Atlantic Sun Conference baseball awards

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At the end of each regular season, the Atlantic Sun Conference names major award winners in baseball. Currently, it names a Coach, Pitcher, Player, and Freshman of the Year. The Coach of the Year award, which dates to 1979, is the oldest. The others– Player (1982), Freshman (2001), and Pitcher (2004)– were added later. Through the 2001 season, the awards were known as the major awards of the Trans America Athletic Conference, the Atlantic Sun's former name.

Through the end of the 2014 season, Stetson has won 24 major awards, the most of any school in the conference. Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast are tied for the second-highest total with 10.[1]

On six occasions, a team has won swept the major awards given out in a season: Mercer in 1983, Georgia Southern in 1986 and 1987, Stetson in 1989, Florida International in 1995, and Florida Atlantic in 1999. All six instances came before 2001, when only the Coach and Player of the Year awards existed.

Two individuals, both from Mercer, have won more than one of the awards. Craig Gibson was named Player of the Year in 1985 and Coach of the Year in 2013; Chesny Young was named Freshman of the Year in 2012 and Player of the Year in 2013.

Coach of the Year

The conference's Coach of the Year award is presented annually to the conference's most outstanding baseball coach, as chosen by a vote of the A-Sun's coaches taken at the end of the regular season. From 1979–1981 and 1987–1992, the award was given automatically to the coach of the TAAC's tournament champion, rather than chosen by the league's coaches.

The award was first presented in 1979. From 1979–2001, it was known as the Trans America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award, until the conference switched to its current name for the 2002 season.

In 2014, Florida Gulf Coast's Dave Tollett received the award for the fourth time. The Eagles went 39-22 (19-8 A-Sun) to win the league's regular season title for the fourth time. The award was Tollett's first since he won three straight from 2008–2010.

With the exception of 2012, the award has been given to the coach of the league's regular season champion in each season since 2004. In 2012, USC Upstate's Matt Fincher was given the award after his team, picked to finish last, finished second in the A-Sun.

Stetson's Pete Dunn, who has coached in the conference since 1986, has won the award six times, the most of any coach. He is one of three coaches to win the award in thee straight years (1988–1990), along with Georgia Southern's Jack Stallings (1985–1987) and Florida Gulf Coast's Dave Tollett (2008–2010).

Mercer is the only school to have multiple coaches win the award. Barry Myers won it in 1979, 1981, 1983, and 1984, and Craig Gibson won it in 2013.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first given out in 1979.

Season Coach School Conf. (Rk.) Overall
1979[lower-alpha 1][1][2] Barry Myers Mercer N/A[lower-alpha 2] 38-16[3]
1980[lower-alpha 1][1] Jack Stallings Georgia Southern N/A[lower-alpha 2] 38-21-1[4]
1981[lower-alpha 1][1][2] Barry Myers (2) Mercer 3-4 (2nd, East) 39-12-1
1982[1][5] Larry Martindale Hardin–Simmons 7-5 (T-1st, West) 23-32
1983[1][2] Barry Myers (3) Mercer N/A[lower-alpha 3] (4th) 29-26-1
1984[1][6] Mike Knight Nicholls State 18-5 (1st, West) 38-21
1985[1][7] Jack Stallings (2) Georgia Southern 14-3 (1st, East) 41-23
1986[1][7] Jack Stallings (3) Georgia Southern 12-6 (1st, East) 36-23
1987[lower-alpha 1][1][8] Jack Stallings (4) Georgia Southern 13-5 (1st, East) 33-30
1988[lower-alpha 1][1][9] Pete Dunn Stetson 9-8 (2nd, East) 35-25
1989[lower-alpha 1][1][10] Pete Dunn (2) Stetson 13-5 (1st, East) 38-23
1990[lower-alpha 1][1][10] Pete Dunn (3) Stetson 10-8 (2nd, East) 33-31
1991[lower-alpha 1][1][11] Danny Price Florida International 11-7 (2nd, East) 43-23
1992[lower-alpha 1][1][12] Greg Marten Southeastern Louisiana 12-4 (T-1st, West) 38-22
1993[1][12] Greg Marten (2) Southeastern Louisiana 19-5 (1st, West) 38-17
1994[1][2] Barry Myers (4) Mercer 15-9 (T-1st, West) 32-24
1995[1][13] Danny Price (2) Florida International 27-3 (1st) 50-11
1996[1][14] Pete Dunn (4) Stetson 12-6 (1st, South) 42-23
1997[1][15] Rudy Abbott Jacksonville State 14-4 (1st, West) 39-13
1998[1][16] Danny Price (3) Florida International 15-5 (1st, South) 41-24
1999[1] Kevin Cooney Florida Atlantic 26-4 (1st) 54-9
2000[1][17] Chip Smith Campbell 12-15 (6th) 31-25
2001[1][18] Jay Bergman UCF 22-5 (1st) 51-14
2002[1][19] Jay Bergman (2) UCF 23-7 (1st) 41-22
2003[1][20] Dave Jarvis Belmont 19-14 (T-3rd) 29-23
2004[1][19] Jay Bergman (3) UCF 24-6 (1st) 47-18
2005[1][21] Bobby Pierce Troy 23-7 (1st) 37-21
2006[1][22] Terry Alexander Jacksonville 23-7 (1st) 43-19
2007[1][23] Pete Dunn (5) Stetson 21-6 (1st) 42-21
2008[1][24] Dave Tollett Florida Gulf Coast 25-8 (1st) 38-15
2009[1][24] Dave Tollett (2) Florida Gulf Coast 23-7 (1st) 36-18
2010[1][24] Dave Tollett (3) Florida Gulf Coast 25-5 (1st) 38-20
2011[1][25] Pete Dunn (6) Stetson 23-7 (1st) 43-20
2012[1][26] Matt Fincher USC Upstate 16-10 (2nd) 33-20
2013[27][28] Craig Gibson Mercer 20-7 (1st) 43-18
2014[29][24] Dave Tollett (4) Florida Gulf Coast 19-8 (1st) 39-22
2015[30] Smoke Laval North Florida 16-5 (1st) 45-16

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the season each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.

School (year joined) Awards Seasons
Stetson (1986) 6 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2007, 2011
Mercer (1979)[lower-alpha 4] 5 1979, 1981, 1983, 1994, 2013
Florida Gulf Coast (2008) 4 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014
Georgia Southern (1979)[lower-alpha 5] 4 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987
Florida International (1991)[lower-alpha 6] 3 1991, 1995, 1998
UCF (1993)[lower-alpha 7] 3 2001, 2002, 2004
Southeastern Louisiana (1992)[lower-alpha 8] 2 1992, 1993
Belmont (2002)[lower-alpha 9] 1 2003
Campbell (1995)[lower-alpha 10] 1 2000
Florida Atlantic (1994)[lower-alpha 11] 1 1999
Hardin–Simmons (1979)[lower-alpha 12] 1 1982
Jacksonville (1999) 1 2006
Jacksonville State (1996)[lower-alpha 13] 1 1997
Nicholls State (1983)[lower-alpha 14] 1 1984
North Florida (2006) 1 2015
Troy (1998)[lower-alpha 15] 1 2005
USC Upstate (2008) 1 2012
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 In this season, the award was automatically given to the coach of the TAAC's tournament champion.
  2. 2.0 2.1 In this season, the TAAC consisted only of a postseason tournament.
  3. Records unavailable.
  4. Following the 2014, Mercer left to join the Southern Conference.
  5. Following the 1991 season, Georgia Southern left to join the Southern Conference.
  6. Following the 1998 season, Florida International left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  7. Following the 2005 season, UCF left to join Conference USA.
  8. Following the 1997 season, Southeastern Louisiana left to join the Southland Conference.
  9. Following the 2012 season, Belmont left to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
  10. Following the 2011 season, Campbell left to join the Big South Conference.
  11. Following the 2006 season, Florida Atlantic left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  12. Following the 1990 season, Hardin–Simmons left to join the Division III Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
  13. Following the 2003 season, Jacksonville state left to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
  14. Following the 1984 season, Nicholls State left to join the Gulf Star Conference.
  15. Following the 2005 season, Troy left to join the Sun Belt Conference.

Pitcher of the Year

2007 recipient Corey Kluber.

The conference's Pitcher of the Year award is given annually to the best pitcher in the A-Sun, as chosen by a vote of the conference's coaches at the end of the regular season. The award was first presented in 2004, prior to which pitchers were eligible for the Player of the Year Award.

In 2014, Florida Gulf Coast's Michael Murray won the award. In the regular season, the sophomore went 12-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 78 strikeouts.[31]

Four of the award's winners– UCF's Matt Fox, Stetson's Corey Kluber, Kennesaw State's Chad Jenkins, and Florida Gulf Coast's Chris Sale– have gone on to pitch in Major League Baseball.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first awarded in 2004.[1]

Season Pitcher School
2004[32] Matt Fox UCF
2005 Brett Adcock Troy
2006[33] Matt Dobbins Jacksonville
2007[23] Corey Kluber Stetson
2008[24] Richard Bleier Florida Gulf Coast
2009[34] Chad Jenkins Kennesaw State
2010[24] Chris Sale Florida Gulf Coast
2011[35] Kurt Schluter Stetson
2012[24] Ricky Knapp Florida Gulf Coast
2013[36] Kerry Doane East Tennessee State
2014[24] Michael Murray Florida Gulf Coast
2015[30] Michael Baumann Jacksonville

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose pitchers have won the award, along with the year each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.

School (year joined) Awards Seasons
Florida Gulf Coast (2008) 4 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
Jacksonville (1999) 2 2006, 2015
Stetson (1986) 2 2007, 2011
East Tennessee State (2006)[lower-alpha 1] 1 2013
Kennesaw State (2006) 1 2009
Troy (1997)[lower-alpha 2] 1 2005
UCF (1993)[lower-alpha 3] 1 2004
  1. After the 2014 season, East Tennessee State left to join the Southern Conference.
  2. After the 2005 season, Troy left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  3. After the 2005 season, UCF left to join Conference USA.

Player of the Year

2006 recipient Daniel Murphy.

The conference's Player of the Year award is given annually to the best position player in the A-Sun, as chosen by a vote of the conference's head coaches at the end of each regular season. It was first awarded in 1982. Until 2004, when the Pitcher of the Year award was instituted, both pitchers and position players were eligible. Before the conference was renamed, the award was known as the Trans America Athletic Conference Player of the Year award from 1982 to 2001.

In 2014, Kennesaw State catcher Max Pentecost won the award, becoming the first Owl to do so. In the regular season, the junior hit .422 with 54 RBI. The Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft.[37]

Two players, both from Stetson, have won the award twice: shortstop Wes Weger in 1991 and 1992 and catcher Chris Westervelt in 2002 and 2004.[1]

Four of the award's winners– Stetson's George Tsamis and Kevin Nicholson, Georgia Southern's Todd Greene, and Jacksonville's Daniel Murphy– have gone on to appear in Major League Baseball.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first awarded in 2001.[1]

Season Player Pos. School
1982 Frank Millerd OF Mercer
1983 Jack Pool 3B Mercer
1984 Ben Abner OF Georgia Southern
1985 Craig Gibson 1B Mercer
1986 Craig Cooper 1B Georgia Southern
1987[8] Keith Richardson P Georgia Southern
1988[9] Jeff Shireman SS Georgia Southern
1989 George Tsamis P Stetson
1990[38] Todd Greene OF Georgia Southern
1991[39] Wes Weger SS Stetson
1992[39] Wes Weger SS Stetson
1993[40] Aaron Iatarola OF Stetson
1994[41] Chuck Beale P Stetson
1995[13] Evan Thomas P Florida International
1996 Jason Glover OF Georgia State
1997[42] Kevin Nicholson SS Stetson
1998[43] Sammy Serrano C Stetson
1999[44] Todd Moser P Florida Atlantic
2000[45] Frank Corr OF Stetson
2001[46] Justin Pope P UCF
2002[47] Chris Westervelt C Stetson
2003[48] Chad Hauseman C Jacksonville
2004[49] Chris Westervelt C Stetson
2005[50] Adam Godwin OF Troy
2006[25] Daniel Murphy 3B Jacksonville
2007[25] Pete Clifford OF Jacksonville
2008[24] Jason Peacock 1B Florida Gulf Coast
2009[51] Jeremy Cruz OF Stetson
2010[52] Paul Hoilman 1B East Tennessee State
2011[25] Adam Brett Walker 1B Jacksonville
2012[26] Gaither Bumgardner OF USC Upstate
2013[53] Chesny Young 3B Mercer
2014[54] Max Pentecost C Kennesaw State
2015[30] Donnie Dewees OF North Florida

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose players have won the award, along with the season each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.

School (year joined) Awards Seasons
Stetson (1986) 11 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009
Georgia Southern (1980)[lower-alpha 1] 5 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990
Jacksonville (1999) 4 2003, 2006, 2007, 2011
Mercer (1979)[lower-alpha 2] 4 1982, 1983, 1985, 2013
East Tennessee State (2006)[lower-alpha 3] 1 2010
Florida Atlantic (1994)[lower-alpha 4] 1 1999
Florida Gulf Coast 1 2008
Florida International (1991)[lower-alpha 5] 1 1995
Georgia State (1984)[lower-alpha 6] 1 1996
Kennesaw State (2006) 1 2014
North Florida (2006) 1 2015
Troy (1998)[lower-alpha 7] 1 2005
UCF (1993)[lower-alpha 8] 1 2001
USC Upstate (2008) 1 2012
  1. After the 1992 season, Georgia Southern left to join the Southern Conference.
  2. After the 2014 season, Mercer left to join the Southern Conference.
  3. After the 2014 season, East Tennessee State left to join the Southern Conference.
  4. After the 2006 season, Florida Atlantic left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  5. After the 1998 season, Florida International left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  6. After the 2005 season, Georgia State left to join the Colonial Athletic Association.
  7. After the 2005 season, Troy left to join the Sun Belt Conference.
  8. After the 2005 season, UCF left to join Conference USA.

Freshman of the Year

The conference's Freshman of the Year award is given annually to the best freshman in the A-Sun, as chosen by a vote of the conference's head coaches at the end of each regular season. It was first awarded in 2001. Since the A-Sun did not change its name from the TAAC until after that season, the award was known as the Trans America Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year for one season.

In 2014, Florida Gulf Coast's Jake Noll won the award, becoming the first Eagle to do so. He was also named National Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball. In the regular season, Noll hit .374 with 28 RBI and 25 steals. He spent the summer of 2014 playing with the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League.[31][55]

Two of the award's recipients– Stetson's Chris Johnson and Lipscomb's Rex Brothers– went on to play in Major League Baseball.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first awarded in 2001.[1]

Season Player Pos. School
2001[28] Brian Zenchyk IF Stetson
2002[56] Dee Brown OF UCF
2003[48] Gordie Gronkowski 1B Jacksonville
2004[57] Braedyn Pruitt 3B Stetson
2005[58] Chris Johnson 1B Stetson
2006[59] Derek Wiley IF Belmont
2007[60] Rex Brothers P Lipscomb
2008[61] Robert Crews 3B Stetson
2009[62] Dylan Craig OF Belmont
2010[63] Dan Gulbransen OF Jacksonville
2011[64] Alex Bacon OF North Florida
2012[53] Chesny Young 3B Mercer
2013[65] Patrick Mazeika 1B Stetson
2014[66] Jake Noll 2B Florida Gulf Coast
2015[30] Michael Baumann P Jacksonville

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose freshmen have won the award, along with the season each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.

School (year joined) Awards Seasons
Stetson (1986) 5 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2013
Jacksonville (1999) 3 2003, 2010, 2015
Belmont (2002)[lower-alpha 1] 2 2006, 2009
Florida Gulf Coast (2008) 1 2014
Lipscomb (2004) 1 2007
Mercer (1979)[lower-alpha 2] 1 2012
North Florida (2006) 1 2011
UCF (1993)[lower-alpha 3] 1 2002
  1. After the 2012 season, Belmont left to join the Ohio Valley Conference.
  2. After the 2014 season, Mercer left to join the Southern Conference.
  3. After the 2005 season, UCF left to join Conference USA.

Defensive Player of the Year

The conference began issuing the Defensive Player of the Year Award following the 2014 season. Mercer senior shortstop Michael Massi won the inaugural award following a 2014 season in which he set Mercer's single-season record for assists at 198.[67]

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first awarded in 2014.

Season Player Pos. School
2014[67] Michael Massi SS Mercer
2015[30] Grant Massey SS Lipscomb

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose players have won the award, along with the season each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.

School (year joined) Awards Seasons
Lipscomb (2004) 1 2015
Mercer (1979) 1 2014

References

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