Monday, January 28, 2008

GONZALEZ, HAMMONS EARN TBCA HONORS

NASHVILLE --- Tusculum College’s Maikol Gonzalez and Kevin Hammons have been named the 2007 Division II Player and Pitcher of the Year by the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association. The announcement came at the TBCA annual convention in Nashville this past weekend.

Gonzalez, a 6-0, 185-pound second baseman from Maracaibo, Venezuela, led the Pioneers with a .444 batting average (7^th in NCAA II), while posting a school and league record 14 triples, which were tops in the nation in 2007. He was named the Daktronics Division II South Region and South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, while also earning All-America and All-Region recognition. Gonzalez also drove in a team-best 65 runs batted in (38^th in NCAA II) and recorded 19 stolen bases. At the 2007 NCAA South Regional Tournament, he batted .429 with three RBI as the Pioneers, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament squad. He was also named the Tusculum Male Athlete of the Year for 2006-07.

In 2008, he has been selected to the Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division II South Region Preseason All-America Team and is slated to be in the heart of the Tusculum batting order when the No. 7 Pioneers open the season this weekend at sixth-ranked Mount Olive College.

Hammons, a 6-4, 190-pound southpaw pitcher from Jonesborough, Tenn., becomes the second Pioneer to be named TBCA Pitcher of the Year, in as many seasons. Former All-America pitcher Brent Gabel earned this accolade last year.

Hammons was named to the Daktronics All-America Second Team and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s All-America Second Team in 2007. He enjoyed a stellar senior campaign as he posted a 9-1 record and a 2.77 earned run average. He was named the Daktronics South Region and SAC Pitcher of the Year for his efforts. Hammons struck out 80, while walking just 23 in his 74.2 innings of work in 2007.

During his two seasons at Tusculum, Hammons went 11-2 and accounted for a 4.10 ERA, the eighth lowest in school history. Off the field, he was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First Team.

This past summer, he was the 24^th-round draft pick of the Florida Marlins and played for their A-affiliate, the Jamestown Jammers. Hammons made 12 appearances, including a pair of starts as he posted a 3-0 record with a 3.63 ERA in 22.1 innings.

In 2007, the Pioneers went 50-14, establishing a new Tusculum and SAC record for wins in a season. TC claimed its third consecutive league title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years.

This year’s squad returns 20 lettermen, including eight starters and nine pitchers.

- TC -