Crownover named ACC Pitcher of the Year

Crownover named ACC Pitcher of the Year

Press Release – 2015-05-18 15:18:39.0

Crownover has a 10-1 record in 14 starts this season

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Wake Forest sophomore first baseman/pitcher Will Craig has been chosen the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s 14 head coaches.
Clemson junior Matthew CrownoverMatthew CrownoverJr. LH Pitcher#44 6-0, 210Ringgold, GAView Full Profile was voted the ACC Pitcher of the Year.
Louisville’s successful ACC baseball debut was also reflected in the 2015 major award winners announced on Monday. Cardinals two-way standout Brendan McKay has been chosen as the ACC Freshman of the Year, while Dan McDonnell was selected as the ACC Coach of the Year.
Craig, Crownover and McKay head up the 2015 All-ACC Baseball Team, which was also announced on Monday.
Craig ranks second among ACC hitters with a .382 batting average and is tied for fourth among the league leaders in home runs (13). He ranks third in RBIs (58) while starting all 53 games for the Demon Deacons. He also appeared in 15 games on the mound – seven as a starter – and posted a 3-4 record with one save. He struck out 39 batters in 44.1 innings.
A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Craig becomes the sixth student-athlete from Wake Forest to be voted the ACC Baseball Player of the Year and the first since Jamie D’Antona in 2003.
Clemson’s Crownover has posted a 10-1 record in 14 starts on the mound. The Ringgold, Georgia, junior leads the ACC in wins and also boasts the lowest ERA among qualifying pitchers at 1.42. Crownover has struck out 91 batters in 95 innings while allowing just 64 hits and 33 walks. He has limited opposing hitters to a .187 batting average and just 14 total extra-base hits.
Crownover is the first Clemson student-athlete to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year since the award was established in 2005. Former Tiger All-America hurler Kris Benson was named the overall ACC Player of the Year in 1996.
Louisville’s McKay is a leading candidate for the John Olerud Award, given annually to the nation’s top two-way player, after making an impact on the mound and at the plate in his first collegiate season. McKay owns an 8-2 record and 1.64 ERA and leads ACC pitchers in strikeouts with an even 100. Before moving into the Cardinals’ regular weekend rotation, the Darlington, Pennsylvania, freshman recorded four saves out of the bullpen.
A regular at first base when not on the mound, McKay is batting .318 with a pair of home runs, 29 RBIs and four stolen bases. In addition to All-ACC honors, McKay heads up the 12-member All-ACC Freshman Team announced on Monday.
McDonnell will guide the Cardinals into this week’s ACC Baseball Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park as the No. 1 overall seed. Louisville finished the regular season at 42-14 overall and set an ACC record for conference wins in a regular season with a 25-5 mark in league play. The Cardinals won all 10 of their ACC league series.
McDonnell owns a 401-173 record in nine seasons at Louisville and is the only head coach to lead his team to the NCAA Division I College World Series each of the past two seasons. This year’s honor marks his first Coach of the Year recognition in any of the three conferences in which the Cardinals have competed during his tenure.
Craig, Crownover and McKay are joined on the 16-member All-ACC first team by Clemson catcher Chris OkeyChris OkeySo. Catcher#25 5-11, 195Mount Dora, FLView Full Profile, Virginia Tech first baseman Brendon Hayden, Miami second baseman George Iskenderian, Wake Forest second baseman Nate Mondou, Miami third baseman David Thompson, Louisville shortstop Sutton Whiting, Florida State outfielder DJ Stewart, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Wake Forest outfielder Stuart Fairchild, Miami designated hitter/utility hitter Zack Collins, Louisville starting pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, Virginia starting pitcher Nathan Kirby and Louisville relief pitcher Zack Burdi.
Along with the impressive numbers put up by Craig, Crownover and McKay, the All-ACC first team includes the league’s leader in home runs (19) and RBIs (78) in Miami’s Thompson, and the ACC’s leading hitter in the Hurricanes’ Iskenderian (.391).
Louisville led all schools with five first-team All-ACC selections. Three each were selected from Miami and Wake Forest.
A league-high eight spots on the All-ACC first, second and third teams were filled by Miami, followed by seven from Louisville (with McKay filling two as first-team starting pitcher and second-team utility player). Clemson had six total selections.
Thirteen players named to the 2015 All-ACC Baseball Team were also first-, second- or third-team selections last season – Boston College’s Chris Shaw; Clemson’s Crownover, Tyler KriegerTyler KriegerJr. Infielder#3 6-1, 170Johns Creek, GAView Full Profile and Stephen Duggar; Florida State’s Stewart (the 2014 ACC Player of the Year); Georgia Tech’s Matt Gonzalez; Miami’s Collins (the 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year), Willie Abreu, Andrew Suarez, and Bryan Garcia; NC State’s Andrew Knizner, and Virginia’s Nathan Kirby (the 2014 ACC Co-Pitcher of the Year) and Daniel Pinero.
ACC Player of the YearWill Craig, So., Wake Forest
ACC Pitcher of the YearMatthew Crownover, Jr., Clemson
ACC Freshman of the YearBrendan McKay, Fr., Louisville
ACC Coach of the YearDan McDonnell, Louisville
2015 All-ACC Baseball Teams
First Team
C – Chris Okey, So., Clemson1B – Brendon Hayden, Sr., Virginia Tech1B – Will Craig, So., Wake Forest2B – George Iskenderian, Jr., Miami (FL)2B – Nate Mondou, So., Wake Forest3B – David Thompson, Jr., Miami (FL)SS – Sutton Whiting, Sr., LouisvilleOF – DJ Stewart, Jr., Florida StateOF – Corey Ray, So., LouisvilleOF – Stuart Fairchild, Fr., Wake ForestDH/UT – Zack Collins, So., Miami (FL)SP – Matthew Crownover, Jr., ClemsonSP – Brendan McKay, Fr., LouisvilleSP – Kyle Funkhouser, Jr., LouisvilleSP – Nathan Kirby, Jr., VirginiaRP – Zack Burdi, So., Louisville
Second Team
C – Andrew Knizner, So., NC State1B – Preston Palmeiro, So., NC State2B – Andy Perez, Sr., Duke3B – Matt Gonzalez, Jr., Georgia Tech3B – Kenny Towns, Sr., VirginiaSS – Daniel Pinero, So., VirginiaOF – Chris Shaw, Jr., Boston CollegeOF – Reed RohlmanReed RohlmanRS Fr. Outfielder#26 6-0, 210Moore, SCView Full Profile, Fr., ClemsonOF – Jake Fincher, Sr., NC StateDH/UT – Tyler Krieger, Jr., ClemsonDH/UT – Brendan McKay, Fr., LouisvilleSP – Josh Rogers, So., LouisvilleSP – Thomas Woodrey, Jr., Miami (FL)SP – Zac Gallen, So., North CarolinaRP – Billy Strode, Sr., Florida StateRP – Josh Sborz, Jr., Virginia
Third Team
C – Garrett Kennedy, Sr., Miami (FL)1B – Quincy Nieporte, So., Florida State2B – Logan Ratledge, Sr., NC State3B – Kyle Fiala, So., Notre DameSS – Eli WhiteEli WhiteSo. Infielder#4 6-2, 185Easley, SCView Full Profile, So., ClemsonOF – Steven DuggarSteven DuggarJr. Outfielder#9 6-2, 195Moore, SCView Full Profile, Jr., ClemsonOF – Willie Abreu, So., Miami (FL)OF – Skye Bolt, Jr., North CarolinaOF – Robert Youngdahl, Sr., Notre DameOF – Saige Jenco, So., Virginia TechDH/UT – A.J. Murray, Sr., Georgia TechSP – Brandon Gold, So., Georgia TechSP – Andrew Suarez, Sr., Miami (FL)SP – Benton Moss, Sr., North CarolinaSP – Ryan Smoyer, So., Notre DameRP – Bryan Garcia, So., Miami (FL)
2015 ACC Baseball All-Freshman Team
Dylan Busby, 3B, Florida StateKel Johnson, OF, Georgia TechBrendan McKay, SP/UT, LouisvilleLincoln Henzman, RP, LouisvilleBrian Brown, SP, NC StateJ.B. Bukauskas, P, North CarolinaBrandon Bielak, SP, Notre DameSean Guenther, RP, Notre DameAdam Haseley, OF, VirginiaPavin Smith, 1B, VirginiaJustin Yurchak, 3B, Wake ForestStuart Fairchild, OF, Wake Forest

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Crownover named ACC Pitcher of the Year
Source: TigerNet Updates