2016 All-GSC Baseball Team announced

2016 All-GSC Baseball Team announced

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Birmingham, Ala.—The Gulf South Conference announced its 2016 All-GSC Baseball Team, including the Player-, Pitcher-, Freshman- and Coach of the Year Award(s) on Wednesday.

West Florida, the 2016 GSC Regular Season Champion, turned in the most honorees on the 38-member squad, with eight. West Alabama had the second-highest with six honorees, while Alabama Huntsville, Delta State and West Georgia all saw five each make the team. Both Lee and North Alabama had four each, while Valdosta State rounded out the list with one honoree. UWF, DSU and UWG all collected the most First Teamers, with three each, while UWF also had the most Second Teamers, with five.

Eight returning All-GSC honorees made this year's team in UWA's Mitch Holgate, Nick Delgado (both First Teamers in 2015) and Jack Cockrum (2015 Second Team), UWG's Garrett Hayes (2015 First Team), Tyler Hutch and Dalton Rogers (both 2015 Second Teamers) and UWF's Alex Greene and Jarrod Petree (both 2015 Second Teamers). The 2015 GSC Freshman of the Year, UAH's AJ Walden, also made this year's squad, landing on the Second Team. Holgate (UWA), the 2013 GSC Freshman of the Year and 2014 GSC Player of the Year, is the only three-time member on this year's list, having earned First Team laurels in each of the past three seasons (2014-16).
 
2016 GSC Player of the Year
Ben Holland (Lee) hit .417 (70-for-168) in the regular season and paced the Gulf South Conference in homeruns (17), total bases (144), slugging percentage (.857) and on-base percentage (.528). His OBP was good for fifth in all of NCAA Division II, while his 23 doubles ranked him second in the GSC and sixth in NCAA DII. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native was also third in the league in hits and runs (54) and fourth in batting average and runs brought in (49). The big first baseman posted a season-best 22-game hitting streak 3/6-4/16, in which he racked up eight multi-hit performances, including 14 RBI, 11 doubles and three homeruns.
 
2016 GSC Pitcher of the Year
Tre Hobbs (Delta State) went 12-1 with a 2.85 earned run average and 62 strikeouts this year. The Greenville, Miss., native led all of NCAA Division II in victories and was second in the nation with eight complete games. Hobbs was fifth in the GSC in ERA, 10th in strikeouts and only allowed 22 walks and three homeruns in 85.1 innings of work. He also tossed three shutouts (Harding - 2/6, West Alabama - 2/20 and Christian Brothers - 4/2) and closed the regular season with a seven-game winning streak (3/19-5/1).
 
2016 GSC Freshman of the Year
Taylor Clemons (Alabama Huntsville) made 20 appearances this season. The hometown product posted a 1.45 earned run average, fanned 32 and only allowed seven free passes over 31 innings pitched. The hurler was second in the GSC and 19th in all of NCAA Division II with eight saves on the season. Clemons also opened the season with a nine-game scoreless streak, as his first earned run of his career came against West Florida (3/13).
 
2016 GSC Coach of the Year
Mike Jeffcoat (West Florida) led his squad to a 33-13 regular season record, including a 24-7 conference record, which earned UWF the 2016 GSC Regular Season Championship and right to host the GSC Tournament. UWF took down ranked opponents this season in Tampa, Valdosta State, Alabama Huntsville, West Alabama and Delta State. The team is hitting a combined .309 and is sporting a league-best 2.93 ERA and .970 fielding percentage. The honor marks the fourth time in his career that he has earned conference coach of the year accolades. The Argonauts enter the postseason currently riding a six-game winning streak and are seeking GSC Tournament Title No. 3, which would be its first since the 2011 campaign. Jeffcoat will also be looking to guide his squad to their sixth NCAA Division II South Region Tournament appearance while at the helm.

 
2016 All-GSC Baseball Team

FIRST TEAM
C – Kevin Hall, UNA
DH – Taylor Hayes, UNA
1B – Ben Holland, Lee
2B – Trent Giambrone, DSU
3B – Mitch Holgate, UWA
SS – Luke Toms, Lee
SS – Alex Greene, UWF
SS – Caleb Lopes, UWG
OF – Dalton Duty, VSU
OF – Garrett Hayes, UWG
OF – Will Robertson, DSU
OF – Austin Sanders, UAH
SP – Wilson Adams, UAH
SP – Evan Anderson, UWA
SP – Brandon Goldsmith, UWG
SP – JT Granat, UWF
SP – Tre Hobbs, DSU
RP – Jarrod Petree, UWF
 
SECOND TEAM
 C – Jack Cockrum, UWA
C – Kyle Hamner, UWF
C – AJ Walden, UAH
1B – Dalton Rogers, UWG
2B – Nic Strasser, UWF
3B – Ethan Gill, DSU
3B – Robert Lopez, UWF
3B – Matt Spruill, UAH
SS – Dylan Little, UWA
OF – Dylan Calhoun, UNA
OF – Nick Delgado, UWA
OF – Jean Figueroa, UWF
OF – Tyler Hutch, UWG
SP – Trenton Hill, Lee
SP – Evan Miller, UWA
SP – Dalton Moats, DSU
SP – Walker O’Connor, UWF
SP – Riley Sanderson, UNA
SP – Art Vidrio, Lee
RP – Taylor Clemons, UAH