ECAC Announces DII Baseball Major Awards and All-ECAC Selections
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2017 Division II Baseball Awards and All-ECAC selections.
Jared Melone of West Chester University collected ECAC Player of the Year, and Josiah Gray from Le Moyne College was voted the Pitcher of the Year. Infielder Josh LaPrest of Salem University earned Rookie of the Year, while Gannon University Head Coach Greg Coleman was named ECAC Coach of the Year to complete the major awards.
Melone leads the country with a .482 batting average through 44 games this season. The player of the year ranks second in NCAA DII with 68 RBI and 1.51 RBI per game and he stands atop the PSAC in both total bases (130) and slugging percentage (.0780). Historically, Melone's current batting average stands as the best ever in a single season by a West Chester baseball player. The junior was also named to the All-ECAC First Team.
In 13 starts in the regular season, Gray went 11-0 with a 1.25 earned run average and 105 strikeouts over 93 and one-third innings. The junior posted two complete games and one shutout. The Pitcher of the Year also earned a spot on the All-ECAC First Team.
Freshman Josh LaPrest had a phenomenal season on his way to being named Rookie of the Year. The slugger led his team in homeruns (10), rbi’s (43), hits (43), runs (30) and was second on the team with a batting average of .344. At 19-16-1 during the season, the Tigers had their highest winning percentage in their NCAA Division II history.
Greg Coleman led Gannon University to program single-season records in overall victories (31) and conference wins (18) as he was named Coach of the Year. The third year coach took Gannon to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament for the second time and guided the Golden Knights to their highest NCAA regional ranking (#5) in school history.
ECAC Division II Baseball Major Awards and All-ECAC Selections
Player of the Year
Jared Melone– West Chester University, Jr.
Pitcher of the Year
Josiah Gray – Le Moyne College, Jr.
Rookie of the Year
Josh LaPrest – Salem University, Fr.
Coach of the Year
Greg Coleman – Gannon University
All-ECAC First Team
Jared Melone – West Chester University, Jr.
Josh LaPrest – Salem University, Fr.
Justin Decker – Dominican College, Jr.
Camillo Spinoso – Le Moyne College, Jr.
Shane Dressler – West Chester University, Sr.
Ben Walsh – Le Moyne College, R-Jr.
Danton Hyman – Newberry College, Jr.
Derek Olenchuk – Newberry College, Sr.
Kyle Cox – Gannon University, Sr.
Chuck Hooker – Alderson-Broaddus University, Jr.
Anthony Murphy – Mercy College, Jr.
Josiah Gray – Le Moyne College, Jr.
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