SAC Places 12 On ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Baseball Team

TAMPA, FL - The South Atlantic Conference placed 12 on the 2007 ABCA/RAWLINGS All-South Region Baseball Teams, with SAC champion Tusculum leading the way with six represntatives.

The ABCA All-South Region first and second teams were recognized this past weekend at the NCAA Division II South Regional tournament hosted by the University of Tampa.

The Pioneers had four named to the first team. Second baseman Maikol Gonzalez, outfielder Carlos Rivera, cather Christian Rosa and pitcher Kevin Hammons were all named to the first team. Pitchers C.J. Hillyer and Mat Galens were named to the second team.

Maikol Gonzalez

Carlos Rivera

Christian Rosa

Kevin Hammons

Josh Benton

C.J. Hillyer

Mat Galens

Zach Evans

Jerry Sands

David Thomas

Matt Teague

Dallas Tarleton

Catawba College placed three players on the 2007 ABCA/RAWLINGS All-South Region Baseball Teams. Zach Evans (Greensboro, NC), Jerry Sands (Clayton, NC) and David Thomas (Winston-Salem, NC) were each named to the second team. In addition, Thomas was selected as the Rawlings South Region Gold Glove centerfielder.

Evans batted .403 for the Indians, finishing the year at first base after starting at shortstop over the first month of the season. The senior hit 15 home runs and drove in 51 runs and had an on-base percentage of .496 which stands as the 10th best season average in school history. Evans also recorded four saves and holds the school mark with 26 in his career.

Sands, a sophomore outfielder, led Catawba with 21 home runs and 55 RBI. He added 15 doubles and had a .776 slugging percentage, ranking as the ninth best season total for an Indian. Sands batted .349, led the squad with 64 runs scored and drew a record 51 walks.

Thomas, a junior outfielder, batted .381 on the season and led the team with 19 stolen bases. He hit a dozen homers, with 20 doubles and five triples, and collected 50 RBI. Thomas was second on the team with 62 runs scored, setting the school career mark in just his third season with 200. In the outfield, Thomas made just one error in 121 attempts with three assists and had a .992 fielding percentage. He has just two errors in his career.

Carson-Newman senior southpaw Matt Teague has earned second team honors on the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region team.

The Belmont, North Carolina native helped lead the Eagles to a South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship and berth in the Division II South Regional Tournament in Tampa, Florida. Teague led the Eagles with a 7-2 record and 74 strikeouts in 14 starts. He walked just 16 batters all season and held opposing hitters to a .255 batting average.

Teague pitched five innings in his final start for the Eagles against Florida Gulf Coast at the South Regional. He struck out four Gulf Coast batters, walked three, and gave up four earned runs in the 10-2 loss.

Wingate University senior designated hitter Josh Benton (Gold Hill, N.C.) was named to the first team.

Benton earns first team All-South Region honors for the second time this month. Last week, he was named to the 2007 Daktronics NCAA Division II Baseball All-South Region first team. The Daktronics All-Region teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Wingate's 2007 team MVP, Josh Benton was named first team All-South Atlantic Conference as a designated hitter this year. In the SAC statistical rankings, he is second in total bases (144), second in doubles, third in hits, third in home runs and fourth in RBI.

Offensively, Benton led the Bulldogs with 82 hits, 18 doubles, 14 home runs, 58 RBI, 25 walks, 144 total bases, .364 batting average, .640 slugging percentage and seven sacrifice flies. In addition, Benton had 48 runs scored, one triple and four stolen bases. He also compiled a 3-2 overall pitching record during the 2007 campaign.

For his Bulldog career, Benton had a .314 batting average with 31 home runs and 133 RBI. A four-year starter, he also had 47 doubles, 123 runs scored and a career slugging percentage of .530.

Lenoir-Rhyne sophomore catcher Dallas Tarleton has been selected to the 2007 NCAA Division II ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Second Team.

Tarleton, a native of Monroe, N.C., finished third on the team in batting this year with a .347 average to go along with five home runs and 36 runs batted in.

The Piedmont High School native was also selected to the All-South Atlantic Conference First Team last month.

University of Tampa pitcher Kevin Ferguson was named the ABCA/Rawlings South Region Pitcher of the Year, while Lynn University senior outfielder Nicolas Boisvert was named the ABCA/Rawlings South Region Player of the Year. For the first time this year, the ABCA and Rawlings named an NCAA Division II All-South Region Gold Glove team. Nine South Region student-athletes were recognized based on their fielding percentages and glove work.

2007 NCAA ABCA/RAWLINGS ALL-SOUTH REGION DIVISION II BASEBALL TEAMS

First Team
1B - Bryan Cook. Nova Southeastern
2B - Maikol Gonzalez, Tusculum
3B - Ozzie Borrell, Florida Gulf Coast
SS - Steve Condotta, Florida Tech
INF - Orestes Gonzalez, Barry
OF - Nicolas Boisvert, Lynn
OF - Matt Mindick, Nova Southeastern
OF - Craig Corrado, Tampa
OF - Carlos Rivera, Tusculum
C - Christian Rosa, Tusculum
DH - Josh Benton, Wingate
P - David Nathanson, Rollins
P - Ryan Clark, Saint Leo
P - Kevin Ferguson, Tampa
P - Kevin Hammons, Tusculum
RP - John Holt, Tampa

Second Team
1B - Zach Evans, Catawba
2B - Ryan Kennedy, Tampa
3B - Arden McWilliams, Florida Southern
SS - Roberto Mena, Tampa
INF - Shawn Langlois, Nova Southeastern
OF - David Thomas, Catawba
OF - Jerry Sands, Catawba
OF - Brian Schulz, Florida Southern
OF - Junior Mejia, Tampa
C - Dallas Tarleton, Lenoir-Rhyne
DH - Tristan Rainone, Florida Southern
P - Matt Teague, Carson Newman
P - Dan Albritton, Florida Southern
P - Richard Bleier, Florida Gulf Coast
P - C.J. Hillyer, Tusculum
RP - Mat Galens, Tusculum

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nicolas Boisvert, Lynn
PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Ferguson, Tampa
COACH OF THE YEAR: Joe Urso, Tampa

2007 RAWLINGS "GOLD GLOVE" SOUTH REGION TEAM BASEBALL DIVISION II

1B - Stefano Foggi, Rollins
2B - Ryan Kennedy, Tampa
3B - Ozzie Borrell, Florida Gulf Coast
SS - Nick Shaw, Barry
LF - Grant Massey, Eckerd
CF - David Thomas, Catawba
RF - Willie Watkins, Albany State
C - Kevin Villa, Florida Tech
P - Kevin Ferguson, Tampa