAL TEAM
C - Dustin Garneau, CSF
1B - Jared Clark, CSF
2B - Evan Wells, GON
3B - Joey Siddons, CSF
SS - Brian Pierce, GSU
LF - Tyler Yagi, UT
CF - Ty Wright, GSU
RF - Gary Brown, CSF
DH - Khris Davis, CSF
P - Noe Ramirez, CSF
P - Tyler Pill, CSF
MVP - Dustin Garneau, CSF