Moyer Earns A-Sun All-Freshman Honors
5/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 19, 2009
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Freshman Austin Moyer (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) finished second on USC Upstate baseball team in both homers (4) and wins (3), making him a valuable part of both the Spartans' starting lineups and pitching staff, helping the rookie earn Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team honors, the conference office in Macon, Ga., announced on Tuesday afternoon.
On the mound, Moyer posted tossed 51.2 innings, striking out 32 and walking 34. Towards the end of the season, Moyer started to excel as he allowed one run or less in two of his last four starts. Against Charleston Southern, he posted one of the best pitching performances of the season for Upstate. The 6-0 freshman retired 11 in a row at one point and allowed just five hits and one run in seven innings against the Buccaneers, striking out a season-high seven. Moyer also had a great performance on April 15 against N.C. A&T. He pitched seven innings, allowing just two hits and an unearned run. Moyer used pinpoint control to strike out four and walk none while allowing just two hits, one an infield single and one a seventh-inning double. Moyer also earned a win by tossing eight innings and allowing seven hits and four runs against A-Sun school Belmont on March 7.
At the plate, Moyer helped fill a slot in the middle of Upstate's lineup for much of the season, hitting .278 with four homers and 34 RBI. He led the team with 31 walks and was second with a .419 on-base percentage. He also added 21 runs, eight doubles and two triples. In his first career start, Moyer went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI and a homer in a win over SIU Edwardsville on Feb. 21. He finished third on the team with 10 multiple-RBI efforts and also added eight multiple-hit efforts, including three three-hit games. Moyer posted a career-high four-RBI by going 3-for-5 with a triple at Jacksonville on March 28. Against North Florida, the 6-0 first baseman/designated hitter hit homers in both ends of a doubleheader, going 2-for-6 with two runs and three RBI in the first game before adding two RBI in the second game.
The Spartans finished their second year of Division I play with an overall record of 17-37 and added a mark of 7-23 in the Atlantic Sun Conference under 12th-year head coach Matt Fincher.
2009 Atlantic Sun Conference Postseason Awards Player of the Year: Jeremy Cruz, Stetson Pitcher of the Year: Chad Jenkins, Kennesaw State Freshman of the Year: Dylan Craig, Belmont Coach of the Year: Dave Tollett, FGCUFirst Team All-Atlantic Sun Pos. Name School CL SP Chris Sale FGCU So. SP Chad Jenkins Kennesaw State Jr. SP Rex Brothers Lipscomb Jr. RP Kenny Faulk Kennesaw State Sr. C Jeremy Gillan Jacksonville Sr. 1B Paul Hoilman ETSU So. 2B Chuck Opachich Jacksonville Jr. 3B Tim Roberson FGCU So. SS Casey Frawley Stetson Jr. OF Ryan Hamme Campbell Sr. OF Josh Upchurch FGCU Sr. OF Jeremy Cruz Stetson Sr. DH Zach Maxfield, FGCU So.
Second Team All-Atlantic Sun Pos. Name School CL SP Matt Loosen Jacksonville So. SP Kyle Heckathorn Kennesaw State Jr. SP John Frawley UNF Sr. RP Chris Kamanski Jacksonville So. C Jace Whitmer Kennesaw State Jr. 1B Derek Wiley Belmont Sr. 2B Ellis Lowe Campbell So. 3B Brandon McCall Belmont Sr. SS Stephen Wickens FGCU So. OF Dylan Craig Belmont Fr. OF Troy Mendez ETSU Sr. OF Preston Hale UNF Jr. DH Aaron Crittenden Stetson Jr.
Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen Team Pos. Name School 3B * Bo Reeder ETSU IF * Mark Jones Stetson OF Dylan Craig Belmont P Jason Forjet FGCU OF Jonathan Murphy Jacksonville UTIL. Antonio Butler Lipscomb 1B Tennyson Dodd Lipscomb INF M.L. Williams Lipscomb INF Jacob Tanis Mercer RHP Lindsay Caughel Stetson C Nick Rickles Stetson LHP Ryan Sweat Stetson P/IF Austin Moyer USC Upstate
* Denotes Unanimous Selection
