A record eight Conference USA players were named to the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball All-American team, it has been announced by the publication. The eight honorees are most C-USA players to ever receive All-American honors in one season, exceeding the seven players that earned honors following the 2002 season. Regular season champion East Carolina produced four of the All-Americans, while regular season and tournament runner-up Southern Miss also had four players named to the teams.
East Carolina’s Ryan Jones and Austin Tubb of Southern Miss were named as first team All-Americans, while USM’s Ryan Frith earned a spot on the second team. Five players were listed as third team All-Americans: Greg Bunn, Ryan Norwood and Trevor Lawhorn of East Carolina, and Jarrett Hoffpauir and Matt Shepherd of Southern Miss.
Jones was named the 2004 Conference USA Player of the Year after hitting .409 heading into the conference tournament and finishing league play hitting .407 in conference. Currently, he leads the nation in slugging percentage (.834) with 46 of his 80 hits serving as extra-base hits including 24 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs for a team-high 66 RBI. Jones has been named a 2004 Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist. He has posted 24 multiple hit games and 14 multiple RBI games.
Tubb, who was also an All-American selection in 2003, currently is 7-0, with 10 saves and a 1.01 ERA in 35.2 innings pitched this season. He also was selected as a preseason All-American and has struck out 47 batters, walked six and opponents are hitting .225 against him. His seven wins rank him second on the team. He is Southern Miss' all-time save leader (20) and needs three more to tie for the all-time season record.
Frith, a first team All-Conference USA selection, is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, signifying the top player in college baseball. He leads the team in home runs (22), slugging percentage (.676), is second in total bases (161), is third in hits (81), batting average (.340), on-base percentage (.419), doubles (14), fourth in runs scored (57) and tied for fourth in walks (29).
Norwood was named first team All-C-USA after setting the school record in single-season doubles (29) and leads the conference in the category. He's second on the team hitting .374 overall and hit a league-leading .432 in conference games. He is second on the team with 85 hits including 43 extra-base hits (29 doubles, 1 triple and 13 home runs) and is one of four players for the Pirates to start every game this season. He set the conference record for doubles in conference play and has posted a team-high 28 multiple hit games and 18 multiple RBI games.
Lawhorn also earned first-team All-Conference USA honors. He was named to the 2004 Golden Spikes Watch list and named a 2004 Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. He ranks second in C-USA in home runs (22) and continues to be one of the top leaders in the nation in home runs per game (.39). Thirty-six of his 73 hits are extra-base hits with 15 doubles and 21 home runs. He tied the school record when he homered in six straight games from Mar. 28-Apr. 9 and ranks second on the team in RBI (64) which is third in conference. He has posted 19 multiple hit games and 14 multiple RBI games.
Bunn was named the 2004 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year. The converted closer from the 2003 season has started 15 games for the Pirates. Opponents are hitting .196 against him which leads C-USA and he has 98 strikeouts in 93.2 innings of work. He is a perfect 9-0 on the season. He earned wins in four of ECU's eight shutouts on the season including a 9-0 shutout of No. 12 Southern Miss in Hattiesburg to clinch the regular season C-USA title.
Hoffpauir is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, signifying the top player in college baseball. The Vidalia, La., native is currently leading the team in batting average (.403), hits (104), RBIs (86), total bases (166), sacrifice flies (11) and fielding assists (195) and is second in runs (62), slugging percentage (.643), on-base percentage (.439), doubles (25) and fielding double plays (51). He is third in fielding percentage (.981) and tied for third in triples (2).
Shepherd currently leads Southern Miss in runs scored (72), doubles (27), triples (6), stolen bases (7) and on-base percentage (.455). He is second on the team in batting average (.386), hits (102), sacrifice bunts (8), fielding assists (182), third in total bases (147), slugging percentage (.557), fielding double plays (48), walks (31) and fifth in RBIs (41). He had a season-high 14-game hitting streak broken against TCU in the last game. He also had hitting streaks of seven games twice and a 12-game hitting streak during this season.
