Jax State Places Four on All-Conference Teams; League-Best Four on All-Freshman Squad
5/19/2015 8:30:00 PM | Baseball
Complete All-OVC Teams
JACKSON, Tenn. – Four Jacksonville State baseball players earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in a vote by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the league announced on Tuesday night at the annual pre-championship banquet.
Seniors Zachary Fowler (SP), Travis Stout (RP) and junior Paschal Petrongolo (DH) were named to the All-OVC first team, while senior Ryan Sebra (3B) was voted to the All-OVC second team.
JSU had four selections to the OVC All-Freshman Team - the most by any team in the league. Clayton Daniel (2B), Taylor Hawthorne (SS), Justin Hoyt (LHP) and Jake Walsh (RHP) earned spots on the first-year player list.
It marks Petrongolo's second all-conference honor as he was tabbed to the OVC All-Freshman Team in 2013. Stout is a three-time all-conference performer with his 2015 honor. He is now a two-time All-OVC first team selection and an All-OVC second team honoree in 2013. Stout was named to the 2012 OVC All-Freshman Team
The Gamecocks earned the No. 5 seed after winning eight of their last 11 conference games, will be making their 12th consecutive appearance in the OVC Baseball Championship and will open the six-team event on Wednesday at 3 p.m. against No. 4 seed Tennessee Tech at The Ballpark at Jackson. Jax State will loom to repeat as OVC Tournament Champion after last season's memorable run through the tournament a year ago. JSU became the first team in OVC history to win six-straight elimination games to win the OVC Tournament Championship in 2014. After losing 2-1 on Wednesday to No. 6 seed Eastern Illinois to fall in the elimination bracket, JSU reeled off six straight wins to eliminate every single team in the 2014 tournament to win the school's fourth OVC Championship.
Petrongolo, one of the top-hitters in the league, led the Gamecocks at the dish with a .361 batting average and drove in 56 runs in the three-hole spot in the lineup. The Blackwood, New Jersey-native has collected 75 hits, including 16 doubles and six home runs. Against the OVC, Petrongolo is batting .331 which is aided by his nine doubles and three home runs.
Fowler has been JSU's Friday night starter this season and has carried the load for the club in the opening game of the weekend series. The Daphne, Ala.-right hander enters Wednesday's start with eight wins to his credit, which ranks first in the OVC in total wins. He shares the top spot with SIU Edwardsville's P.J. Schuster and Belmont's Patrick McRath. Fowler has six wins against the OVC, which ranks second in the league. Fowler has posted 75 strike outs in 86 innings of work. His strikeout total ranked third in the league.
Stout became a four-time all-conference honoree with his inclusion on the 2015 first team. Stout established a new OVC career saves record on March 21 when he recorded a save in game one of a doubleheader against Eastern Illinois. That marked his 36th career save, passing the previous record of 35 set by Austin Peay's Tyler Rogers (2012-13). Stout ranks 12th nationally in saves this season with 13, while his 45 career saves are the most in OVC history and sixth all-time in NCAA history.
Sebra feasted on OVC pitching this season with a .424 clip in the 29 league games. The Ormond Beach, Fla.-third baseman has an overall clip of .340 and 54 RBI, which ranks second to Petrongolo. In OVC games only, Sebra has registered 50 hits, including 20 extra base hits. Sebra became the first JSU player to hit for the cycle since 2004 as Sebra led the Gamecocks to a series-clinching 12-5 win over Austin Peay on March 16 at Raymond C. Hand Park. He was named the OVC Player of the Week after collecting 10 hits in 17 plate appearances over the four-game span and had nine of the 10 off of APSU pitching and finished week hitting .588.
The 2015 Gamecock baseball squad featured a lot of new faces from last season's 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship squad. The middle infield tandem of Daniel and Hawthorne has bolstered the JSU offense in their first season on the collegiate level. Daniel, from Guntersville, Ala., ranks third on the team in hits with 69, including 17 extra base hits. He ranks second on the club in doubles with 15 and has a pair of triples. Daniel has been clutch driving in runs with two outs in an inning with 26 RBI in that situation.
Hawthorne started strong at shortstop before suffering a hand injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. Before the hand injury, the Prattville, Ala.-native reached base in the first 20 games of the season. In the last 16 games Hawthorne has returned to his form at the beginning of the season as he is hitting .356 (16-of-45) with three doubles.
Right hander Jake Walsh has led a talented group of freshmen pitchers on the club and has solidified his spot in the Jax State rotation. Walsh, from Melbourne, Fla., has a record of 4-3 and made 14 appearances with 12 in the starting role. He has won three of his last four Saturday starts, including a 7.0 innings of work against Belmont. He scattered six hits and allowed just two runs. Walsh fanned a career-high eight Bruins in the outing. Walsh followed that outing the next week at Eastern Kentucky. He went a season-best 7.1 innings and allowed just two runs and six strikeouts. In those two weeks, he gave up just two free passes.
Hoyt, a left hander from Birmingham, Alabama, has become a reliable lefty out of the pen as a set up man. The Birmingham, Ala.-native has made 19 appearances with 13 of those coming since April 8 against UAB. He is earned his first win at Eastern Kentucky on May 3 and has struck out 20 in 19.1 innings of work. OVC opponents are hitting just .167 against him and an earned run average of 1.50 against the league.
Free live video of every game of the tournament is available on the OVC Digital Network, while all of JSU's games will be broadcast on the JSU Radio Network.
JACKSON, Tenn. – Four Jacksonville State baseball players earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in a vote by the league's coaches and sports information directors, the league announced on Tuesday night at the annual pre-championship banquet.
Seniors Zachary Fowler (SP), Travis Stout (RP) and junior Paschal Petrongolo (DH) were named to the All-OVC first team, while senior Ryan Sebra (3B) was voted to the All-OVC second team.
JSU had four selections to the OVC All-Freshman Team - the most by any team in the league. Clayton Daniel (2B), Taylor Hawthorne (SS), Justin Hoyt (LHP) and Jake Walsh (RHP) earned spots on the first-year player list.
It marks Petrongolo's second all-conference honor as he was tabbed to the OVC All-Freshman Team in 2013. Stout is a three-time all-conference performer with his 2015 honor. He is now a two-time All-OVC first team selection and an All-OVC second team honoree in 2013. Stout was named to the 2012 OVC All-Freshman Team
The Gamecocks earned the No. 5 seed after winning eight of their last 11 conference games, will be making their 12th consecutive appearance in the OVC Baseball Championship and will open the six-team event on Wednesday at 3 p.m. against No. 4 seed Tennessee Tech at The Ballpark at Jackson. Jax State will loom to repeat as OVC Tournament Champion after last season's memorable run through the tournament a year ago. JSU became the first team in OVC history to win six-straight elimination games to win the OVC Tournament Championship in 2014. After losing 2-1 on Wednesday to No. 6 seed Eastern Illinois to fall in the elimination bracket, JSU reeled off six straight wins to eliminate every single team in the 2014 tournament to win the school's fourth OVC Championship.
Petrongolo, one of the top-hitters in the league, led the Gamecocks at the dish with a .361 batting average and drove in 56 runs in the three-hole spot in the lineup. The Blackwood, New Jersey-native has collected 75 hits, including 16 doubles and six home runs. Against the OVC, Petrongolo is batting .331 which is aided by his nine doubles and three home runs.
Fowler has been JSU's Friday night starter this season and has carried the load for the club in the opening game of the weekend series. The Daphne, Ala.-right hander enters Wednesday's start with eight wins to his credit, which ranks first in the OVC in total wins. He shares the top spot with SIU Edwardsville's P.J. Schuster and Belmont's Patrick McRath. Fowler has six wins against the OVC, which ranks second in the league. Fowler has posted 75 strike outs in 86 innings of work. His strikeout total ranked third in the league.
Stout became a four-time all-conference honoree with his inclusion on the 2015 first team. Stout established a new OVC career saves record on March 21 when he recorded a save in game one of a doubleheader against Eastern Illinois. That marked his 36th career save, passing the previous record of 35 set by Austin Peay's Tyler Rogers (2012-13). Stout ranks 12th nationally in saves this season with 13, while his 45 career saves are the most in OVC history and sixth all-time in NCAA history.
Sebra feasted on OVC pitching this season with a .424 clip in the 29 league games. The Ormond Beach, Fla.-third baseman has an overall clip of .340 and 54 RBI, which ranks second to Petrongolo. In OVC games only, Sebra has registered 50 hits, including 20 extra base hits. Sebra became the first JSU player to hit for the cycle since 2004 as Sebra led the Gamecocks to a series-clinching 12-5 win over Austin Peay on March 16 at Raymond C. Hand Park. He was named the OVC Player of the Week after collecting 10 hits in 17 plate appearances over the four-game span and had nine of the 10 off of APSU pitching and finished week hitting .588.
The 2015 Gamecock baseball squad featured a lot of new faces from last season's 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship squad. The middle infield tandem of Daniel and Hawthorne has bolstered the JSU offense in their first season on the collegiate level. Daniel, from Guntersville, Ala., ranks third on the team in hits with 69, including 17 extra base hits. He ranks second on the club in doubles with 15 and has a pair of triples. Daniel has been clutch driving in runs with two outs in an inning with 26 RBI in that situation.
Hawthorne started strong at shortstop before suffering a hand injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. Before the hand injury, the Prattville, Ala.-native reached base in the first 20 games of the season. In the last 16 games Hawthorne has returned to his form at the beginning of the season as he is hitting .356 (16-of-45) with three doubles.
Right hander Jake Walsh has led a talented group of freshmen pitchers on the club and has solidified his spot in the Jax State rotation. Walsh, from Melbourne, Fla., has a record of 4-3 and made 14 appearances with 12 in the starting role. He has won three of his last four Saturday starts, including a 7.0 innings of work against Belmont. He scattered six hits and allowed just two runs. Walsh fanned a career-high eight Bruins in the outing. Walsh followed that outing the next week at Eastern Kentucky. He went a season-best 7.1 innings and allowed just two runs and six strikeouts. In those two weeks, he gave up just two free passes.
Hoyt, a left hander from Birmingham, Alabama, has become a reliable lefty out of the pen as a set up man. The Birmingham, Ala.-native has made 19 appearances with 13 of those coming since April 8 against UAB. He is earned his first win at Eastern Kentucky on May 3 and has struck out 20 in 19.1 innings of work. OVC opponents are hitting just .167 against him and an earned run average of 1.50 against the league.
Free live video of every game of the tournament is available on the OVC Digital Network, while all of JSU's games will be broadcast on the JSU Radio Network.
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