ASU Baseball: Seven earn All-SWAC honors for Alabama State
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. |Â Alabama State had seven players earn Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) honors this season, including three on the first team.
Hunter May, who was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List, was named First Team catcher after a year in which he hit .351 in 31 starts, with an OPS of 1.080 with 33 hits on the season. He scored 31 runs and drove in another 24, while recording 13 extra-base hits including ten doubles and three home runs.
He was joined on the first team by a pair of teammates in Cristopher DeGuzman and Santiago Garcia.
DeGuzman earned the nod at shortstop after a year in which he hit .370 in 40 games, while posting a .969 OPS and recording 57 hits. He recorded 14 extra-base hits, while scoring 44 runs and knocking in another 31. He also drew 21 walks and recorded a slugging percentage of .513 and had a .456 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, Garcia hit .326 with an OPS of 1.129 in 38 games. He recorded 43 hits, scored 37 runs, and drove in 41 more for the Hornets. He also led the team in home runs with ten and in doubles with 15.
Four other Hornets earned Second Team honors including third baseman Trenton Jamison who led the team in hitting at .390 in 40 games. He recorded 64 hits with an OPS of 1.094, scoring 44 runs and driving in another 43, with an on-base percentage of .460 with 16 walks. He also recorded 22 extra-base hits, including 12 doubles and eight home runs. He was joined on the second team by outfielder Jabronski Williams who finished the year hitting .329 in 38 games, with an OPS of .943. He collected 49 hits from his leadoff position, scoring 44 runs and knocking in another 31. He also drew 21 walks and recorded eight stolen bases.
A pair of pitchers were named to the second team led by starter Breon Pooler who finished the year 5-2 with a 3.47 earned run average in 11 starts. He logged 57.0 innings and allowed 32 runs (22 earned) on 38 hits, while recording 76 strikeouts. He held opponents to a .188 batting average and had six outings where he allowed four or fewer hits.
He was joined by reliever Payton Harris who finished the year with 19 appearances and a 1.38 earned run average. He finished 2-1 with three saves, while working 39.0 innings and allowed just 16 hits and 12 runs (six earned), while striking out 55. Harris held opponents to a .141 batting average.
Alabama State opens play in the SWAC Baseball Tournament against Southern on Wednesday afternoon at 12 pm in Madison (Ala.) at Toyota Field.
