OMAHA, Neb. – Davidson outfielder Nathan Becker, Elon utility man Casey Jones and Western Carolina utility player Taylor Sandefur were among the 80 players to earn inclusion on the watch list for the 2014 Gregg Olson Award presented by Toolshed Sports. The award is presented annually to college baseball's "Breakout Player of the Year."
The Gregg Olson Award is named after former Auburn Tiger star pitcher Gregg Olson, who became one of the top collegiate players in the nation after an initial season filled with only mixed success. Olson went on to become a two-time All-American, first-round draft pick, American League Rookie of the Year and MLB All-Star.
Davidson’s Becker has emerged as one of the top home run hitters in the nation this season, presently ranking fourth nationally in home runs per game with 11 in just 35 games (0.31). Despite losing a total of 14 games – seven due to cancellations and seven due to injury – his 11 blasts still rank 16th overall.
The Greensboro, N.C., native attended the University of North Carolina for his first year of college, but was not a member of the baseball team. He transferred to Davidson for the 2011-12 academic year and mustered just one walk in eight appearances in his first season. Becker started all 49 games last season and batted .292, but he homered just once and drove in 14 runs.
As a junior this season, however, Becker quickly eclipsed his previous power numbers. After opening the month of March with home runs in back-to-back games against Miami (Ohio), including a grand slam, Becker homered in four consecutive games (UMass twice, North Carolina A&T, The Citadel) just over a week later.
In addition to Becker’s 11 homers, he will enter the final regular-season series of the season Thursday at Western Carolina batting .301 with 34 RBIs and a .596 slugging percentage that ranks third in the Southern Conference.
Davidson (28-14, 17-5 SoCon) will play at Western Carolina (33-16, 17-6 SoCon) Thursday at 5 p.m., and then conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader Friday starting at 2 p.m. The winner of the series will win the Southern Conference regular season championship.
A year after hitting .287 with 25 runs scored, nine doubles and 17 RBIs in 48 games as a sophomore, Elon’s Jones has become one of the top hitters in the nation in 2014.
This season, the junior leads the Southern Conference and ranks seventh in the country with a .415 batting average. He also rates eighth nationally with 20 doubles, eighth with a .498 on-base percentage and 10th in the country with a .660 slugging percentage, all of which also lead the SoCon.
He also rates in the top 30 in the country in RBIs (18th with 52), RBIs per game (26th with 1.02), hits (15th with 78), total bases (16th with 124) and doubles per game (18th with 0.39). He is tied for second on the team with six homers.
Earlier this year, he put together a 26-game hitting streak during which he hit .473 (44-for-93). Jones has recorded a hit in all but six of his 51 games played and has failed to reach base safely (walk, hit or hit by pitch) in just two games all season. He is attempting to become just the third Elon player since the transition to NCAA Division I play to end the year with an average of at least .400.
In league games, Jones has posted a .470 batting average, 24 runs scored, 10 doubles, four triples, four homers and 29 RBIs.
Elon (26-25, 12-15 SoCon) wraps up its regular season at Liberty on Tuesday in a 7 p.m. contest that will appear on ESPN3.
Sandefur, a fifth-year senior, came to Western Carolina as a right-handed pitcher, making 12 appearances including nine starts as a true freshman. The hard-throwing righty showed his true promise and potential the summer after his freshman year, earning the most outstanding pitcher honor in the Valley League in summer baseball playing for the Waynesboro (Va.) Generals.
As a sophomore in 2011, he made 19 appearances with six starts, moving to the bullpen after opening the season as a weekend starter, and later earned a roster spot in the prestigious Cape Cod League after the collegiate season.
His story and role changed, however, during offseason drills in the fall of his junior season, as he suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him, forcing him to take a medical redshirt. A year later, Sandefur attempted a comeback on the mound in 2013 as a redshirt junior but was limited to just seven appearances including four starts, tossing just 13 2/3 innings.
Voted a captain for his leadership on the team, Sandefur has reemerged in 2014 as a redshirt senior – only this time, with a bat. Having just three total collegiate at bats prior to this spring, the Mechanicsville, Va., native has become one of the tougher outs on the Catamount baseball team. Entering the final week of the regular season, Sandefur is batting .320 (24-for-75) with five extra -base hits, including four doubles and a home run, with 11 RBIs. He boasts a .464 on-base percentage, drawing 19 walks against 18 strikeouts.
This season hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the Sandefur. He suffered a mid-foot sprain in mid-March that effectively sidelined him for two weeks. At the time of his injury, Sandefur was batting a team-high .478.
Western Carolina returns home to open the four-game homestand finale by hosting Kennesaw State (30-20) on Tuesday evening in midweek, nonconference action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
Initial nominations for the Gregg Olson Award were made by sports information/media contacts from schools across the country. The finalists and winner will be determined by an independent panel.
Semifinalists are slated to be named Friday, May 30, at the start of NCAA Regional play and the finalists are scheduled to be announced on Friday, June 6, at the beginning of Super Regional action. The winner of the 2014 Gregg Olson Award will be named in Omaha, Neb., during the College World Series, which is to be held this season at TD Ameritrade Park from June 15-June 25/26.