WILMINGTON, N.C., May 20, 2008 Nine James Madison University baseball players were recognized Tuesday evening as the Colonial Athletic Association announced the 2008 all-conference honors during an awards banquet prior to the six-team CAA championship.
JMU’s nine honorees tied host and top-seeded UNC Wilmington for the most individuals from one team to be recognized. The Dukes finished in second place in the CAA and will open the tournament on Wednesday at noon against #5 Old Dominion.
Redshirt junior outfielder Brett Sellers (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) was the top honoree for the Dukes, receiving First Team All-CAA accolades. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Steven Caseres (New City, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional) was a Second Team pick while redshirt senior second baseman Joe Lake (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) and sophomore outfielder Alex Foltz (Mathias, W.Va./East Hardy) were Third Team selections.
JMU also had five freshmen named to the CAA All-Rookie squad, establishing a CAA record for most rookies from one school. The honorees included designated hitter/reliever Trevor Knight (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield), short stop David Herbek (Haymarket, Va./Battleifled), third baseman McKinnon Langston (Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian), reliever Kevin Munson (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring), and pitcher Turner Phelps (Roanoke, Va./Lord Botetourt).
UNC Wilmington senior catcher Mark Carver was selected by the league’s coaches as CAA Player of the Year. Towson sophomore short stop Nick Natoli was chosen as CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Seahawk freshman reliever Cameron Roth was picked as CAA Rookie of the Year. UNCW’s Mark Scalf and George Mason’s Bill Brown shared CAA Coach of the Year honors.
Sellers heads into the tournament as the conference leader in batting average (.427), slugging percentage (.781), and tied for first in on-base percentage (.487) thanks to hitting .600 in the final week of the season to earn CAA Player of the Week honors. He also ranks sixth in the CAA in hits (82), 10th in doubles (17), sixth in triples (3), sixth in home runs (15), fourth in total bases (15), and second in sacrifice flies (5). Finally healthy after an injury-riddled career, Sellers would rank fourth in JMU history in season batting average and seventh in career average (.377) if the season ended today. He sits ninth in season total bases, ninth in season home runs, and on the verge of the top 10 in hits and doubles.
Caseres has combined with Sellers to form one of the more imposing three-four lineup spots in the league. He’s hitting .345 for the season and ranks third in the conference in slugging (.740), eighth in runs (56), seventh in doubles (18), third in home runs (19), fifth in total bases (148), and fifth in walks (34). He also ranks as one of the better defensive first basemen in the league with a .991 fielding percentage. Caseres is tied for third in season home runs at JMU, tied for ninth in doubles, and tied for 10th in total bases. He is approaching the top 10 in runs, RBIs, and walks. He needs four extra-base hits to match Kellen Kulbacki’s school record of 43 in a season and also needs two doubles and one home run to become the first player in school history with 20 of each.
Lake picked up his first all-conference selection in the last of his five seasons with the Dukes. He’s hitting .340 entering the tournament with 37 hits, 13 doubles, 29 RBIs, nine steals, and two home runs. His average, home runs, RBIs, slugging, total bases, and fielding percentage are all career bests.
Foltz has set the table in the leadoff spot for the Dukes and ranks second on the team with a .346 average and .463 on-base percentage. He also leads JMU with four triples, 36 walks, and 16 steals while adding 11 doubles and six home runs. Through the end of the regular season, Foltz ranks 10th in the CAA in on-base%, second in triples, fourth in walks, and seventh in steals.
Langston and Herbek join Lake and Caseres to give JMU an award winner at each spot in the infield. Langston started 37 games at third base and hit .292 with 13 doubles, 29 RBIs, and 29 walks. He was twice honored as CAA Rookie of the Week. Herbek hit .310 in 24 starts with 10 doubles, three home runs, 17 RBIs and a .957 fielding percentage.
Phelps has pitched in a variety of roles for the Dukes as a reliever and occasional spot starter. Four of his last six outings, two starts, have lasted at least seven innings with four or fewer runs allowed. He leads all JMU pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched with a 4.21 ERA and ranks seventh in the CAA. He is also fourth in the league with a .238 opponent batting average, fourth with 73 strikeouts, and fourth with six wins.
Knight has been a two-way threat for JMU, appearing in the lineup primarily as the designated hitter and batting .341 with six doubles and 19 RBIs. Known even more for his prowess on the mound, he is 6-2 with five saves and 36 strikeouts compared to just six walks. While his ERA sits at 5.64 because of three outings where he got touched up, in his other 14 appearances over a span of 19 1/3 innings, he has been dominating with a 0.93 ERA.
Munson has been equally dominating while sharing the closing duties with Knight. He leads all JMU pitchers with a 2.15 ERA and a .150 opponent batting average in 29 1/3 innings. He has registered four saves and struck out 29. Munson finished the season in strong fashion with his longest outing, a 5 1/3 inning no-hit relief stint at Northeastern that earned him CAA Rookie of the Week.
CAA Player of the Year: Mark Carver, UNC Wilmington
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Natoli, Towson
CAA Rookie of the Year: Cameron Roth, UNC Wilmington
CAA Co-Coaches of the Year: Bill Brown, George Mason and Mark Scalf, UNC Wilmington
CAA First Team All-Conference
C Mark Carver, UNC Wilmington
1B Mike Sheridan, William & Mary
2B Daniel Hargrave, UNC Wilmington
SS Mike Lyon, Northeastern
3B Nate Hall, UNC Wilmington
OF Jason Appel, UNC Wilmington
OF Brett Sellers, James Madison
OF Ben Guez, William & Mary
DH Derek Simmons, Georgia State
UT Mike Tamsin, Northeastern
SP Brad Holt, UNC Wilmington
SP Jeff Hatcher, UNC Wilmington
RP Sheldon McDonald, Northeastern
CAA Second Team All-Conference
C Tim Park, William & Mary
1B Steven Caseres, James Madison
2B Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas, Georgia State
SS Nick Natoli, Towson
3B Bradley Logan, Georgia State
OF Jimmy Miles, Old Dominion
OF Scott Krieger, George Mason
OF Brian Conley, Towson
DH David Burns, Old Dominion
UT Paul Juliano, William & Mary
SP Dan Hudson, Old Dominion
SP Anthony Shawler, Old Dominion
RP Pat Kantakevich, William & Mary
CAA Third Team All-Conference
C Jason Stifler, Towson
1B Justin Bour, George Mason
2B Joe Lake, James Madison
SS Chase Childers, Georgia State
3B Matt Prokopowicz, Hofstra
OF Adam Tsakonas, Delaware
OF Alex Foltz, James Madison
OF Anthony Shawler, Old Dominion
DH Matt Collins, Towson
UT Alex Buchholz, Delaware
SP Dan Gerjets, George Mason
SP Robinson Polanco, Georgia State
RP Ryan Brecko, George Mason
CAA All-Rookie Team
Eric Curtis, VCU
Austin Harclerode, Towson
Stephen Harrold, UNC Wilmington
David Herbek, James Madison
Trevor Knight, James Madison
McKinnon Langston, James Madison
Kevin Munson, James Madison
Tim Norton, William & Mary
Drew Permison, Towson
Turner Phelps, James Madison
Cameron Roth, UNC Wilmington
Cody Stanley, UNC Wilmington
Courtesy: JMUSports.com
