Elon Leads the Way With Three on All-State Baseball Team
ELON, N.C. -- With three selections, the Elon baseball team led all programs represented on the 2010 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Baseball Team. It is the second consecutive year that the Phoenix has placed the most players on the team.
Elon was represented by senior catcher Mike Melillo, who was picked for the second straight year, junior shortstop Neal Pritchard and junior starting pitcher Jimmy Reyes on the squad.
Melillo was a first-team All-Southern Conference pick and helped Elon to a 38-24 overall record and its third straight NCAA Regional appearance. He hit 11 homers to become the Phoenix's all-time career leader in that category (39) while hitting .310 with 56 RBI. His 58 runs scored and five triples were a team-high. Melillo leaves the program ranking among Elon's career top-10 in hits (ninth with 207), runs (fifth with 166), doubles (tied for 10th with 41), RBI (sixth with 163), at bats (tied for ninth with 652) and games played (10th with 206).
Pritchard led the Phoenix with a .340 batting average while scoring 53 runs and belting 12 home runs. He added 47 RBI, 15 doubles and a triple. Pritchard was a first-team All-SoCon honoree and a quarterfinalist for the 2010 Brooks Wallace Award which is presented to the nation's top shortstop.
Reyes was a first-team All-SoCon choice after going 10-4 with a 4.56 ERA. He struck out 96 hitters, tied for the seventh-most ever in a season in Elon history. In 2010, Reyes hurled two complete game shutouts, including a three-hit shutout of league rival Western Carolina and a victory over Samford in the SoCon Tournament. Reyes matched a career-high with 14 strikeouts in an 8.2-inning outing in a win at Davidson. For his career, Reyes posted a 21-4 record, striking out 237 hitters and issuing just 66 walks.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina's NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
2010 NCCSIA University Division All-State Baseball Team
SP - Matt Benedict, Western Carolina
SP - Esterlin Paulino, North Carolina A&T
SP - Jimmy Reyes, Elon
RP - Patrick Lawson, Charlotte*
C - Mike Melillo, Elon
INF - Wes Hobson, Appalachian State
INF - Robbie Monday - UNC Wilmington
INF - Neal Pritchard - Elon
INF - Corey Shaylor, Charlotte
OF - Matt Gantner, High Point
OF - Xavier Macklin, North Carolina A&T
OF - Nate Roberts, High Point*
DH - Hunter Ridge, UNC Wilmington
* Unanimous selection
Note: Three starting pitchers are included because of a tie.
WCU Pitcher Matt Benedict Named All-State by NCCSIA
Florida native posted career-best nine wins, 66 strikeouts
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina junior Matt Benedict added to his post-season accolades as he was named one of three starting pitchers on the 2010 North 2010 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Baseball Team released on Friday.
The seventh-annual team consists of NCAA Division I student-athletes from North Carolina colleges and universities that were nominated by North Carolina sports information professionals voted upon by NCCSIA members.
Elon, led the charge by placing a total of three players on the team, the second straight year that the fellow Southern Conference program has topped the list of honorees. The programs at Charlotte, High Point, North Carolina A&T and UNC Wilmington all had two representatives.
Benedict, who captured his first career post-season honor after earning second-team All-Southern Conference plaudits, finished tied for the team lead with nine victories this season. The right-hander posted a 9-2 overall record, starting 13 of his 18 appearances on the year. In 92.2 innings pitched, he struck out 66 batters and finished the year with a 3.11 ERA ? all career-best statistics for Benedict. He helped guide the Catamounts to the 2010 SoCon Tournament Championship game and its runner-up finish.
A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Benedict was impressive during the regular season, amassing an 8-1 record prior to post-season play with a 2.89 ERA ? tops among SoCon pitchers. During the 2010 season, Benedict made the transition from the bullpen to mid-week starter before eventually solidifying the Saturday starting role for the Catamounts, which finished 37-21-1 ? the most wins under third-year head coach Bobby Moranda.
He was joined by fellow starters Jimmy Reyes from Elon and Esterlin Paulino from North Carolina A&T.
Benedict is again pitching this summer with the Haymarket Senators of the Valley League where he is joined by teammates Austin Schultz and Tyler White.
The 2010 team had two unanimous selections ? Charlotte reliever Patrick Lawson and High Point outfielder Nate Roberts. Elon catcher Mike Melillo and Charlotte infielder Cory Shaylor are the only players to have claimed previous All-State accolades.
Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina’s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.
HOBSON NAMED ALL-STATE: ASU second baseman Wes Hobson (Winston-Salem, N.C./North Forsyth) added to his long list of honors when he was named to the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division all-state team.
Hobson is the fourth Mountaineer in four years to earn NCCSIA all-state recognition, joining outfielder David Rubinstein (2007) and relief pitcher Zach Quate and third baseman Isaac Harrow (2009).
Hobson, a third-team all-American and first-team all-conference honoree, was the SoCon’s 2010 batting champion with a .404 average. He led Appalachian with 95 hits, a school-record 69 runs scored, 22 doubles, 54 RBI and .655 slugging and .474 on-base percentages while belting 11 home runs, good for a tie for 15th in school history. Along the way, he set ASU career records with 318 hits, 879 at-bats, 223 runs, 78 doubles and 504 total bases.
The Winston-Salem, N.C. native became the ninth Mountaineer in the past three years to be selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the San Francisco Giants picked him in the 40th round of the 2010 MLB Draft last week. He will begin his professional career this month, either with the Arizona Giants of the rookie-level Arizona League or the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Volcanoes of the class-A short-season Northwest League.