CLEMSON BASEBALL

Crownover has a 10-1 record in 14 starts this season
Crownover has a 10-1 record in 14 starts this season

Crownover named ACC Pitcher of the Year


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GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Wake Forest sophomore first baseman/pitcher Will Craig has been chosen the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s 14 head coaches.

Clemson junior Matthew CrownoverMatthew Crownover
Jr. LH Pitcher
#44 6-0, 210
Ringgold, GA

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was voted the ACC Pitcher of the Year.

Louisville’s successful ACC baseball debut was also reflected in the 2015 major award winners announced on Monday. Cardinals two-way standout Brendan McKay has been chosen as the ACC Freshman of the Year, while Dan McDonnell was selected as the ACC Coach of the Year.

Craig, Crownover and McKay head up the 2015 All-ACC Baseball Team, which was also announced on Monday.

Craig ranks second among ACC hitters with a .382 batting average and is tied for fourth among the league leaders in home runs (13). He ranks third in RBIs (58) while starting all 53 games for the Demon Deacons. He also appeared in 15 games on the mound – seven as a starter – and posted a 3-4 record with one save. He struck out 39 batters in 44.1 innings.

A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Craig becomes the sixth student-athlete from Wake Forest to be voted the ACC Baseball Player of the Year and the first since Jamie D’Antona in 2003.

Clemson’s Crownover has posted a 10-1 record in 14 starts on the mound. The Ringgold, Georgia, junior leads the ACC in wins and also boasts the lowest ERA among qualifying pitchers at 1.42. Crownover has struck out 91 batters in 95 innings while allowing just 64 hits and 33 walks. He has limited opposing hitters to a .187 batting average and just 14 total extra-base hits.

Crownover is the first Clemson student-athlete to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year since the award was established in 2005. Former Tiger All-America hurler Kris Benson was named the overall ACC Player of the Year in 1996.

Louisville’s McKay is a leading candidate for the John Olerud Award, given annually to the nation’s top two-way player, after making an impact on the mound and at the plate in his first collegiate season. McKay owns an 8-2 record and 1.64 ERA and leads ACC pitchers in strikeouts with an even 100. Before moving into the Cardinals’ regular weekend rotation, the Darlington, Pennsylvania, freshman recorded four saves out of the bullpen.

A regular at first base when not on the mound, McKay is batting .318 with a pair of home runs, 29 RBIs and four stolen bases. In addition to All-ACC honors, McKay heads up the 12-member All-ACC Freshman Team announced on Monday.

McDonnell will guide the Cardinals into this week’s ACC Baseball Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park as the No. 1 overall seed. Louisville finished the regular season at 42-14 overall and set an ACC record for conference wins in a regular season with a 25-5 mark in league play. The Cardinals won all 10 of their ACC league series.

McDonnell owns a 401-173 record in nine seasons at Louisville and is the only head coach to lead his team to the NCAA Division I College World Series each of the past two seasons. This year’s honor marks his first Coach of the Year recognition in any of the three conferences in which the Cardinals have competed during his tenure.

Craig, Crownover and McKay are joined on the 16-member All-ACC first team by Clemson catcher Chris OkeyChris Okey
So. Catcher
#25 5-11, 195
Mount Dora, FL

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, Virginia Tech first baseman Brendon Hayden, Miami second baseman George Iskenderian, Wake Forest second baseman Nate Mondou, Miami third baseman David Thompson, Louisville shortstop Sutton Whiting, Florida State outfielder DJ Stewart, Louisville outfielder Corey Ray, Wake Forest outfielder Stuart Fairchild, Miami designated hitter/utility hitter Zack Collins, Louisville starting pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, Virginia starting pitcher Nathan Kirby and Louisville relief pitcher Zack Burdi.

Along with the impressive numbers put up by Craig, Crownover and McKay, the All-ACC first team includes the league’s leader in home runs (19) and RBIs (78) in Miami’s Thompson, and the ACC’s leading hitter in the Hurricanes’ Iskenderian (.391).

Louisville led all schools with five first-team All-ACC selections. Three each were selected from Miami and Wake Forest.

A league-high eight spots on the All-ACC first, second and third teams were filled by Miami, followed by seven from Louisville (with McKay filling two as first-team starting pitcher and second-team utility player). Clemson had six total selections.

Thirteen players named to the 2015 All-ACC Baseball Team were also first-, second- or third-team selections last season – Boston College’s Chris Shaw; Clemson’s Crownover, Tyler KriegerTyler Krieger
Jr. Infielder
#3 6-1, 170
Johns Creek, GA

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and Stephen Duggar; Florida State’s Stewart (the 2014 ACC Player of the Year); Georgia Tech’s Matt Gonzalez; Miami’s Collins (the 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year), Willie Abreu, Andrew Suarez, and Bryan Garcia; NC State’s Andrew Knizner, and Virginia’s Nathan Kirby (the 2014 ACC Co-Pitcher of the Year) and Daniel Pinero.

ACC Player of the Year

Will Craig, So., Wake Forest

ACC Pitcher of the Year

Matthew Crownover, Jr., Clemson

ACC Freshman of the Year

Brendan McKay, Fr., Louisville

ACC Coach of the Year

Dan McDonnell, Louisville

2015 All-ACC Baseball Teams

First Team

C - Chris Okey, So., Clemson

1B - Brendon Hayden, Sr., Virginia Tech

1B - Will Craig, So., Wake Forest

2B - George Iskenderian, Jr., Miami (FL)

2B - Nate Mondou, So., Wake Forest

3B - David Thompson, Jr., Miami (FL)

SS - Sutton Whiting, Sr., Louisville

OF - DJ Stewart, Jr., Florida State

OF - Corey Ray, So., Louisville

OF - Stuart Fairchild, Fr., Wake Forest

DH/UT - Zack Collins, So., Miami (FL)

SP - Matthew Crownover, Jr., Clemson

SP - Brendan McKay, Fr., Louisville

SP - Kyle Funkhouser, Jr., Louisville

SP - Nathan Kirby, Jr., Virginia

RP - Zack Burdi, So., Louisville

Second Team

C - Andrew Knizner, So., NC State

1B - Preston Palmeiro, So., NC State

2B - Andy Perez, Sr., Duke

3B - Matt Gonzalez, Jr., Georgia Tech

3B - Kenny Towns, Sr., Virginia

SS - Daniel Pinero, So., Virginia

OF - Chris Shaw, Jr., Boston College

OF - Reed RohlmanReed Rohlman
RS Fr. Outfielder
#26 6-0, 210
Moore, SC

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, Fr., Clemson

OF - Jake Fincher, Sr., NC State

DH/UT - Tyler Krieger, Jr., Clemson

DH/UT - Brendan McKay, Fr., Louisville

SP - Josh Rogers, So., Louisville

SP - Thomas Woodrey, Jr., Miami (FL)

SP - Zac Gallen, So., North Carolina

RP - Billy Strode, Sr., Florida State

RP - Josh Sborz, Jr., Virginia

Third Team

C - Garrett Kennedy, Sr., Miami (FL)

1B - Quincy Nieporte, So., Florida State

2B - Logan Ratledge, Sr., NC State

3B - Kyle Fiala, So., Notre Dame

SS - Eli WhiteEli White
So. Infielder
#4 6-2, 185
Easley, SC

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, So., Clemson

OF - Steven DuggarSteven Duggar
Jr. Outfielder
#9 6-2, 195
Moore, SC

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, Jr., Clemson

OF - Willie Abreu, So., Miami (FL)

OF - Skye Bolt, Jr., North Carolina

OF - Robert Youngdahl, Sr., Notre Dame

OF - Saige Jenco, So., Virginia Tech

DH/UT - A.J. Murray, Sr., Georgia Tech

SP - Brandon Gold, So., Georgia Tech

SP - Andrew Suarez, Sr., Miami (FL)

SP - Benton Moss, Sr., North Carolina

SP - Ryan Smoyer, So., Notre Dame

RP - Bryan Garcia, So., Miami (FL)

2015 ACC Baseball All-Freshman Team

Dylan Busby, 3B, Florida State

Kel Johnson, OF, Georgia Tech

Brendan McKay, SP/UT, Louisville

Lincoln Henzman, RP, Louisville

Brian Brown, SP, NC State

J.B. Bukauskas, P, North Carolina

Brandon Bielak, SP, Notre Dame

Sean Guenther, RP, Notre Dame

Adam Haseley, OF, Virginia

Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia

Justin Yurchak, 3B, Wake Forest

Stuart Fairchild, OF, Wake Forest

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