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| Zac Mathie |
Three seniors on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference First Team and Zac Mathie as the recipient of the Newcomer-of-the-Year award were among the highlights for The College of Wooster's baseball team when the NCAC office announced its 2011 awards Thursday. In all, seven Fighting Scots were picked for the all-conference team, led by pitchers Matt Barnes and Justin McDowell and shortstop Greg Van Horn on the first team.
In addition to his individual honor, Mathie was voted second-team all-NCAC along with fellow first-year Craig Day and senior pitcher Tyler Fugate, while junior catcher Michael DeBord received honorable mention.
Barnes collected a third all-league citation (first-team as a freshman, second-team as a junior) after posting a 4-2 record, 2.61 ERA, and conference-high 66 strikeouts during 51.2 innings. In addition to being first in strikeouts, his ERA ranks as the third-lowest in the NCAC, and he also stands third in opponents' batting average (.242). Barnes started nine games, but came in as a reliever five other times while producing three saves.
McDowell, who now joins Matt Englander (2000-02), Gerry Sagerman (1988, 1991-92), Adam Samson (2006-08), and John Werner (1999-02) as the only three-time first-team all-NCAC pitchers in team history, served as Wooster's ace for the third season in a row. He won five of 10 starts as part of a 5-2 record and three no decisions, while accumulating a 3.93 ERA and striking out 52 in 55.0 innings. McDowell's ERA rates ninth in the conference and he's tied for fourth in wins and games started, and fifth in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
Van Horn headed the Scots' offense for the second consecutive year en route to a second first-team all-league honor. The transfer from Princeton University is batting .412 – the sixth-highest average in the NCAC – and he's also reached safely 34 other times via walks (16) and hit by pitches (18) for a conference-high .535 on-base percentage. Wooster's top run scorer, Van Horn is tied for fourth in that category (37) and ranks second in stolen bases (18) and fifth in slugging percentage (.597). Of his 49 hits, nine have been doubles, two triples, and three home runs, and he's driven in 24 runs.
Mathie, who becomes the Scots' first NCAC Newcomer of the Year since Barnes in 2007, earned a starting nod in the outfield right away and quickly took over the clean-up spot in the lineup. He's been the squad's second-leading hitter most of the season, currently with a .336 average. A lefty at the plate, Mathie has belted 10 doubles and five home runs, and tallied 39 RBI, 15 more than anybody else on the team. Mathie's tied for third in the league in homers as well as third in RBI.
Day, Wooster's primary second baseman in his rookie season, owns a .330 batting average to go with good power, including six doubles and five home runs. In fact, he ranks 10th in the conference in slugging percentage (.567), in addition to being tied for third in homers. Noteworthy, three of Day's best efforts all came against archrival Wittenberg University, as he was 7-for-10 with two doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI versus the Tigers this spring.
Fugate, a repeat honoree on the all-league team (first-team as a junior), was the squad's closer for the second-straight year. He went 3-0 with the second-most saves in the NCAC at six, coming over a Scot-high 17 appearances on the mound. Due to a couple of uncharacteristic showings, Fugate's ERA sits at 5.94, however, it was a staff-low 1.56 during conference regular season games (17.1 innings). Overall, he has 33.1 innings pitched and 37 strikeouts – 10th-highest total in the league.
DeBord stepped into the starting catcher's role after serving as the back-up at that position and designated hitter his first two years. He has excelled defensively, throwing out 15 potential base stealers and picking off another, while adding solid offensive production. DeBord carries a .283 batting average with four doubles and 15 RBI, and he has been especially effective at moving runners over with eight sacrifice bunts and three sacrifice flies.
Wooster, after finishing in third-place at the NCAC Tournament, is currently 20-16 and looking to finish off the season strong with three games over the next three days, including a home doubleheader on Saturday. The Scots, who were very young with 23 freshmen on the roster, will likely miss a spot in the field of the NCAA Div. III Baseball Championships for the first time since 2003.