Roache, Beck tabbed as Player and Pitcher of the Year
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference baseball coaches have selected a preseason all-conference team, headlined by Preseason Player of the Year Victor Roache and Preseason Pitcher of the Year Chris Beck, both of Georgia Southern.
Ten of the 11 SoCon baseball teams have at least one representative on the team led by Georgia Southern and Samford with three first-teamers and Appalachian State with five overall.
As a sophomore in 2011, Roache turned in one of the greatest seasons in league history as he led the country and set a SoCon single-season record with 30 home runs. The Ypsilanti, Mich., native also drove in 84 runs while recording 179 total bases, both of which were good enough to led the conference and rank second nationally. The slugger was a consensus first-team All-America selection in 2011 and had four multi-homer games, including a career-high three against The Citadel on April 2.
Beck was 9-5 on the mound in 2011 while starting 19 games for the SoCon Tournament champion Eagles. Beck's best work came in the tournament in Charleston as he tossed 17.0 innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits and only one walk. The sophomore pitcher set a new SoCon record with 22 strikeouts in the tournament. Hailing from Jefferson, Ga., Beck paced the conference in wins (9), strikeouts (109) and innings pitched (103.0) in 2011 while his .211 opponents' batting average was second best.
Other pitchers joining Beck on the first team are College of Charleston starter Christian Powell and Samford reliever Lex Rutledge. UNCG's Trevor Edwards was chosen as the first-team catcher while Samford's Saxon Butler was tabbed at first base and Western Carolina All-American Ross Heffley earned the nod at second base.
Rounding out the first-team infield are Georgia Southern shortstop Eric Phillips and The Citadel third baseman Drew DeKerlegand. Other first-team selections include designated hitter Daniel Kassouf from Appalachian State, outfielder Phillip Ervin from Samford and College of Charleston outfielder Daniel Aldrich, who was named the national freshman of the year in 2011 by Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The 2012 Southern Conference baseball season begins on Friday, February 17 with all 11 league teams in action. The 2012 Southern Conference Baseball Championship will be held from May 23-27 at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
2012 SoCon Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team
Player of the Year - Victor Roache, Jr., OF, Georgia Southern
Pitcher of the Year - Chris Beck, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
First Team
SP Chris Beck, Georgia Southern
SP Christian Powell, College of Charleston
RP Lex Rutledge, Samford
C Trevor Edwards, UNCG
1B Saxon Butler, Samford
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern
3B Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF Victor Roache, Georgia Southern
OF Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
DH Daniel Kassouf, Appalachian State
Second Team
SP Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State
SP Josh Renfro, College of Charleston
RP David Port, Appalachian State
C Alex Swim, Elon
1B Konstantine Diamaduros, Wofford
2B Sebastian Gomez, Elon
SS Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina
3B Zack Briggs, Appalachian State
3B (tie) Alex Abrams, Furman
OF Marty Gantt, College of Charleston
OF Nick Orvin, The Citadel
OF Tyler Zupcic, Appalachian State
DH Taylor Johnson, Furman