SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Redshirt-freshman RF Daniel Aldrich (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) has been named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, and redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) and junior LHP Josh Renfro (Bradenton, Fla.) join Aldrich on the All-SoCon First Team as voted on by league's 11 head coaches. The Cougars received five all-conference selections as sophomore RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C.) and redshirt-junior C Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J.) earned second team all-conference nods.
Aldrich excelled from the start for the Cougars, batting .372 with 22 home runs and 72 runs batted in during his rookie campaign. He led all Division I freshmen in home runs and RBIs as well as slugging percentage (.794) and total bases (162). The freshman was one of the main reasons Charleston led the Southern Conference in scoring for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Aldrich was also named to the league’s All-Freshmen Team.
Leeds is batting .347 with 18 home runs and a team-high 75 RBIs, good for fourth in the country, and Renfro has posted a 9-2 record with a 3.58 ERA in 14 starts. In SoCon play, the southpaw is a perfect 7-0 in 10 league starts.
Powell boasts a team-best 3.13 ERA with a 7-1 record in 11 starts and is holding opponents to a .226 batting average. Kral is batting .332 on the season with 10 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He has recorded a team-high 58 walks, a mark that ranks second in the country.
Georgia Southern swept the individual awards, as Victor Roache has been voted the Southern Conference Player of the Year while Matt Murray has been honored as the Pitcher of the Year. UNCG head coach Mike Gaski was voted as the league's Coach of the Year.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or themselves in the voting process.
2011 SoCon Baseball All-Conference Team
Player of the Year - Victor Roache, So., OF, Georgia Southern
Pitcher of the Year - Matt Murray, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year - Daniel Aldrich, OF, College of Charleston
Coach of the Year - Mike Gaski, UNCG
First Team
SP Josh Renfro, College of Charleston
SP Andy Moye, Georgia Southern
SP Warren Slack, UNCG
RP Matt Murray, Georgia Southern
C Trevor Edwards, UNCG
1B Saxon Butler, Samford
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern
3B Matt Leeds, College of Charleston
OF Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
OF Nick Orvin, The Citadel
OF Victor Roache, Georgia Southern
DH Stephen Notaro, Western Carolina
Second Team
SP Christian Powell, College of Charleston
SP Kyle Putkonen, Samford
RP Andrew Jones, Samford
C Rob Kral, College of Charleston
1B Aaron Thompkins, Furman
2B Sebastian Gomez, Elon
SS Neal Pritchard, Elon
3B Austin Schultz, Western Carolina
OF Shawn Payne, Georgia Southern
OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
OF Brandon Miller, Samford
DH Mac Doyle, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Preston Troutman, Appalachian State
Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
Joe Jackson, The Citadel
Forrest Brandt, Davidson
Sebastian Gomez, Elon
David Whitehead, Elon
Brandon Browne, UNCG
Phillip Ervin, Samford
C.K. Irby, Samford
Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina
Adam Martin, Western Carolina
Aldrich excelled from the start for the Cougars, batting .372 with 22 home runs and 72 runs batted in during his rookie campaign. He led all Division I freshmen in home runs and RBIs as well as slugging percentage (.794) and total bases (162). The freshman was one of the main reasons Charleston led the Southern Conference in scoring for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Aldrich was also named to the league’s All-Freshmen Team.
Leeds is batting .347 with 18 home runs and a team-high 75 RBIs, good for fourth in the country, and Renfro has posted a 9-2 record with a 3.58 ERA in 14 starts. In SoCon play, the southpaw is a perfect 7-0 in 10 league starts.
Powell boasts a team-best 3.13 ERA with a 7-1 record in 11 starts and is holding opponents to a .226 batting average. Kral is batting .332 on the season with 10 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He has recorded a team-high 58 walks, a mark that ranks second in the country.
Georgia Southern swept the individual awards, as Victor Roache has been voted the Southern Conference Player of the Year while Matt Murray has been honored as the Pitcher of the Year. UNCG head coach Mike Gaski was voted as the league's Coach of the Year.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or themselves in the voting process.
2011 SoCon Baseball All-Conference Team
Player of the Year - Victor Roache, So., OF, Georgia Southern
Pitcher of the Year - Matt Murray, Jr., RHP, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year - Daniel Aldrich, OF, College of Charleston
Coach of the Year - Mike Gaski, UNCG
First Team
SP Josh Renfro, College of Charleston
SP Andy Moye, Georgia Southern
SP Warren Slack, UNCG
RP Matt Murray, Georgia Southern
C Trevor Edwards, UNCG
1B Saxon Butler, Samford
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern
3B Matt Leeds, College of Charleston
OF Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
OF Nick Orvin, The Citadel
OF Victor Roache, Georgia Southern
DH Stephen Notaro, Western Carolina
Second Team
SP Christian Powell, College of Charleston
SP Kyle Putkonen, Samford
RP Andrew Jones, Samford
C Rob Kral, College of Charleston
1B Aaron Thompkins, Furman
2B Sebastian Gomez, Elon
SS Neal Pritchard, Elon
3B Austin Schultz, Western Carolina
OF Shawn Payne, Georgia Southern
OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
OF Brandon Miller, Samford
DH Mac Doyle, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Preston Troutman, Appalachian State
Daniel Aldrich, College of Charleston
Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
Joe Jackson, The Citadel
Forrest Brandt, Davidson
Sebastian Gomez, Elon
David Whitehead, Elon
Brandon Browne, UNCG
Phillip Ervin, Samford
C.K. Irby, Samford
Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina
Adam Martin, Western Carolina
