2011 NCBWA DII All-Americans

June 2, 2011
By

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Mount Olive College pitcher Carter Capps, Cameron University outfielder Chase Larsson and University of West Florida head coach Mike Jeffcoat headlined the list of players who received National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II All-America honors.

Capps, a sophomore right-hander from Kinston, N.C., was selected as the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-America performer after compiling a perfect 14-0 record and 1.37 earned run average, striking out 124 and walking only 16 in 111.1 innings pitched for the Southeast Regional champion Trojans.

Larsson, a junior from Vancouver, British Columbia, was named as the NCBWA National Player of the Year and a first-team All-America performer after he batted .432 with 13 doubles, four triples, 29 home runs and 84 RBIs for the Aggies.

Jeffcoat, who is in his sixth season as UWF’s head coach, was named as the NCBWA National Coach of the Year after leading the Argonauts to a 49-9 record, the Gulf South Conference East and South Regional championships and a berth in the Division II national tournament.

Four of Jeffcoat’s UWF players earned NCBWA All-America honors, led by first-team outfielder and South Region “Player of the Year” Greg Pron. A trio of Argonauts was named to second-team status: Starting pitcher Daniel Vargas-Villa, relief pitcher Shane Waller and shortstop Brandon Brewer.

Larsson was one of three Cameron student athletes who earned NCBWA All-America honors. Second baseman Josh Dawson and outfielder Kenny Held each earned a second-team honor.

Capps was joined on the NCBWA All-America team by two teammates, first-team designated hitter/utility player Mike Knox and honorable mention third baseman Jacob Rogers.

A panel of Division II media personnel and sports information directors selected the NCBWA All-America Team. To be eligible for NCBWA All-America honors, a student athlete must be selected as a first-team NCBWA all-region performer. The National Pitcher of the Year, National Player of the Year and National Coach of the Year are selected from a pool of candidates who earned those honors in regional voting.

The complete 2011 NCBWA Division II All-America Team included:

FIRST TEAM

Starting Pitcher: Carter Capps, Mount Olive

Starting Pitcher: Dave Middendorf, Northern Kentucky

Starting Pitcher: Ryan Thompson, Franklin Pierce

Relief Pitcher: Sammy Rivas, St. Mary’s (Texas)

Catcher: Joe Maloney, Limestone

First Baseman: Dean Green, Barry

Second Baseman: Stuart Drew, West Georgia

Shortstop: Tanner Funk, Georgia College

Third Baseman: Kendall Boone, West Texas A&M

Outfielder: Chase Larsson, Cameron

Outfielder: Dodson McPherson, Wingate

Outfielder: Greg Pron, West Florida

Designated Hitter/Utility Player: #Mike Knox, Mount Olive

SECOND TEAM

Starting Pitcher: +Kirk Jewasko, Incarnate Word

Starting Pitcher: Daniel Vargas-Villa, West Florida

Starting Pitcher: Corey Witkowski, Barry

Relief Pitcher: Shane Waller, West Florida

Catcher: Brandon Choate, Southern Arkansas

First Baseman: +Nick DiBiasse, Central Missouri

Second Baseman: Josh Dawson, Cameron

Shortstop: Brandon Brewer, West Florida

Third Baseman: Logan Williams, Southern Arkansas

Outfielder: Kenny Held, Cameron

Outfielder: Matt Johnson, Arkansas Tech

Outfielder: Travis Taijeron, Cal Poly Pomona

Designated Hitter/Utility Player: Brandon Gipson, Benedict

THIRD TEAM

Starting Pitcher: Jeremy Gigliotti, East Stroudsburg

Starting Pitcher: +Blake Schwartz, Minnesota State

Starting Pitcher: #Tim Shibuya, UC San Diego

Relief Pitcher: Josh Pond, Cal State San Bernardino

Catcher: Michael Wiseman, Wayne State (Mich.)

First Baseman: Robert Kelly, Saint Anselm

Second Baseman: Garrett Yatch, Grand Valley State

Shortstop: Mike August, Millersville

Third Baseman: Jordan Smith, St. Cloud State

Outfielder: Andrew Durden, Nova Southeastern

Outfielder: +Cody Grice, Grand Valley State

Outfielder: Dillon Hazlett, Emporia State

Designated Hitter/Utility Player: Nathan Minnich, Shepherd

HONORABLE MENTION

Starting Pitcher: Chuck Fontana, Molloy; Ajay Meyer, Ashland; Don Sandifer, Francis Marion; Kyle Schepel, Grand Valley State; Randy Sturgill, California (Pa.). Relief Pitcher: Braxton Lewis, UNC Pembroke; Mitch Rossi, New Haven. Catcher: Mike Godwin, Wilmington (Dela.); Kyle Wager, Colorado State-Pueblo. First Baseman: Andrew Haake, Nebraska Kearney; Brian Yeung, Wingate. Second Baseman: Matt Kuchenbecker, Minnesota State; ^Carlos Leyva, Cal State Dominquez Hills. Shortstop: #Deryk Marks, Augustana (S.D.); Bret Schwartz, Central Missouri. Third Baseman: Tom Deangelis, Seton Hill (Pa.); Jacob Rogers, Mount Olive. Outfielder: #Nate Baumann, Augustana (S.D.); Mike Bisenius, Wayne State (Neb.); David Fox, Metro State; Matt Howard, Slippery Rock; Omar Velasquez, Adelphi. Designated Hitter/Utility Player: +Will Calhoun, Abilene Christian; Derek Ingui, Franklin Pierce; Jon Shoutta, Regis.

# 2010 NCBWA Second-Team All-America selection

+ 2010 NCBWA Honorable Mention All-America selection

^ 2009 NCBWA Honorable Mention All-America selection

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *