Davidson’s Brandt earns all-region honors
OMAHA, Neb. – Senior Davidson outfielder Forrest Brandt was elected to the 2014 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Atlantic Region first team, it was announced Wednesday by the ABCA.
Brandt, the 2014 Southern Conference Co-Player of the Year, is the first all-region honoree from Davidson since Rob Wilson was named to the second team in 2007, and the first first-team pick since Mike DeSimone in 1998.
Brandt capped a great four-year career at Davidson with a spectacular senior season, earning Southern Conference Co-Player of the Year honors from the league's coaches and consensus first-team All-Southern Conference recognition after batting a career-high .364 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. The Raleigh, N.C., native's RBI total ranked tied for ninth-most in a single season at Davidson.
Earning recognition in the competitive Atlantic Region is not an easy task. Of the 38 teams, 11 are in the ACC and 12 competed in the 2014 NCAA baseball tournament. Seven of the 15 first-team All-Atlantic selections were also named All-America by the ABCA.
Brandt ranked in the top 10 in several offensive categories in the SoCon with career-high totals, highlighted by his .364 average (t-fifth) and .626 slugging percentage (second). He also ranked third in the conference with a .455 on-base percentage, fourth with 50 runs scored, seventh with 51 RBIs, and fourth with a team-best 12 home runs. Brandt earned SoCon player of the week honors on March 10 after hitting .471 with eight RBIs as the Wildcats went 4-1 that week.
A team co-captain, Brandt helped lead the 'Cats to a program-record 29 wins, and second-place finish in the SoCon with a program-record 17 league wins.
Brandt finished his career with the fifth-most at-bats in school history (746) and the seventh-most games played (192). He also tied for the sixth-most stolen bases (49) and tied for the 10th-most doubles (45).
Elon’s Jones nabs third All-America honor
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Elon baseball's Casey Jones picked up his third All-America honor of the year on Wednesday as the outfielder was a second-team selection to the Rawlings/ABCA All-American Team. Jones has already earned second-team honors on the Louisville Slugger team and third-team accolades by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Jones is the third Elon Division I player to earn All-America recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Jones, who was a finalist for the 2014 Gregg Olson Award as the "Breakout Player of the Year," led the SoCon and ranked among the top five in the nation with a .418 batting average this year. He became just the third Elon player to finish with a batting average of .400 or better during the program's NCAA Division I tenure. His SoCon-best .418 average was the highest by an Elon player since Jeff Kipila batted .438 in 1988.
Jones won Elon's triple crown by also pacing the Phoenix with seven homers and 53 RBIs. He also led the league with a .668 slugging percentage, .502 on-base percentage, 82 hits and 20 doubles.
Over the course of the season, Jones put together a 26-game hitting streak, a program-best at the Division I level. In fact, the Midlothian, Va., resident recorded at least one hit in 47 of the team's 53 games. He also reached base safely (walk, hit or hit-by-pitch) in 51 of the 53 outings.
Western Carolina lands four on ABCA all-region team
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina landed a program-best four players on the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) 2014 All-Atlantic Region teams released on Wednesday evening. Senior catcher Adam Martin and senior outfielder Cody Jones were first-team selections, while junior infielders Jacob Hoyle and Bradley Strong were tabbed second team.
Back-to-back regular-season champions from the Southern Conference, WCU was among seven teams in the region with multiple players selected. The four Catamounts honored represented the most by any one school this year – and are the most by a WCU in any one season in program history dating back to 1977. It is the first time since 1992 that WCU put two players on the region’s first team.
In addition to the four Catamounts, Davidson’s Forrest Brandt – a first team selection – gave the Southern Conference five players on the All-Atlantic Region squads. Elon’s Casey Jones was tabbed ABCA All-America, also released late on Wednesday afternoon.
Martin adds the All-Atlantic Region accolade to a very successful season that saw him earn first-team All-Southern Conference honors at catcher. He hit a career-high .307 (62-for-202) with 25 extra-base hits, including a team – and SoCon-high tying – 14 home runs, 10 doubles and a triple. He paced the SoCon with 65 RBIs to rank nationally. This season, the Marietta, Ga., native collected SoCon Player of the Month honors in March. In 17 games, he hit .415 with more than half of his 27 hits in the month going for extra bases – eight home runs, five doubles and a triple to add up to a .892 slugging percentage. He also recorded 35 RBIs and scored 20 runs in March alone.
Martin, a two-time Johnny Bench Award candidate, concluded his career for the Purple & Gold with 192 games played, including 180 starts. He blasted 34 career home runs to rank tied for 12th in program history while finishing 16th in the school ledgers with 158 career RBIs.
A 10th-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, Martin is currently playing minor league baseball with the Class A short season Everett (Wash.) AquaSox of the Northwest League.
A senior outfielder and two-time team captain, Jones joined Martin on the ABCA All-Atlantic Region first team. Jones started all 55 games in center field, finishing with a .308 season batting average. The Enka, N.C., native was the epitome of consistency through the 2014 season, recording base hits in 45 of the team’s 55 games (82 percent) while reaching base safely in 49 of the 55 games – or 89 percent of the contests. All told, he recorded 73 base hits to rank third on the team, finishing second on the team with 16 doubles, adding a triple and home run while driving home a career-best 40 runs.
Jones finished his career with 204 career hits including 31 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. He charted a .299 career batting average in Cullowhee and drove in 97 runs during his four-year career.
Strong adds the all-region honor to a very successful third season for the Purple & Gold. The second baseman picked up first-team All-SoCon honors from the league’s head coaches and third-team Louisville Slugger All-America plaudits at the close of 2014. Strong finished the 2014 season with a team-high .339 batting average, recording 81 base hits to rank second in the SoCon. Among his team-best 81 hits were a career-high 20 doubles - a mark which ranked him tied for 11th with seven others in WCU’s program's single-season record book. He closed the season riding a career-long 14-game hitting streak.
A native of Richlands, Va., Strong paced the SoCon with 58 runs scored and concluded the year second on the squad with 53 RBIs, including a team-high 25 two-out runs driven in. The speedy infielder stole a career-high 20 bases in 25 attempts, giving him 45 thefts in his WCU career – 13th in the school record book. He moved into second place on WCU's career triples charts with his 13th triple, matching Danny Jones (1964-67). He enters his senior season just two triples shy of matching all-time record-holder Martin Barrow, who had 15 from 1995-98.
Strong is currently playing summer league baseball for the St. Cloud (Minn.) Rox of the Northwoods League.
Hoyle joined Strong on the all-region second team, adding the honor to his first-team All-SoCon selections at first base from the coaches and media. The slugger from Hickory, N.C., batted .332 on the season to rank second on the squad. Starting all 55 games at first base, Hoyle matched Martin for the team – and SoCon – lead with a career-high 14 home runs. He collected 74 base hits on the year to rank third on the squad, adding 11 doubles to his round-tripper totals. Hoyle drove in a career-high 53 runs on the season.
Hoyle became the fourth different Catamount baseball player to garner Capital One Academic All-District 3 honors, selected and presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
During the 2014 season, Hoyle moved into a tie for first place on WCU's all-time sacrifice flies list with 17 sac flies. All told through three seasons, he ranks tied for 19th with 29 home runs and is tied for 18th with 150 career RBIs.
Hoyle is currently playing summer league baseball with San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Blues of the California Collegiate League.