CofC's Butler, Clarke Headline All-CAA Baseball Team
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (May 19, 2015) – College of Charleston junior second baseman
Blake Butler was selected as the 2015 CAA baseball Player and Defensive Player of the Year and CofC junior right-hander
Taylor Clarke was chosen as the 2015 CAA Pitcher of the Year as the conference announced its post-season award winners on Tuesday night.
Other top honors went to James Madison freshman second baseman
Kyle McPherson as the CAA Rookie of the Year and College of Charleston’s
Monte Lee, who was named CAA Coach of the Year.
Butler is the first player since 2009, and fourth overall, to receive CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year accolades in the same season. Offensively, he ranked among the top 10 in the conference in batting (.349/7
th), hits (74/1
st), runs (53/4
th), home runs (12/4
th), doubles (14/8
th), RBI’s (60/2
nd) and slugging percentage (.604/4
th). His numbers were even better in CAA action where he batted .384 and drove in 39 runs in 24 games. Defensively, he committed only two errors in 261 chances at second base for a .992 fielding percentage and was perfect on all 117 opportunities during conference play. Butler is CofC’s first conference Player of the Year since 2012.
Clarke has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the nation this season, posting a 12-1 record with a league-best 1.46 ERA. He struck out a conference-high and school-record 126 batters over 98.2 innings, issued only 14 walks and limited opponents to a .184 batting average. Clarke is tied for the national lead in wins, ranks fourth in WHIP (0.80), third in total strikeouts, ninth in strikeout/walk ratio (9.0) and 10
th in ERA. He is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and is on the 30-player Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award.
McPherson started all 51 games in his freshman year for JMU. The Dukes’ second baseman ranked second on the team with a .316 batting average and was third in runs scored with 40. He contributed 19 extra-base hits, tallying 11 doubles, a team-best four triples and four home runs. Defensively, McPherson led JMU with 136 assists and had a solid .958 fielding percentage. He’s the first JMU player to ever receive CAA Rookie of the Year honors.
Lee guided College of Charleston to a sensational 41-11 record and the CAA regular-season title with a 21-3 mark. The Cougars won all eight of their conference series, including five three-game sweeps. Their .875 winning percentage in league play was the best by a CAA team since 2005. CofC, which is ranked as high as #13 in the nation in the latest polls, reached the 40-win mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2005-06. The CAA Coach of the Year honor is the first for Lee.
CofC placed a league-high four players on the All-CAA first team. Butler and Clarke were joined by junior third baseman
Carl Wise (.330, 11 HR, 63 RBI) and senior pitcher
Brandon Glazer (10-1, 2.81 ERA). UNCW had three first-team honorees with junior outfielders
Steven Linkous (.333, 56 R, 30 SB) and
Zach Shields (.347, 3 HR, 34 RBI) and senior relief pitcher
Jordan Ramsey (7-2, 7 saves, 1.74 ERA). William & Mary junior catcher
Ryan Hissey (.294, 8 HR, 29 RBI) and junior first baseman
Charley Gould (.391, 13 HR, 52 RBI) were repeat selections on the All-CAA first team.
Elon also had a pair of players on the first team with senior outfielder
Ryan Cooper (.375, 6 HR, 39 RBI) and senior utility player
Casey Jones (.311, 6 HR, 42 RBI). Rounding out the squad were James Madison junior shortstop
Chad Carroll (.339, 27 RBI, 27 SB) and Towson sophomore designated hitter
Chris Henze (.331, 5 HR, 42 RBI).
The 2015 CAA Baseball Championship gets underway on Wednesday from The Ballpark at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Six teams will battle for the league title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
2015 ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM
(selected by CAA Head Baseball Coaches)
|
FIRST TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/Previous School |
2015 Stats |
|
Ryan Hissey, William & Mary |
C |
Jr. |
West Chester, Pa./Unionville |
.294, 8 HR, 29 RBI |
|
Charley Gould, William & Mary |
1B |
Jr. |
Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest |
.391, 13 HR, 52 RBI |
|
Blake Butler, College of Charleston |
2B |
Jr. |
Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford |
.349, 12 HR, 60 RBI |
|
Chad Carroll, James Madison |
SS |
Jr. |
Oakton, Va./Oakton |
.339, 27 RBI, 27 SB |
|
Carl Wise, College of Charleston |
3B |
Jr. |
Lexington, S.C./White Knoll |
.330, 11 HR, 63 RBI |
|
Ryan Cooper, Elon |
OF |
Sr. |
Owensville, Mo./Owensville |
.375, 6 HR, 39 RBI |
|
Steven Linkous, UNCW |
OF |
Jr. |
Leland, N.C./North Brunswick |
.333, 17 RBI, 30 SB |
|
Zach Shields, UNCW |
OF |
Jr. |
Florence, S.C./West Florence |
.347, 3 HR, 34 RBI |
|
Casey Jones, Elon |
UT |
Sr. |
Midlothian, Va./James River |
.311, 6 HR, 42 RBI |
|
Chris Henze, Towson |
DH |
So. |
Elkton, Md./The Tome School |
.331, 5 HR, 42 RBI |
|
Taylor Clarke, Coll. of Charleston |
SP |
Jr. |
Ashburn, Va./Broad Run |
12-1, 1.46 ERA, 126 K’s |
|
Brandon Glazer, Coll. of Charleston |
SP |
Sr. |
Clear Spring, Md./Clear Spring |
10-1, 2.81 ERA, 40 K’s |
|
Jordan Ramsey, UNCW |
RP |
Sr. |
Lexington, N.C./North Davidson |
7-2, 7 svs., 1.74 ERA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2015 CAA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Blake Butler, 2B, College of Charleston |
|
2015 CAA PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Taylor Clarke, RHP, College of Charleston |
|
2015 CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Blake Butler, 2B, College of Charleston |
|
2015 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kyle McPherson, 2B, James Madison |
|
2015 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR: Monte Lee, College of Charleston |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SECOND TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/Previous School |
2015 Stats |
|
Gavin Stupienski, UNCW |
C |
So. |
Columbus, N.J./Hun School |
.325, 6 HR, 34 RBI |
|
Nick Pappas, Coll. of Charleston |
1B |
So. |
Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork |
.341, 8 HR, 51 RBI |
|
Zach Lopes, Delaware |
2B |
Sr. |
Wilmington, Del./Salesianum |
.362, 3 HR, 24 RBI |
|
Andy Moore, Elon |
SS |
Sr. |
Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton |
.302, 0 HR, 18 RBI |
|
Terence Connelly, UNCW |
3B |
Jr. |
Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade |
.353, 1 HR, 23 RBI |
|
Norm Donkin, Delaware |
OF |
Sr. |
Folsom, Pa./Ridley |
.333, 2 HR, 26 RBI |
|
Casey Golden, UNCW |
OF |
So. |
Siler City, N.C./Jordan-Matthews |
.295.6 HR, 40 RBI |
|
Alex Pastorius, Coll. of Charleston |
OF |
Jr. |
Towson, Md./Calvert Hall |
.272, 9 HR, 38 RBI |
|
Devin White, William & Mary |
UT |
Sr. |
Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park |
.337, 2 HR, 26 RBI |
|
Bradley Jones, Coll. of Charleston |
DH |
So. |
Travelers Rest, S.C./Travelers Rest |
.318, 10 HR, 42 RBI |
|
Nick Brown, William & Mary |
SP |
So. |
Bristow, Va./Patriot |
5-3, 3.48 ERA, 60 K’s |
|
Dustin Hunt, Northeastern |
SP |
So. |
Andover, Mass./St. John’s Prep |
5-4, 4.42 ERA, 82 K’s |
|
Carter Love, Coll. of Charleston |
RP |
Fr. |
Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell |
5-0, 3 svs., 1.70 ERA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THIRD TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/Previous School |
2015 Stats |
|
Erven Roper, Coll. of Charleston |
C |
So. |
Easley, S.C./Wren |
.297, 3 HR, 24 RBI |
|
Rob Fonseca, Northeastern |
1B |
Jr. |
Madison, N.J./Seton Hall Prep |
.274, 14 HR, 39 RBI |
|
Kyle McPherson, James Madison |
2B |
Fr. |
Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch |
.316, 4 HR, 28 RBI |
|
Kennard McDowell, UNCW |
SS |
So. |
Darlington, S.C./Darlington |
.287, 4 HR, 26 RBI |
|
Willie Shaw, William & Mary |
3B |
Sr. |
Yorba Linda, Calif./Orange Lutheran |
.283, 3 HR, 29 RBI |
|
Richie Blosser, Towson |
OF |
Jr. |
Ridgely, Md./North Caroline |
.321, 3 HR, 28 RBI |
|
Michael Foster, Northeastern |
OF |
Sr. |
Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary Catholic |
.347, 4 HR, 33 RBI |
|
Joe Giacchino, Delaware |
OF |
Sr. |
West Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep |
.328, 4 HR, 33 RBI |
|
Keith Kelly, Northeastern |
UT |
Jr. |
Shrewsbury, Mass./St. John’s |
.239, 21 R, 8 RBI |
|
Chris King, Elon |
DH |
Sr. |
Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth |
.266, 14 HR, 51 RBI |
|
Nick Berger, Northeastern |
SP |
Sr. |
Commack, N.Y./Commack |
5-5, 3.08 ERA, 72 K’s |
|
Adam Davis, Delaware |
SP |
Sr. |
Drums, Pa./Hazelton Area |
5-3, 4.27 ERA, 60 K’s |
|
Aaron Civale, Northeastern |
RP |
So. |
East Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee |
6-2, 6 svs., 3.55 ERA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/Previous School |
2015 Stats |
|
Nick Beaulac, Elon |
P |
So. |
Reston, Va./South Lakes |
5-2, 4.53 ERA, 58 K’s |
|
Ryan Brown, Coll. of Charleston |
OF |
Fr. |
Columbia, S.C./Lexington |
.321, 24 RBI, 14 SB |
|
Steven Foster, Hofstra |
OF |
Fr. |
Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North |
.351, 2 HR, 21 RBI |
|
Mark Grunberg, Towson |
OF |
Fr. |
Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown |
.328, 2 HR, 29 RBI |
|
Cullen Large, William & Mary |
IF |
Fr. |
Chesterfield, Va./James River |
.307, 3 HR, 28 RBI |
|
Carter Love, Coll. of Charleston |
P |
Fr. |
Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell |
5-0, 3 svs., 1.70 ERA |
|
Austin Magestro, UNCW |
P |
Fr. |
Manassas, Va./Hylton |
4-2, 4.22 ERA, 41 K’s |
|
Ron Marinaccio, Delaware |
P |
Fr. |
Toms River, N.J./Toms River North |
4-3, 3.94 ERA, 41 K’s |
|
Kyle McPherson, James Madison |
2B |
Fr. |
Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch |
.316, 4 HR, 28 RBI |
|
Diaz Nardo, Delaware |
3B |
Fr. |
Harbeson, Del./Cape Henlopen |
.287, 5 HR, 34 RBI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/Previous School |
|
|
Chris Acker, Towson |
P |
Gr. |
Columbia, Md./Atholton |
|
|
Aaron Civale, Northeastern |
P |
So. |
East Windson, Conn./Loomis Chaffee |
|
|
Taylor Clarke, Coll. of Charleston |
SP |
Jr. |
Ashburn, Va./Broad Run |
|
|
Jason Inghram, William & Mary |
P |
Sr. |
Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield |
|
|
David Leiderman, Hofstra |
IF |
So. |
Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK |
|
|
Greg Olenski, Delaware |
OF/C |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep |
|
|
Andy Moore, Elon |
SS |
Sr. |
Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton |
|
|
Jordan Ramsey, UNCW |
RP |
Sr. |
Lexington, N.C./North Davidson |
|
|
Josh Wyatt, James Madison |
IF/OF |
So. |
Eden Md./James M. Bennett |
|