Baseball Opens SoCon Tourney Play Against #4 Georgia Southern
5/25/2011 4:14:00 AM | Baseball
2011 Southern Conference Tournament
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 • 9:00 p.m.
#5 College of Charleston (36-20, 18-12 Southern)
LHP #31 Josh Renfro (9-2, 3.58 ERA)
vs.
#4 Georgia Southern (32-23, 18-12 Southern)
RHP #25 Chris Beck (7-4, 3.78 ERA)
Video: CofCSports.com
Live Stats: CofCSports.com
Twitter:CofCSports
BATTING PRACTICE
• The Cougars' 8-0 start this season equaled the mark set in 2002 for the best start to a season in program history.
• With the 9-5 win over Presbyterian on May 17, Charleston has won at least 35 games in eight straight seasons and at least 30 games in 10 straight.
COUGARS ON THE AIR
All of the College of Charleston's Southern Conference Tournament games will be carried live on ESPN Radio 910-AM in the Charleston area. Jeff McCarragher will have the play-by-play for the Cougars.
ALL-TIME VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Cougars lead the all-time series with Georgia Southern by a 24-22 count. Earlier this season at Patriots Point, Charleston lost the season series with the Eagles, two games to one. In Friday's opener, five GSU batters had multi-hit performances and the Eagles used a pair of four-run innings to defeat the College 11-7. On Saturday, junior LHP Josh Renfro struck out six over seven innings to lead the Cougars to a 3-2 victory and in the rubber match on Sunday, GSU's Andy Moye tossed a complete-game six-hitter and struck out eight to lead the Eagles to a 7-1 win.
ALDRICH NAMED SOCON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich has been named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association. Aldrich excelled from the start for the Cougars, batting .372 with 22 home runs and 72 runs batted in during his rookie campaign. He led all Division I freshmen in home runs and RBIs as well as slugging percentage (.794) and total bases (162). Aldrich was also named to the league's All-Freshmen Team and is the second Cougar to be named Freshman of the Year, joining Chris Campbell (2004).
FIVE COUGARS SNARE ALL-SOCON POSTSEASON HONORS
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds, junior LHP Josh Renfro and redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich were named to the All-Southern Conference First Team by the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association. Redshirt-junior C Rob Kral joined the trio on the media's first team and was a second team coaches selection, while sophomore RHP Christian Powell earned second team honors from both groups. The five selections to the all-conference teams was tied for the league-high in both sets of voting.
ROAD TO 100
With the Cougars' 10-5 win over The Citadel April 10, head coach Monte Lee picked up his 100th career win at the helm of the CofC program. Lee recorded his 100th victory in 152 games, the fastest in CofC baseball program history. It took Ralph Ciabattari 216 games to record his 100th win as Cougars skipper, while current Auburn head coach John Pawlowski needed 185 contest to notch win #100 for the College of Charleston.
LEEDS HONORED AS CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). An accounting major with minors in economics and finance, Leeds is the fourth Cougar to be honored as an Academic All-America, joining Wall of Fame members Joey Foxhall, Brett Anderson and Phillip Coker. To be nominated for the team, a student-athlete must have a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA and be in their second year of competition and academically at a school. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
LEEDS NABS SOCON CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds has been named the Southern Conference Co-Player of the Week for his performance with the Cougars for all games from April 26 - May 1. Leeds powered the Cougars to a three-game series sweep at Wofford over the weekend, batting .538 with three extra-base hits, six runs driven in and six runs scored.
PRITCHER NAMED NSCA ALL-AMERICAN
Senior C Robert Pritcher was recently recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year. Pritcher was among 247 collegiate and high school athletes from 96 schools across all divisions to receive the award, which recognizes the student-athletes' dedication to strength training and conditioning. Pritcher had a 34-inch vertical jump, a four second pro-agility run, a 350-pound bench press and 500-pound squat.
“Pritch demonstrates all the qualities you look for in an athlete, from his outstanding work ethic, to his desire to get better in every training session,” CofC Assistant Director of Sports Performance Matt Powell said. “He has been a positive influence, on not only his team, but the entire athletic department, because of his leadership skills and his infectious personality.”
ALDRICH GARNERS SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Redshirt-freshman LF Daniel Aldrich has been named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week for his performance with the Cougars for all games from April 4-10. Aldrich batted .500 with a 1.050 slugging percentage for the Cougars last week while collecting at least two hits in all four games. The Mt. Pleasant, S.C. native drove in 11 runs while six of his 10 hits went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs over the weekend at The Citadel. In both of CofC's wins last week, a 6-5 triumph at UNC Wilmington and a 10-5 defeat of The Citadel, Aldrich drove in four runs.
FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME
After fouling a ball off his leg his leg in the April 1 win over Western Carolina, redshirt-junior Matt Leeds missed the April 2 matchup against the Catamounts, ending a streak of 89 straight starts for the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year. Leeds played and started all 63 games last season and was in the starting lineup for all 26 games leading up to April 2.
LEEDS NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY
Redshirt-junior Matt Leeds, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year, was honored by the league today as he received February Athlete of the Month honors. Leeds batted .417 with a pair of home runs and 16 RBIs as the nationally-ranked Cougars started the season with a perfect 7-0 record in February. A preseason All-SoCon First Team honoree, Leeds led Charleston to an 11-6, season-opening win against Kentucky with six RBIs, including a three-run home run in the third inning. He followed that performance with four more runs driven in during a win over Miami (Ohio) the following afternoon. Leeds recorded a hit in all but one contest while reaching base at a .568 clip and slugging .708.
LEEDS SELECTED AS A DAVE HART SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Matt Leeds has been selected by the Southern Conference as a Dave Hart Scholarship winner. The postgraduate-studies award is chosen by a five-person committee based on accomplishments in academics, athletics and community service.
MESA HONORED WITH ExCEL AWARD BY COLLEGE
Senior 2B Jesse Mesa has been chosen as ExCEL Student-Athlete of the Year by the College of Charleston. The Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Awards program honors faculty, staff, students, community groups and/or individuals for promoting excellence and diversity at the College of Charleston. This award recognizes the accomplishments of a senior male or female in any sport whose academic and athletic achievements have left a lasting impact on their team. In addition to demonstrating athletic ability, this person has proven to be a respected leader on and off the field of play.
RAKAR NAMED 2011 SOCON PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior Cole Rakar has been selected as the 2011 Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year as chosen by the league's baseball coaches. Rakar headlines a conference-high six Cougars chosen to the Preseason All-Conference teams. As a junior, Rakar led the Southern Conference in runs (76), hits (102) and doubles (26) while finishing in the top 20 nationally in each category. His .378 batting average was third-highest in the league. The center fielder had a team-high 31 multi-hit games, including six three-hit and six four-hit efforts. He ended the season on a nine-game hitting streak and was honored in 2010 as a first team All-SoCon selection, as well as earning NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional All-Tournament Team honors.
LEEDS EARNS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL PRESEASON HONOR
Redshirt-junior Matt Leeds was selected to the Louisville Slugger 2011 Pre-Season All-American team, it was announced today by Collegiate Baseball. Leeds was named to the third team. The 2010 ABCA All-American led the Cougars in slugging percentage (.690), RBI (88) and was fifth in batting average (.326) and third in hits (79). His 21 home runs led the team and the Southern Conference and put him 35th in the country, while his 88 RBI ranked him first in the league and second nationally.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 • 9:00 p.m.
#5 College of Charleston (36-20, 18-12 Southern)
LHP #31 Josh Renfro (9-2, 3.58 ERA)
vs.
#4 Georgia Southern (32-23, 18-12 Southern)
RHP #25 Chris Beck (7-4, 3.78 ERA)
Video: CofCSports.com
Live Stats: CofCSports.com
Twitter:CofCSports
BATTING PRACTICE
• The Cougars' 8-0 start this season equaled the mark set in 2002 for the best start to a season in program history.
• With the 9-5 win over Presbyterian on May 17, Charleston has won at least 35 games in eight straight seasons and at least 30 games in 10 straight.
COUGARS ON THE AIR
All of the College of Charleston's Southern Conference Tournament games will be carried live on ESPN Radio 910-AM in the Charleston area. Jeff McCarragher will have the play-by-play for the Cougars.
ALL-TIME VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Cougars lead the all-time series with Georgia Southern by a 24-22 count. Earlier this season at Patriots Point, Charleston lost the season series with the Eagles, two games to one. In Friday's opener, five GSU batters had multi-hit performances and the Eagles used a pair of four-run innings to defeat the College 11-7. On Saturday, junior LHP Josh Renfro struck out six over seven innings to lead the Cougars to a 3-2 victory and in the rubber match on Sunday, GSU's Andy Moye tossed a complete-game six-hitter and struck out eight to lead the Eagles to a 7-1 win.
ALDRICH NAMED SOCON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich has been named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year by the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association. Aldrich excelled from the start for the Cougars, batting .372 with 22 home runs and 72 runs batted in during his rookie campaign. He led all Division I freshmen in home runs and RBIs as well as slugging percentage (.794) and total bases (162). Aldrich was also named to the league's All-Freshmen Team and is the second Cougar to be named Freshman of the Year, joining Chris Campbell (2004).
FIVE COUGARS SNARE ALL-SOCON POSTSEASON HONORS
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds, junior LHP Josh Renfro and redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich were named to the All-Southern Conference First Team by the league's coaches and the Southern Conference Sports Media Association. Redshirt-junior C Rob Kral joined the trio on the media's first team and was a second team coaches selection, while sophomore RHP Christian Powell earned second team honors from both groups. The five selections to the all-conference teams was tied for the league-high in both sets of voting.
ROAD TO 100
With the Cougars' 10-5 win over The Citadel April 10, head coach Monte Lee picked up his 100th career win at the helm of the CofC program. Lee recorded his 100th victory in 152 games, the fastest in CofC baseball program history. It took Ralph Ciabattari 216 games to record his 100th win as Cougars skipper, while current Auburn head coach John Pawlowski needed 185 contest to notch win #100 for the College of Charleston.
LEEDS HONORED AS CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). An accounting major with minors in economics and finance, Leeds is the fourth Cougar to be honored as an Academic All-America, joining Wall of Fame members Joey Foxhall, Brett Anderson and Phillip Coker. To be nominated for the team, a student-athlete must have a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA and be in their second year of competition and academically at a school. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
LEEDS NABS SOCON CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds has been named the Southern Conference Co-Player of the Week for his performance with the Cougars for all games from April 26 - May 1. Leeds powered the Cougars to a three-game series sweep at Wofford over the weekend, batting .538 with three extra-base hits, six runs driven in and six runs scored.
PRITCHER NAMED NSCA ALL-AMERICAN
Senior C Robert Pritcher was recently recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year. Pritcher was among 247 collegiate and high school athletes from 96 schools across all divisions to receive the award, which recognizes the student-athletes' dedication to strength training and conditioning. Pritcher had a 34-inch vertical jump, a four second pro-agility run, a 350-pound bench press and 500-pound squat.
“Pritch demonstrates all the qualities you look for in an athlete, from his outstanding work ethic, to his desire to get better in every training session,” CofC Assistant Director of Sports Performance Matt Powell said. “He has been a positive influence, on not only his team, but the entire athletic department, because of his leadership skills and his infectious personality.”
ALDRICH GARNERS SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Redshirt-freshman LF Daniel Aldrich has been named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week for his performance with the Cougars for all games from April 4-10. Aldrich batted .500 with a 1.050 slugging percentage for the Cougars last week while collecting at least two hits in all four games. The Mt. Pleasant, S.C. native drove in 11 runs while six of his 10 hits went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs over the weekend at The Citadel. In both of CofC's wins last week, a 6-5 triumph at UNC Wilmington and a 10-5 defeat of The Citadel, Aldrich drove in four runs.
FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME
After fouling a ball off his leg his leg in the April 1 win over Western Carolina, redshirt-junior Matt Leeds missed the April 2 matchup against the Catamounts, ending a streak of 89 straight starts for the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year. Leeds played and started all 63 games last season and was in the starting lineup for all 26 games leading up to April 2.
LEEDS NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY
Redshirt-junior Matt Leeds, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year, was honored by the league today as he received February Athlete of the Month honors. Leeds batted .417 with a pair of home runs and 16 RBIs as the nationally-ranked Cougars started the season with a perfect 7-0 record in February. A preseason All-SoCon First Team honoree, Leeds led Charleston to an 11-6, season-opening win against Kentucky with six RBIs, including a three-run home run in the third inning. He followed that performance with four more runs driven in during a win over Miami (Ohio) the following afternoon. Leeds recorded a hit in all but one contest while reaching base at a .568 clip and slugging .708.
LEEDS SELECTED AS A DAVE HART SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Matt Leeds has been selected by the Southern Conference as a Dave Hart Scholarship winner. The postgraduate-studies award is chosen by a five-person committee based on accomplishments in academics, athletics and community service.
MESA HONORED WITH ExCEL AWARD BY COLLEGE
Senior 2B Jesse Mesa has been chosen as ExCEL Student-Athlete of the Year by the College of Charleston. The Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Awards program honors faculty, staff, students, community groups and/or individuals for promoting excellence and diversity at the College of Charleston. This award recognizes the accomplishments of a senior male or female in any sport whose academic and athletic achievements have left a lasting impact on their team. In addition to demonstrating athletic ability, this person has proven to be a respected leader on and off the field of play.
RAKAR NAMED 2011 SOCON PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior Cole Rakar has been selected as the 2011 Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year as chosen by the league's baseball coaches. Rakar headlines a conference-high six Cougars chosen to the Preseason All-Conference teams. As a junior, Rakar led the Southern Conference in runs (76), hits (102) and doubles (26) while finishing in the top 20 nationally in each category. His .378 batting average was third-highest in the league. The center fielder had a team-high 31 multi-hit games, including six three-hit and six four-hit efforts. He ended the season on a nine-game hitting streak and was honored in 2010 as a first team All-SoCon selection, as well as earning NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional All-Tournament Team honors.
LEEDS EARNS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL PRESEASON HONOR
Redshirt-junior Matt Leeds was selected to the Louisville Slugger 2011 Pre-Season All-American team, it was announced today by Collegiate Baseball. Leeds was named to the third team. The 2010 ABCA All-American led the Cougars in slugging percentage (.690), RBI (88) and was fifth in batting average (.326) and third in hits (79). His 21 home runs led the team and the Southern Conference and put him 35th in the country, while his 88 RBI ranked him first in the league and second nationally.
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