Six 'Cats Named All-SoCon; Brandt & Cooke Earn Top Honors
5/19/2014 2:56:00 PM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG S.C. – A record six Davidson Wildcats were named to the 2014 All-Southern Conference Baseball teams, highlighted by senior Forrest Brandt earning co-player of the year honors from the league's coaches and Dick Cooke being named the consensus league coach of the year, it was announced Monday by the conference office.
Davidson earned two consensus first-team all-conference selections, Brandt and designated hitter Ryan Lowe, while outfielder Lee Miller was tabbed for the first team by the league's coaches and the second team by the league's media. Third baseman David Daniels was also voted to the first team by the league's media. Starting pitcher Danny Mooney was named to the second team by both the coaches and media, while outfielder Nathan Becker earned second team recognition from the league's coaches.
On the coaches' teams, regular-season champion Western Carolina and runner-up Davidson shared league-best honors with five All-SoCon selections each. The Catamounts put a league-high four on the first team, while the Wildcats had three first-team picks. The two squads led the media team as well, with WCU and Davidson putting three each on the first team and two each on the second team.
The four total first-team selections for Davidson ties a program record set in 1987 when Alan Lewis, Billy Masse, Dan Simonds and David Turgeon all earned All-SoCon South Division first team honors. However, Davidson had never had more than five total honorees, achieving such in 1993 (Rick Bender, Brett Boretti, Chris Carrigan, Mac Chapman and Tim Kerns.)
Neither the league's coaches nor media voted a single Wildcat on to the preseason all-conference teams.
Accordingly, Cooke earned his second coach of the year honor, but first in the Southern Conference, as he was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 1992 when Davidson was a member of that conference. He is just the second Davidson baseball coach to earn SoCon coach of the year honors, joining George Greer (1985).
"I'm humbled by the honor," said Cooke. "It's really a reflection of great assistants and support staff who carry the load and keep everyone ready to play. They have done a tremendous job, as we have seen significant improvements from several players this season."
Cooke led the Wildcats to a second-place league finish after Davidson was picked last in the preseason poll by the league's coaches and ninth by the media. The 24th-year Wildcat skipper had the 'Cats in contention for its first league title since 1985 right up until the final day of the regular season and garnered its highest SoCon finish since a second-place showing in the South Division in 1987. The Wildcats won eight of their nine league series on the year and finished the regular season with a 28-17 overall mark and a 17-8 SoCon record. The 28 wins match the Wildcats' single-season school record, while its 17 SoCon wins set a new school record.
The honor is particularly special for Cooke as he is less than two years removed from a serious car accident that he continues to rehab from.
Brandt shared player of the year honors with Elon's Casey Jones, while Jones was the media's top pick.
Brandt is in the top 10 in several offensive categories in the SoCon with career high totals, highlighted by his .362 average (sixth) and .638 slugging percentage (second). The senior from Raleigh, N.C., is fourth in the conference with a .454 on-base percentage, fourth with 47 runs scored and sixth with 49 RBIs. He also ranks third in the SoCon with a team-best 12 home runs. Brandt earned SoCon player of the week honors on March 10 after hitting .471 with eight RBIs as the Wildcats went 4-1 that week. Brandt is Davidson's first SoCon Player of the Year since Jay Heafner in 2005 and the third overall (George Weicker, 1975). He is the fourth total as Andy Paul was named the Big South Player of the Year in 1992.
"It's a great honor for Forrest and very well deserved," said Cooke. "The SoCon is a very balanced and talented league, and there were a lot of strong candidates for that award. I think he's done a nice job of being steady throughout the season, and his single-mindedness in his approach helped him achieve the numbers he needed this year for that type of an award."
Of Davidson's six all-conference selections, all are first-time honorees, as Danny Weiss was the last Wildcat to be named to the All-SoCon team in 2009.
Joining Brandt on both first teams, Lowe has proven to be one of Davidson's most consistent hitters this season, reaching base in all but two games and the first 33 straight, while setting career highs with a .343 batting average (eighth in the SoCon), and a career-high .435 on-base percentage (ninth). The junior from Dallas, Texas, also boasts a career-high 27 RBIs and hit his first career grand slam this season. He also had his first four-hit game this year in a contest at Elon.
Miller is presently the hottest hitter in Davidson's lineup, belting six home runs and batting .545 in his last 10 games, which has vaulted him into third in the league in batting (.370) and slugging percentage (.623). Other career high totals for the sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., include a .448 on-base percentage (sixth), and a total of eight home runs and 34 RBIs.
Daniels was recognized at third base and has been a consistent presence at the top of Davidson's lineup. The junior from nearby Charlotte, N.C., has set career highs in multiple categories, batting .330 with four home runs and 29 RBIs, and has had four four-hit games this season. Arguably his best game of the season came against his brother, Leighton, a senior second baseman at Winthrop, as he went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in a 3-0 victory.
After stepping up as the leader of Davidson's starting rotation as a junior in 2013, Mooney solidified himself as one of the top pitchers in the conference this season as a senior. The Richmond, Va., native's ERA of 2.63 ranks fourth in the league, and his opposing batting average led the SoCon for much of the season, but presently ranks second, .001 behind SoCon Pitcher of the Year Josh Wirsu's, at .202. He threw his first two complete games of his career this season, holding The Citadel to one unearned run and tossing a shutout at Appalachian State. In 65.0 innings pitched and 274 batters faced, he has yielded just two home runs and 18 walks, while striking out 64.
Becker is perhaps Davidson's most improved player, as he was named to the Gregg Olson Award Watch List for college baseball's "Breakout Player of the Year." The junior from Greensboro, N.C., has emerged as one of the top home run hitters in the nation this season, presently ranking fifth nationally in home runs per game with 11 in just 38 games (0.29). He also boasts career highs with a .315 batting average and 35 RBIs, and has a career-best slugging percentage of .597, which ranks fourth in the SoCon.
Due to several ties in the voting, the coaches' first team was comprised of 14 members and the second team and all-freshman team had 13 members each. There was a tie in media voting as well, resulting in four outfielders making the second team. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or themselves in the voting process.
Second-seeded Davidson will open play in the SoCon Tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C., against the winner of a Tuesday single-elimination game between seventh-seeded Elon and 10th-seeded The Citadel.
2014 SoCon Baseball All-Southern Conference Team
Co-Player of the Year – Forrest Brandt, Sr., OF, Davidson
Co-Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson
First Team
SP Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP Andres Gracia, Samford
C Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B Hunter King, UNCG
2B Bradley Strong, Western Carolina
SS Dillon Dobson, Appalachian State
SS Hunter Burton, Furman
3B Sean Guite, UNCG
OF Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF Lee Miller, Davidson
OF Casey Jones, Elon
DH Ryan Lowe, Davidson
Second Team
SP Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP Jason Richman, Georgia Southern
C Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B Greg Harrison, Furman
2B Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF Nathan Becker, Davidson
OF Eric Kalbfleisch, UNCG
OF Heath Quinn, Samford
DH Bo Thompson, The Citadel
All-Freshman Team
Matt Brill, Appalachian State
Dallas DeVrieze, Appalachian State
Tyler Stroup, Appalachian State
Garrett Chapman, Georgia Southern
Ryan Cleveland, Georgia Southern
Matt Harris, Elon
Nick Zammarelli, Elon
Carter Grote, Furman
Adam Swim, UNCG
Jared Brasher, Samford
T.J. Dixon, Samford
Heath Quinn, Samford
Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina
2014 SoCon Sports Media Association Baseball All-Conference
Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson
First Team
SP Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP Andres Gracia, Samford
C Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS Tyler Filliben, Samford
3B David Daniels, Davidson
OF Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF Casey Jones, Elon
DH Ryan Lowe, Davidson
Second Team
SP Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP Tyler Powell, Western Carolina
C Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B Greg Harrison, Furman
2B Hunter King, UNCG
SS Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF Lee Miller, Davidson
OF Stryker Brown, Georgia Southern
OF Aaron Mizell, Georgia Southern
OF Heath Quinn, Samford
DH Bo Thompson, The Citadel
Davidson earned two consensus first-team all-conference selections, Brandt and designated hitter Ryan Lowe, while outfielder Lee Miller was tabbed for the first team by the league's coaches and the second team by the league's media. Third baseman David Daniels was also voted to the first team by the league's media. Starting pitcher Danny Mooney was named to the second team by both the coaches and media, while outfielder Nathan Becker earned second team recognition from the league's coaches.
On the coaches' teams, regular-season champion Western Carolina and runner-up Davidson shared league-best honors with five All-SoCon selections each. The Catamounts put a league-high four on the first team, while the Wildcats had three first-team picks. The two squads led the media team as well, with WCU and Davidson putting three each on the first team and two each on the second team.
The four total first-team selections for Davidson ties a program record set in 1987 when Alan Lewis, Billy Masse, Dan Simonds and David Turgeon all earned All-SoCon South Division first team honors. However, Davidson had never had more than five total honorees, achieving such in 1993 (Rick Bender, Brett Boretti, Chris Carrigan, Mac Chapman and Tim Kerns.)
Neither the league's coaches nor media voted a single Wildcat on to the preseason all-conference teams.
Accordingly, Cooke earned his second coach of the year honor, but first in the Southern Conference, as he was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 1992 when Davidson was a member of that conference. He is just the second Davidson baseball coach to earn SoCon coach of the year honors, joining George Greer (1985).
"I'm humbled by the honor," said Cooke. "It's really a reflection of great assistants and support staff who carry the load and keep everyone ready to play. They have done a tremendous job, as we have seen significant improvements from several players this season."
Cooke led the Wildcats to a second-place league finish after Davidson was picked last in the preseason poll by the league's coaches and ninth by the media. The 24th-year Wildcat skipper had the 'Cats in contention for its first league title since 1985 right up until the final day of the regular season and garnered its highest SoCon finish since a second-place showing in the South Division in 1987. The Wildcats won eight of their nine league series on the year and finished the regular season with a 28-17 overall mark and a 17-8 SoCon record. The 28 wins match the Wildcats' single-season school record, while its 17 SoCon wins set a new school record.
The honor is particularly special for Cooke as he is less than two years removed from a serious car accident that he continues to rehab from.
Brandt shared player of the year honors with Elon's Casey Jones, while Jones was the media's top pick.
Brandt is in the top 10 in several offensive categories in the SoCon with career high totals, highlighted by his .362 average (sixth) and .638 slugging percentage (second). The senior from Raleigh, N.C., is fourth in the conference with a .454 on-base percentage, fourth with 47 runs scored and sixth with 49 RBIs. He also ranks third in the SoCon with a team-best 12 home runs. Brandt earned SoCon player of the week honors on March 10 after hitting .471 with eight RBIs as the Wildcats went 4-1 that week. Brandt is Davidson's first SoCon Player of the Year since Jay Heafner in 2005 and the third overall (George Weicker, 1975). He is the fourth total as Andy Paul was named the Big South Player of the Year in 1992.
"It's a great honor for Forrest and very well deserved," said Cooke. "The SoCon is a very balanced and talented league, and there were a lot of strong candidates for that award. I think he's done a nice job of being steady throughout the season, and his single-mindedness in his approach helped him achieve the numbers he needed this year for that type of an award."
Of Davidson's six all-conference selections, all are first-time honorees, as Danny Weiss was the last Wildcat to be named to the All-SoCon team in 2009.
Joining Brandt on both first teams, Lowe has proven to be one of Davidson's most consistent hitters this season, reaching base in all but two games and the first 33 straight, while setting career highs with a .343 batting average (eighth in the SoCon), and a career-high .435 on-base percentage (ninth). The junior from Dallas, Texas, also boasts a career-high 27 RBIs and hit his first career grand slam this season. He also had his first four-hit game this year in a contest at Elon.
Miller is presently the hottest hitter in Davidson's lineup, belting six home runs and batting .545 in his last 10 games, which has vaulted him into third in the league in batting (.370) and slugging percentage (.623). Other career high totals for the sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., include a .448 on-base percentage (sixth), and a total of eight home runs and 34 RBIs.
Daniels was recognized at third base and has been a consistent presence at the top of Davidson's lineup. The junior from nearby Charlotte, N.C., has set career highs in multiple categories, batting .330 with four home runs and 29 RBIs, and has had four four-hit games this season. Arguably his best game of the season came against his brother, Leighton, a senior second baseman at Winthrop, as he went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in a 3-0 victory.
After stepping up as the leader of Davidson's starting rotation as a junior in 2013, Mooney solidified himself as one of the top pitchers in the conference this season as a senior. The Richmond, Va., native's ERA of 2.63 ranks fourth in the league, and his opposing batting average led the SoCon for much of the season, but presently ranks second, .001 behind SoCon Pitcher of the Year Josh Wirsu's, at .202. He threw his first two complete games of his career this season, holding The Citadel to one unearned run and tossing a shutout at Appalachian State. In 65.0 innings pitched and 274 batters faced, he has yielded just two home runs and 18 walks, while striking out 64.
Becker is perhaps Davidson's most improved player, as he was named to the Gregg Olson Award Watch List for college baseball's "Breakout Player of the Year." The junior from Greensboro, N.C., has emerged as one of the top home run hitters in the nation this season, presently ranking fifth nationally in home runs per game with 11 in just 38 games (0.29). He also boasts career highs with a .315 batting average and 35 RBIs, and has a career-best slugging percentage of .597, which ranks fourth in the SoCon.
Due to several ties in the voting, the coaches' first team was comprised of 14 members and the second team and all-freshman team had 13 members each. There was a tie in media voting as well, resulting in four outfielders making the second team. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or themselves in the voting process.
Second-seeded Davidson will open play in the SoCon Tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in Charleston, S.C., against the winner of a Tuesday single-elimination game between seventh-seeded Elon and 10th-seeded The Citadel.
2014 SoCon Baseball All-Southern Conference Team
Co-Player of the Year – Forrest Brandt, Sr., OF, Davidson
Co-Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson
First Team
SP Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP Andres Gracia, Samford
C Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B Hunter King, UNCG
2B Bradley Strong, Western Carolina
SS Dillon Dobson, Appalachian State
SS Hunter Burton, Furman
3B Sean Guite, UNCG
OF Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF Lee Miller, Davidson
OF Casey Jones, Elon
DH Ryan Lowe, Davidson
Second Team
SP Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP Jason Richman, Georgia Southern
C Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B Greg Harrison, Furman
2B Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF Nathan Becker, Davidson
OF Eric Kalbfleisch, UNCG
OF Heath Quinn, Samford
DH Bo Thompson, The Citadel
All-Freshman Team
Matt Brill, Appalachian State
Dallas DeVrieze, Appalachian State
Tyler Stroup, Appalachian State
Garrett Chapman, Georgia Southern
Ryan Cleveland, Georgia Southern
Matt Harris, Elon
Nick Zammarelli, Elon
Carter Grote, Furman
Adam Swim, UNCG
Jared Brasher, Samford
T.J. Dixon, Samford
Heath Quinn, Samford
Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina
2014 SoCon Sports Media Association Baseball All-Conference
Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson
First Team
SP Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP Andres Gracia, Samford
C Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS Tyler Filliben, Samford
3B David Daniels, Davidson
OF Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF Casey Jones, Elon
DH Ryan Lowe, Davidson
Second Team
SP Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP Tyler Powell, Western Carolina
C Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B Greg Harrison, Furman
2B Hunter King, UNCG
SS Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF Lee Miller, Davidson
OF Stryker Brown, Georgia Southern
OF Aaron Mizell, Georgia Southern
OF Heath Quinn, Samford
DH Bo Thompson, The Citadel
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