Monday, April 21, 2008

TUSCULUM’S MAIKOL GONZALEZ NAMED SAC TOURNAMENT MVP,

SIX PIONEERS EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS

Maikol Gonzalez SAC Tournament MVP	Sean Cotten	Rob Currie	Eric Donahue	Paul Finger	Boo Morrow

ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College second baseman Maikol Gonzalez has been named the 2008 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament Most Valuable Player announced league officials Monday.

Joining Gonzalez on the All-Tournament Team from Tusculum are Rob Currie, Eric Donahue, Boo Morrow, Paul Finger and Sean Cotten.

Gonzalez, a senior from Maracaibo, Venezuela, batted .562 (9-for-16) with four stolen bases and led the Pioneers to their second SAC Tournament title. In Saturday’s winners’ bracket final against No. 23 Catawba, Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with a RBI and three runs scored. In Sunday’s championship game rematch with Catawba, the two-time All-Conference honoree went 1-for-3, while accounting for three stolen bases in TC’s 4-2 victory.

Currie, a junior right-handed pitcher from St. Charles, Ill., threw a complete-game victory in the championship game against Catawba. Currie scattered eight hits, allowed two runs, walked three and posted eight strikeouts to even his season record to 4-4.

Donahue, a senior right hander from New Market, N.H., picked up a win and struck out seven in a 4-1 victory over Carson-Newman. The 2008 All-SAC First Team selection, limited the Eagles to three hits in his seven innings of work to move his record to 6-1.

Morrow, a junior pitcher from Lexington, Ky., posted seven strikeouts in a 12-3 win at Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC Tournament opener. The All-SAC First Team honoree improved his record to a perfect 7-0, while lowering his earned run average to a league-best 1.58.

Finger, a sophomore third baseman from Lincolnton, N.C., hit .462 (6-for-13) with a double as he earns SAC All-Tournament honors in consecutive seasons. Finger contributed a 3-for-4 effort against Carson-newman and recorded a stolen base against tournament host Lenoir-Rhyne in the opener.

Cotten, a freshman first baseman from Mooresville, N.C., had eight RBI in his four-game tournament run. He went 7-for-16 (.438) with a double, a triple and two home runs. Cotten went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a triple and a home run against Lenoir-Rhyne. He later posted a 3-for-5 performance in Saturday’s contest with Catawba as he tallied four RBI, scored two runs and clubbed his second round-tripper of the tournament. In Sunday’s rematch with Catawba, he drove in the go-ahead run with his ninth double of the season in TC’s four-run, fourth inning.

Gonzalez becomes the second Tusculum player to be named SAC Tournament MVP. In 2005, catcher Adam Beacham earned the honor as the Pioneers became the first team in SAC history to drop its first game of the tournament and won six in a row to capture the championship.

The SAC All-Tournament Team is selected by a vote of the league’s head baseball coaches.

- SAC –

2008 South Atlantic Conference All-Tournament Baseball Team

Maikol Gonzalez, Tusculum (MVP)

Rob Currie, Tusculum

Eric Donahue, Tusculum

Boo Morrow, Tusculum

Paul Finger, Tusculum

Sean Cotten, Tusculum

Chad Baker, Catawba

Ryan Query, Catawba

Matt Kepley, Catawba

Brett Hatley, Catawba

Tim Smith, Catawba

Nick Siega Riz, Wingate

Scott Kelly, Wingate

Brett Hontz, Carson-Newman

Casio Grider, Newberry