Baseball
CONFERENCE CAROLINAS ANNOUNCES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS/INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
April 26, 2012
High Point, N.C. --The Conference Carolinas All-Conference baseball teams were determined by vote from each head coach of participating league institutions. Nominations are collected and then voted upon by ballot and tallied to determine Players of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year, All-Conference First Team, and All-Conference Second Team. Awards will be presented at the Conference Tournament Championships hosted by Barton College in Wilson, NC at this weekend’s conference championship. This year’s award winners are as follows:
Freshman of the Year:
Allen Staton – North Greenville
Allen Staton burst onto the scene
this season and made an immediate impact. The dynamic diaper dandy stepped into
a senior laden lineup and finished the regular season with a .395 batting
average. Staton was second on the team with 15 doubles and 42 RBI. Staton also
tallied four home runs in his freshman campaign. Along with holding down a
starting spot at second base, Staton saw time at third base while also making
11 appearances on the mound including six starts.
Coach of the Year:
Carl Lancaster – Mount Olive
College
Carl Lancaster earns his 10th
Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year award in his 25-year coaching career at
Mount Olive. Lancaster guided Mount Olive to the East Division title for the
Trojans' 11th regular season conference championship and fifth in the last six
years. Mount Olive was ranked No. 1 in this year's first regular season
Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 30 Poll and enters this year's Conference
Carolinas Tournament as the top-ranked team in the Collegiate Baseball Poll.
Pitcher of the Year:
Matt Dillon – Mount Olive College
Matt Dillon enters the Conference
Carolinas Tournament with an 8-0 record and a 1.60 earned run average. Dillon
is one of only nine undefeated pitchers in the nation with at least eight wins.
Dillon has recorded wins in each of his eight starts and has gone at least
seven innings in his last six starts, including a complete game victory over
Erskine and eight shutout innings against North Greenville. Nationally
top-ranked Mount Olive is 31-2 since Dillon moved into the starting rotation March
2.
Player of the Year:
Jacob Rogers – Mount Olive
Jacob Rogers leads the nation in
runs scored and ranks in the top 15 in home runs and runs batted in. A
three-time Conference Carolinas Player of the Week winner this season, Rogers
became the first player in Mount Olive baseball history to hit two home runs in
a game in three consecutive games. A 2011 All-American, Rogers enters the
Conference Carolinas Tournament batting .418 with 14 home runs, 53 runs batted
in and 75 runs scored in 45 games.
Eastern Division Regular Season Champions
Mount Olive College
Western Division Regular Season Champions
Belmont Abbey College
All-Conference First Team:
Jacob Rogers, Mount Olive – 1B
Allen Staton, North Greenville – 2B
Michael Hughey, Limestone – SS
Jermaine
Berry, Mount Olive – 3B
Geno Escalante, Mount Olive –
C
Nick Gaeta, Mount Olive – DH
Derek Fulmer, North Greenville – OF
Antonio Callaway, Mount Olive
– OF
Justin Vasquez, Belmont Abbey – OF
Braden Reitano, Mount Olive –
OF
Emilio Pagan, Belmont Abbey –
Relief Pitcher
Matt Dillon, Mount Olive – P
Bryan Tuttle, Pfeiffer – P
Drew Provence, North Greenville – P
Zach Smith, Mount Olive – P
Mike Mercurio, Mount Olive –
Utility
All-Conference Second Team:
Drew Willingham, Erskine – 1B
Cameron Sherrer, Mount Olive – 2B
Collins Cuthrell, Barton – SS
Stephen Mullins, King – 3B
Josh Lyon, Limestone – C
Justin Harris, Pfeiffer – DH
Will Huff, Erskine - DH
Tyler Gaby, King – OF
Chase Corn, Erskine – OF
Will Bynum, Mount Olive – OF
Markus Duckworth, North Greenville – OF
Craig Bolton, Pfeiffer – Relief
Pitcher
Ryan Woodring, North Greenville – P
Josh White, Limestone – P
Cory Rhodes, King – P
Jake Moser, Mount Olive – P
Phillip Williams, Barton – Utility
