For Immediate Release – 5/7/08 - #355
Lynchburg Baseball Team Honored With Three ODAC First-Teamers
Ronnie LaBrie Takes Home League Player of the Year Award
LYNCHBURG, VA – The Lynchburg College baseball team was rewarded for its stellar 2008 season by having three members of the team selected as Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) first-team performers, including the conference player of the year in Ronnie LaBrie (Vinton, VA/Staunton River). The Hornets also had two players chosen to the ODAC second-team.
LaBrie, who was named the league’s best shortstop, ended the regular season with a .438 batting average, second in the conference, while also leading the league in slugging percentage (.718), on-base percentage (.532), hits (71) and stolen bases (28).
Jon Crews (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage), who was voted on as the ODAC’s best first baseman, currently has a .370 batting average. He is third on the team in batting average, and is ranked in the ODAC’s top-five in eight offensive categories, including topping the RBI (52) and doubles (20) lists. Hornet third basemen Jeff Taylor (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) has been over the .400 mark in batting average all season, posing a .405 average to date. Taylor also stole 24 bases, second in the league, and was third in the conference with 62 hits.
Junior pitcher Joe Devlin (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) and sophomore centerfielder Cameron Grant (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) both took home second-team accolades for LC. Devlin has the conference’s best earned run average, giving up 0.96 earned runs per nine innings. He was also recently honored as the Lynchburg College Male Athlete of the Year. Grant was solid in centerfield all season, boasting a .331 batting average with nine doubles and four triples.
Randolph-Macon College head mentor Ray Hedrick was tabbed as ODAC Coach of the Year. Gary Bulman of Virginia Wesleyan College and RMC’s Byron Mendenhall were both awarded with Co-Pitchers of the Year, as each was named Co-Rookies of the Year as well. Washington & Lee University outfielder James Madden was the ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar Athlete of the Year.
LC (30-11) is still awaiting word to see if they will compete in the NCAA South Regional, which begins next week. LC is currently ranked 20th in the country and third in the South Region.
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