JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State assistant baseball coach Evan Bush and former Gamecock pitcher Garrett Farmer will be honored by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association on Friday night at the organization's Awards Banquet inside the Birmingham Marriott Hotel.

Bush, who has been with the program since 2016, was named the ALABCA's 2019 Large College Division Assistant Coach of the Year.  Farmer, a three-year letterwinner as a Gamecock and recent draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles, was chosen by the organization as the Large College Pitcher of the Year.

Bush has orchestrated one of the top offenses in the Ohio Valley Conference in four seasons on head coach Jim Case's staff.  In his first season with JSU in 2016, the program led the nation in doubles with a program-record 145 doubles.  He mentored JSU's all-time career hits leader, Clayton Daniel from 2015-2018.  Daniel established a new career hits mark with 330 total hits in a career that saw him achieve All-OVC honors every season as a Gamecock.  In 2019, JSU claimed an NCAA Division I era record for win with 39 wins and won the league title and the OVC Tournament crown.  JSU notched its first win in an NCAA Division I Regional by eliminating Illinois and reached the Oxford (Miss.) Regional Championship round after dispatching Clemson.

Farmer, the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, became JSU's all-time career strikeout leader in his outing against Belmont in the OVC Tournament.  Farmer entered the start needing one strikeout to match the record of 263 career strikeouts, previously held by former Gamecock pitcher, Bryan Williamson (1995-99).  He equaled Williamson's mark in the first inning.  The Huntsville, Alabama native took over the strikeout crown by striking out five Bruins in his 7.2 innings of work.  Farmer also moved passed the 100 strikeouts in a season plateau on May 23.  He is the first Gamecock to have two 100-plus strikeout seasons during a career.  In 2018, he struck out 107.  He ranks fourth in NCAA Division I Baseball in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.67).  Farmer is listed 15th in the nation in WHIP (0.92) and seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (1.07).  He finished the 2019 season with 105.1 innings pitched and accumulated 110 strikeouts and only walking 16 batters.