Tigers, Panthers top SCAC divisions

By Jim Dixon, d3sports.com

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC): The SCAC sent only one team to the NCAA playoffs as Rhodes and Millsaps fell short of qualifying for an at-large bid. Birmingham-Southern, in their last year as a provisional team, was 24-7 (.774) against regional opponents and had a good shot at getting a playoff bid had they been eligible for the playoffs.

SCAC-East regular season champion: Birmingham-Southern
SCAC-West regular season champion: Trinity (Texas)
SCAC tournament champion: Trinity (Texas)
SCAA tournament participant: Trinity (Texas)
SCAC Player of the Year: Drew Leachman, Birmingham-Southern
SCAC Pitcher of the Year: Ben Klimesh, Trinity (Texas) & Clay Malcolm, Birmingham-Southern
SCAC Newcomer of the Year: Christian Muscarello, Trinity (Texas)
SCAC Coach of the Year: Tim Scannell, Trinity (Texas)

SCAC East

Drew Leachman was the 2011 SCAC Player of the year. Birmingham-Southern athletics photo

Birmingham-Southern (30-9; 12-3): The Panthers would have easily been a top 25 team but as a provisional team was ineligible for inclusion in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25. This is now a thing of the past as Birmingham-Southern will now be eligible for the SCAC tournament and NCAA playoffs in 2012. Birmingham-Southern was 11-1 to start the SCAC schedule and never trailed winning the SCAC-East for the third straight year.

Drew Leachman was named the SCAC Player of the year. He led the SCAC during the regular season with a .451 batting average and also led the league in hits (73), runs scored (60) and on-base percentage (.521). He also surpassed 200 runs scored for his career this season, making him just the fifth player in league history to accomplish that feat. On June 8th, the Minnesota Twins made the outfielder the 1138th overall selection in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.

Clay Malcolm was the co-Pitcher of the Year in the SCAC. Malcolm ended the season 8-0 with an earned run average of 2.89, and 52 strikeouts. With 27 career wins, Malcolm is currently tied for fifth on the SCAC all-time wins list.

Six more Panthers were named to the All-SCAC team. In the infield were catcher Sam Hill (.396, 17 2B, 44 RBI), first baseman Bruce Maxwell (.388, 8 HR, 57 RBI) and second baseman Brandon Ricco (.347, 12 2B, 37 RBI). Centerfielder J.D. Hulse (.349, 55 R, 32 RBI, 18 SB) was the remaining regular on the conference All-Star team. Clay Jones (3-0, 1.65, 37 SO) and Jesse Meier (7-1, 2.70, 36 SO) joined Malcolm as pitchers honored. A fourth pitcher, Richard Vance (3-1, 1.73, 16 SO) was named as an honorable mention selection.

Rhodes Hunter Chandler led the SCAC with a 1.71 ERA. Rhodes athletics photo

Rhodes (24-20; 11-4): Every senior class to play all four years under coach Jeff Cleanthes has won 100 games and this year was no different. The 2011 senior class won 104 games in their four years at Rhodes. Rhodes finished a game behind Birmingham-Southern but with the Panthers in their last year of provisional status, Rhodes was the top seed in the SCAC tournament. The Lynx made news in the tourney with an 8-7 win in 21 innings over Oglethorpe, their second win of the tournament. Two losses to Trinity (Texas) and Hendrix knocked Rhodes out of contention for the conference's automatic bid.

Senior outfielder/first baseman Brent Lindsey joined exclusive company when he collected his 200th career hit.  Lindsey's 200th hit came in the form of a two-out, game tying, RBI double to left center.  Lindsey is the 30th player in SCAC history and 5th in Rhodes history to reach this career milestone.

Seniors Hunter Chandler and Andrew Meier were named 1st Team All-SCAC for the 2011 baseball season. Chandler was 4-2 on the year with a conference leading 1.71 ERA.  Meier hit .312 and led the Lynx with 23 stolen bases. Pitcher Austin Carden, outfielder Matt Gilbert, shortstop Lynden Pindling, and freshman second baseman Stewart Martens were named honorable mention All-SCAC.

DePauw (19-21; 6-6): DePauw started and ended their season with wins but in between the Tigers endured a nine game losing streak. The Tigers 19-21 record ends a four year string of above .500 finishes and is three years from their program record 35 wins in a season. DePauw will be moving to the NCAC in 2012.

Four tigers were named to the All-SCAC team. First baseman Rob McPike (.361, 32 R, 29 RBI), shortstop Ben Gardner (.326, 35 R, 12 2B, 14 RBI), and designated hitter Jason Cohen (.368, 11 2B, 35 RBI) were the players named. Andy Mason (4-2, 3.06, 32 SO) represented the pitching staff on the All-star team.

Brendan Pilger hit 12 home runs in 2011 for the Petrels. Oglethorpe athletics photo

Oglethorpe (18-24; 6-8): There was not a lot of joy in the Oglethorpe dugout except for a three week period in which the Petrels could not lose. In the midst of their nine game winning streak, Oglethorpe shocked the third ranked team in the nation, defeating Wisconsin Stevens-Point 5-3 in the spring break trip for both teams. Sophomore Cory Leff launch a game-winning two-run bomb in the bottom of the 7th to lift the Stormy Petrels to the upset win.

Matt Cornwell (.345, 43 R, 26 RBI) received his second consecutive All-SCAC selection. After earning a nod as a pitcher in 2010, Cornwell was honored as a shortstop in 2011 to become the first player in Oglethorpe history to do so at two different positions. Two outfielders, Brendan Pilger (.325, 43 R, 12 HR, 50 RBI) and Jeff Pope(.347, 42 R, 12 RBI, 24 SB) also received recognition for their play. Both Cornwell and Pilger were also named to the South All-Region team.

Centre (13-22; 6-9): The Danville Kentucky school did not contend for the conference title and made most of their news off the diamond. Centre will join six other SCAC schools with baseball programs to form a new conference that is more geographically compact.

Seniors Cory Crowdis (.303, 4 HR, 18 RBI) and Steven Proctor (.304, 7 2B, 24 RBI), juniors Ben Lause (3-3, 6.35, 37 SO) and Joe Nash (2-2, 4.67, 29 SO) and sophomore Danny Freudiger (.297, 6 HR, 23 RBI) were each named to the honorable mention team for their efforts.  Of the Colonels named only Freudiger was not a repeat selection

Sewanee (10-21; 0-11): Sewanee was the only SCAC school without a conference win in 2011. Several players stood out in 2011. Senior outfielder Joe Reilly was the sole Tiger's representative on the South All-Region team. Reilly, a first team All-SCAC pick, led the Tigers in hitting with a .425 average, which was good for second in the SCAC. His team-leading 51 hits tied him for eighth in the SCAC and his .489 on base percentage was fifth best in the conference. Joining him on the All-SCAC team was outfielder Taylor Irwin (.371, 12 2B, 35 RBI). Utility player Chris Mauro (.373, 23 R, 13 2B, 25 RBI) and third baseman Franklin Pogue (.345, 2 HR, 17 RBI) were honorable mention selections.

SCAC  West

Kyle Felix was a second team D3baseball.com All-American in 2011. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo

Trinity (Texas) (34-13; 15-5): Trinity (Texas) was ranked 20th in the D3baseball.com preseason pool and finished the season in the nineteenth spot. The Tigers peaked at number ten in the fourth week of the Top 25 with a 21-5 record. The Tigers were the sole representative of the SCAC in the NCAA playoffs by virtue of their second consecutive SCAC tournament title, seventh overall. The Tigers lost a close game to Redlands to open the playoffs and needed a Nick Pappas grand slam to escape elimination with their game against Concordia-Texas. There was no magic left in the next game as the Tigers fell to Linfield 9-6 ending Trinity's season.

Leading the Tigers was SCAC Coach of the Year, Tim Scannell. in his 13th season the Tigers, the Trinity skipper guided Trinity to its 10th 30+ win season. On April 5th Scannell earned his 400th career win against McMurry on April 5.

Senior catcher Kyle Felix was able to fill his trophy case in 2011. Felix was named to the D3baseball.com All-American team, as well as the West Region Player of the Year. Felix tied a Trinity single-season record of 14 home runs, and was second in doubles, with 24. Felix batted .365, registered 61 RBI, and scored 51 runs. He also stole 14 bases, and had a fielding average of .987. With his standout season, Felix became the Tigers all-time leader in home runs, RBI, and doubles. A member of the All-SCAC team, Felix was beaten out in Player of the Year honors to Birmhingham-Southern's Drew Leachman.

Ben Klimesh was named the SCAC co-Pitcher of the Year. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo

Junior pitcher Ben Klimesh was named co-Pitcher of the Year. Klimesh sported a 10-2 record, and a 3.42 ERA with 103 strikeouts over 81.2 innings of work. In 2011, he become just the 10th player in Trinity history to record 200 career strikeouts. Klimesh is the second pitcher from Trinity to earn SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year honors in the last three years (Noah Solomon – 2009) and the sixth all-time, which ties Millsaps for the most all-time SCAC POTY awards.

Four players were on both the West All-Region team and the All-SCAC team. Outfielder Pappas batted .351, cracked eight home runs, 50 RBI, 12 doubles, and scored 46 runs. Fellow outfielder Kevin Calbick missed 10 games because of an injury, but still led the Tigers in batting (.407). Calbick hit 11 doubles, five home runs, 28 RBI, and scored 41 runs. Shortstop Christian, also named the SCAC Newcomer of the Year, hit .333, smacked 29 RBI, 20 doubles, and scored 43 runs. The final member from Trinity on the All-SCAC team was senior infielder/outfielder Kevin Jackson. Jackson led the Tigers with 55 runs, and went .351 at the plate, while driving in 23 runs.

Will Hawkins led the Majors in neatly every offensive category in 2011. Millsaps photo by Frank Ezelle

Millsaps (24-18; 11-9): After a 7-0 start to the season, Millsaps went 14-12 going into a crucial conference series with Texas (Trinity) where the SCAC west title was decided. The Majors were outscored 40-14 as the Tigers swept the three game series sending Millsaps to second place in the SCAC-West. The Millsaps season ended with a 0-2 record in the SCAC championship tournament. The high point of the season was a two game seep of then no. 11 Illinois Wesleyan.

Seven players were named to the All-SCAC team. On the top squad was third baseman Will Hawkins, second baseman Kevin Wall, pitcher Jason Riggins, and pitcher Aaron Williams. Hawkins led the Majors among the regulars with a .368 batting average. The Major's third baseman also was tops in doubles (14), runs, (45), hits (63), home runs (8), and stolen bases (19). Wall batted .324 with 12 doubles and 14 RBI. Williams (6-3, 3.96, 40 SO) led the team in wins and Riggins (5-1, 3 saves, 3.23, 58 SO) was tops in strikeouts. On the honorable mention list were Stephen Gates (.412, 10 R, 11 RBI), Jake Mills (.314, 22 R, 22 RBI), Jules Roussel (.311, 41 R, 27 RBI, 13 SB).

Clark Sims was an All-SCAC and West All-Region player in 2011. Henrdix athletics photo

Hendrix (19-22; 10-10): Hendrix stayed near the .500 mark all season but in the SCAC tournament, the Warriors made their move. Hendrix was seeded third in the SCAC-West but with three straight wins made it to the SCAC championship game. Hendrix needed two wins to capture the automatic bid but fell to Trinity (Texas) in the first game 9-1. Fittingly Hendrix split their final two games after the SCAC tournament with Rhodes.

Freshmen Collin Radack and Jacob Perschke were named to the All-SCAC team from Hendrix. Radack has started in all 35 games this year, while Perschke has been in the starting lineup in 28 contests. Radack lead Henrix with a .357 batting average, 56 hits, 12 doubles, and 24 RBI. Perschke has been a mainstay on the Warriors’ left side of the infield with 17 starts at third base and eight at shortstop. He is second on the Hendrix roster with a .354 batting average and 28 RBI. Radack received four votes for the SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year award.

Clark Sims received All-SCAC Honorable Mention and West All-Region honors this year. He finished the 2011 slate with a .316 batting average and led the team in runs scored (41), stolen bases (23) and assists (118). In the postseason, Sims helped lead the Warriors to their second SCAC Championship appearance in three years after posting a .412 average, five stolen bases, seven runs scored, and a 1.000 fielding percentage in 32 chances during this year’s conference tournament. Shortstop Kyle Raskin and pitcher Teddy Smoyer earned honorable mention honors. Raskin and Sims have been voted All-SCAC honorable mention the past three seasons, while Smoyer garnered first team honors in 2010.

Southwestern (17-20; 8-12): The season wrapped up for the Pirates with a 17-20 finish on the year but with a stellar 14-7 mark at home. After a season that saw four Pirate upper classmen and starters miss significant time due to injuries and the struggles of youth, the Pirates were still able to battle and hold of elimination from playoff contention until the last day of the season.

Chris Churchwell was one of four Pirates named to the All-SCAC team for 2011. Southwestern athletics photo

Four Pirates were named on the SCAC honorable mention team, Charlie Garrett, Patrick Keenan, Brett Martin, and Chris Churchwell. Charlie Garrett, a sophomore shortstop, was fourth on the team with a .328 batting average. He also led the team in stolen bases, taking nine throughout the season.

Keenan, a senior outfielder, turned it on at the end of the season and closed out his career on a high note including a 5-5 performance with 5 runs scored and 3 RBI's against Hendrix on April 9th. He was second on the team with a .343 batting average and is tied for the most home runs with three. Martin, a first-year first baseman, had a team high 45 hits and seven doubles. Martin drove in 25 runs, scoring 27 times this season. Pitcher Chris Churchwell (4-5, 3.76, 41 SO) was also named on the honorable mention team as well as on the SCAC All-Sportsmanship team.

Austin (11-24; 6-14): It was an up and down season for Austin as the ’Roos started the year slowly before coming on strong to close out the 2011 campaign. The ’Roos dropped their first six games of the year and found themselves at 5-18 overall midway through the year before closing out the year winning six of their final 12 games. Austin won three times against nationally ranked opponents over the course of the season. Those big wins game against Trinity (Texas) on March 19 when Tyler Steed pitched a gem to give Austin a 6-2 win, and then the ’Roos took two out of three games in a home stand against Millsaps in April.

Several players earned All-SCAC honors on the year, led by All-SCAC selection Scooter Merritt. The senior centerfielder batted .362 on the year while starting 34 games and scored 30 runs while driving in 13 more. Merritt added a team-best seven doubles on the year.

Also earning All-SCAC Honorable Mention status were seniors Tyler Steed and Brian Buehler along with sophomore Mason Leech. Steed was among the league leaders in innings pitched for the third straight season, winning a pair of games with a 4.84 earned-run-average and a team-best 33 strikeouts in 10 starts. Buehler overcame a slow start to the season to finish the year with a .331 batting average to go along with 17 runs scored and 17 RBI, and Leech batted .365 while starting 26 games at third base. Leech added 14 runs batted in and five doubles on the year.