Bowley, Green Earn All-Atlantic Sun Honors

May 20, 2008

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After helping the USC Upstate baseball team to its first winning conference season since 1990, senior Kyle Bowley (Apopka, Fla./Apopka) and freshman Blake Green (Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern) were honored by the Atlantic Sun Conference, the league's office announced on Tuesday. Bowley was named Second Team All-Atlantic Sun and Green earned a slot on the league's All-Freshman Team.

Bowley, one of 114 pitchers on the Roger Clemens Award List given to the nation's top collegiate pitcher, had the best season of his career for the Spartans to earn the first all-conference honors of his career. Bowley finished his season fifth in the Atlantic Sun in ERA (3.66), tied for fifth in wins (6), sixth in strikeouts (69) and tied for second in complete games (3). All of those marks were career highs for the hurler, who entered the season with a 12-9 career record and a 4.67 ERA.

He had a litany of great performances this season, winning several historic games for Upstate. He threw seven innings, allowing seven hits and one run in Upstate's Division I debut, an 8-3 win over New Jersey Tech on Feb. 22, striking out eight and followed that by throwing eight innings in a complete-game five-hitter in Upstate's Atlantic Sun debut, an 11-1 win over ETSU on March 1.

He also struck out a career-high 11 in a nine-inning, 140-pitch complete-game in Upstate's first-ever win against North Florida on March 21. Although he has been hampered by a hamstring injury that shortened two starts, Bowley pitched with the hamstring pull in an eight-inning win against A-Sun Tournament top-seed Lipscomb, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. He struck out five and helped Spartans stay in the game to take the 5-4 win. Bowley finished his career with an impressive complete-game seven-hitter against A-Sun regular season champion FGCU, taking the 9-3 win in the rubber-game of the series.

Bowley finishes his career tied for third in school history in career wins (18), first in walks allowed per nine innings (1.95), third in strikeouts (176), fourth in games started (39), third in innings pitched (249.2) and 10th in earned run average (4.36).

Green earned All-Freshman honors after hitting .294 with 23 runs and 19 RBIs for the Spartans. An outfielder/second baseman, Green proved to be one of the best defensive players on the squad, posting a .972 fielding percentage with just two errors in 16 games at second base and a .969 fielding percentage in 33 games in center field. Green is one of eight freshmen in school history to record 50 hits during their rookie campaigns and his speed also made a quick impact on the team, as he notched six bunt base hits. Green also was tied for 24th in the nation in sac bunts per game (0.26) and tied for 29th in sac bunts (11) through the last NCAA baseball rankings, released on May 11.

Upstate, which finished 25-29 overall and 17-16 in the Atlantic Sun, finished over .500 in conference play for the first time since then-USC Spartanburg went 12-6 in the NAIA District Six in 1990. It finished tied for fifth in the conference and would have qualified for the six-team Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament field, but it is still in the first of its four years in the provisionary process in the transition to Division I, making it ineligible for postseason play.

2008 All-Atlantic Sun Conference Teams
Player of the Year: Jason Peacock, FGCU
Pitcher of the Year: Richard Bleier, FGCU*
Freshman of the Year: Robert Crews, STET
Coach of the Year: Dave Tollet, FGCU
*Unanimous Selection
First Team All-Conference:
SP Richard Bleier*, FGCU;
SP Brandon McClurg, LIP;
SP Carlo Testa, BEL;
RP J.J. Crumbley, FGCU;
C Caleb Joseph, LIP;
1B Jason Peacock, FGCU;
2B Jacob Robbins, KSU;
3B Anthony Russell, ETSU;
SS Casey Frawley, STET;
OF Justin Bass, STET;
OF Ozzie Borrell, FGCU;
OF Carlo Testa, BEL;
DH Travis Martin, UNF
* Unanimous Selections
Second Team All-Conference:
SP Pete Woodworth, FGCU;
SP Andy Mauldin, STET;
SP Kyle Bowley, UPST;
RP Tyler Stohr, UNF;
C Jeremy Gillan, JU;
1B Jeremy Cruz, STET;
2B Mikel Alvarez, FGCU;
3B Robert Crews, STET;
SS Chad Knight, UNF;
OF Brock Miller, GWU;
OF Jay Morrow, KSU;
OF John Dortch, MER;
DH Bubbie Spake, GWU;
DH Joe Winker, MER
All-Freshman Team:
Joe Winker*, MER;
Robert Crews*, STET;
Nate Woods, BEL;
Mikel Alvarez, FGCU;
Ellis Lowe, CAM;
Paul Hoilman, ETSU;
Chris Sale, FGCU;
Blake Green, UPST;
Matt Loosen, JU;
Ryan Rodebaugh, KSU;
Sean Emory, STET;
Matt Zeblo, BEL;
Richie Erath, FGCU
* Unanimous Selections

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