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Tollett, Murray, Noll and Suchy Earn #ASunBSB All-Conference Awards

*Press Release from FGCU Athletics

MACON, Ga. – In the wake of earning its fourth Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship in program history, the FGCU baseball team has had four individuals named to the A-Sun All-Conference awards list that was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. Head Coach Dave Tollett has been named A-Sun Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career, Mike Murray has been chosen at the Pitcher of the Year, Jake Noll’s stellar rookie campaign has been rewarded with Freshman of the Year honors and Michael Suchy joins the All-Conference First Team after earning All-Academic honors on Monday.

SP | MIKE MURRAY | PITCHER OF THE YEAR | ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM

Murray (West Palm Beach, Fla./Forrest Hill HS) is having arguably the greatest season an FGCU pitcher has ever had with a program record 12 wins to his credit and an A-Sun best 1.70 ERA to go with 78 strikeouts which also leads the league. Murray is the fourth A-Sun Pitcher of the Year that FGCU has had. He joins the group of Richard Bleier (2008), Chris Sale (2010) and Ricky Knapp (2012), all of which are now playing professional baseball.  

Murray is one of just nine pitchers in the A-Sun in the last 10 years to win double-digit games in a season and will start on Wednesdaywhen the Eagles open up the A-Sun Tournament at Swanson Stadium opposite North Florida. The sophomore has also been named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year watch list and is an NCBWA All-American nominee in recognition of the stellar season he is putting together. His name is mentioned alongside players from all of the power conferences including in-state rivals and perennial college baseball powers, Florida State, Miami and Florida. He is the only player on the College Baseball Hall of Fame watch list that comes from the A-Sun.
Earlier this season Murray became just the second pitcher in FGCU history to throw back-to-back complete games. Ricky Knapp did so in March of 2012 when he went the distance against North Florida and East Tennessee State in consecutive outings. During his streak of 43.1 innings without allowing an earned run that was snapped at Stetson, Murray’s ERA dropped as low as 0.18 at one point.
“Mike has had a tremendous season for us that ranks right up there with the best we have ever had here,” head coach Dave Tollett added. “He joins a great list of FGCU pitchers who have won this award and he has worked for this accomplishment. He is one of the best pitchers in the country and he has showed why all year long.”
2B | JAKE NOLL | FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR | ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM | ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Noll (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte HS) has been brilliant in during his freshman campaign serving as the catalyst at the top of the FGCU lineup. The Punta Gorda native has collected 96 hits this season which ranks second in the nation behind the A-Sun Player of the Year, Max Pentecost and just short of the single-season program record of 99 while also stealing an A-Sun best and FGCU single-season record 25 bases. Noll has also built a .374 batting average to go with 52 runs, 17 doubles and 28 RBI all while being the only Eagle to appear in all 56 games this season. The freshman is also working on an 18-game hit streak which is the longest of any FGCU player this season and since Josh Chester put together a 24-game hit streak in 2009. Noll is the first FGCU player in program history to earn Freshman of the Year honors and his efforts have also earned him spots on the All-Conference First Team and All-Freshman Team.
“Jake has been the catalyst of our offense from the very beginning,” Tollett added. “He has had a remarkable season because he brings so much to the table, be it hits or speed; he does it all. He certainly has a bright future in this program.”
OF | MICHAEL SUCHY | ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM | ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Suchy (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) put together his most productive season in an FGCU uniform while maintaining a 3.59 GPA in the field of Elementary Education. The junior posted a .321 batting average in 2014 to go with 70 hits, 50 runs, 15 doubles, four triples, eight homeruns and a career-best and team-high 48 RBI to help guide the Eagles to a fourth A-Sun Regular Season Championship. Suchy has been an important piece to the FGCU lineup all season long, appearing in all but one game as the right-fielder or DH. The Bradenton, Fla. native vastly improved his numbers from last season that earned him a spot on the A-Sun All-Conference Second Team. Suchy had an improved batting average this season and more runs, doubles, triples and RBI than last season. He also showed elite speed with 10 stolen bases to his credit. Suchy is widely considered by many outlets as the Eagles’ top professional prospect.
“Michael is an exceptional representative of this program and FGCU as a whole,” head coach Dave Tollett added. “It says a lot about him and the worker that he is. He is a tremendous student-athlete and has had a great season for us. I’m glad the conference recognized his outstanding work.”
Player of the Year: Max Pentecost, Kennesaw State
Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Massi, Mercer
Pitcher of the Year: Michael Murray, FGCU
Freshman of the Year: Jake Noll, FGCU
Coach of the Year: Dave Tollett, FGCU
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Pos. Name School Cl. Hometown Academic Major
C Max Pentecost Kennesaw State Jr. Winder, Ga. Biochemistry
1B Clinton Freeman ETSU Sr. Jonesborough, Tenn. History
2B Jake Noll FGCU Fr. Punta Gorda, Fla. Exercise Science
3B Scott Schaub Jacksonville Sr. Ocala, Fla. Exercise Science
SS Michael Massi Mercer Sr. Powder Springs, Ga. Accounting
OF Michael Suchy FGCU Jr. Bradenton, Fla. Education
OF Drew Weeks North Florida Jr. Green Cove Springs, Fla.
OF Sasha Lagarde Mercer Sr. Montreal, Quebec
*SP Michael Murray FGCU So. West Palm Beach, Fla. Exercise Science
SP David Trexler North Florida Sr. Lynn Haven, Fla. Communications
SP Eric Nyquist Mercer Jr. Alpharetta, Ga. Business Administration
RP Justin McCalvin Kennesaw State Jr. Leesburg, Ga.
DH Corbin Olmstead North Florida So. Tampa, Fla. Electrical Engineering
* – Denotes unanimous selection
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Pos. Name School Cl. Hometown Academic Major
C Garrett Russini Stetson Jr. Bradenton, Fla. Sports Management
1B Patrick Mazeika Stetson So. Wilbraham, Mass. Sports Management
2B Zac Asman Northern Kentucky Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio Nursing
3B Chesny Young Mercer Jr. Atlanta, Ga. Business
SS Chris Riopedre ETSU Jr. Miami, Fla. Criminal Justice
SS Kal Simmons Kennesaw State So. Nashville, Ga.
SS Grant Massey Lipscomb Jr. Auburn, Ala.
OF Bo Way Kennesaw State Sr. Brunswick, Ga.
OF Alex Liquori Kennesaw State So. Brooks, Ga.
OF Cole Bauml Northern Kentucky Jr. Muenster, Saskatchewan
SP Justin Russell Jacksonville Jr. Jacksonville, Fla.
SP Jordan Hillyer Kennesaw State So. Dacula, Ga.
SP Ian Martinez-McGraw Lipscomb Jr. Pueblo, Colo.
SP David Roseboom USC Upstate Sr. Pattersonville, N.Y. Business Administration
RP Dimitri Kourtis Mercer Jr. Alpharetta, Ga. Business
DH Nick Backlund Mercer Sr. San Jose, Calif. Economics
*- A tie in voting resulted in a 16-person second team
FRESHMAN TEAM
Name School Hometown Academic Major
Jake Noll FGCU Punta Gorda, Fla. Exercise Science
Patrick Ervin North Florida Pace, Fla. Construction Management
Chris Cook ETSU Kingsport, Tenn. Undeclared
Gabe Friese Kennesaw State Effingham, Ill. Computer Science
Alex Merritt North Florida Ocala, Fla. Business Management
Ryan Askew Mercer Suwanee, Ga. Sports Business
Tyler Bethune Lipscomb Lawrenceville, Ga.
Jamin McCann ETSU Kingsport, Tenn. Exercise Science
Gage Downey ETSU Franklin, Tenn. Undeclared
Taylor Cockrell Stetson Lake Wales, Fla. Sports Management
Chris Erwin Kennesaw State Grayson, Ga. Undeclared
Kyle Colletta Northern Kentucky Lincolnwood, Ill.
Kyle Lewis Mercer Snellville, Ga. Marketing
BASEBALL SCHOLAR-ATHLETE of the YEAR
Derrick Workman, Mercer
Senior | GPA: 4.0 | Major: Communications | Hometown: Acworth, Ga.
BASEBALL ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
*Micheal Massi, Mercer (Senior | GPA: 3.6 | Accounting)
Will Chesney, ETSU (Senior | GPA: 3.67 | Sport Management)
Jimmy Nesselt, ETSU (Junior | GPA: 3.51 | Accounting & Finance)
Michael Suchy, FGCU (Junior | GPA: 3.59 | Elementary Education)
Will Flor, Jacksonville (Senior | GPA: 3.82 | Finance)
Denton Norman, Lipscomb (Sophomore | GPA: 3.42 | Pre-Med)
Brandon Barker, Mercer (Senior | GPA: 3.6 | Engineering)
Garrick Ferguson, North Florida (Junior | GPA: 3.71 | Political Science)
David Trexler, North Florida (Senior | GPA: 3.63 | Communications)
Peyton Walsh, North Florida (Senior | GPA: 3.88 | Business Management)
Zac Asman, Northern Kentucky (Senior | GPA: 3.38 | Nursing)
Patrick Mazeika, Stetson (Sophomore | GPA: 3.56 | Sport Management)
*-Denotes unanimous selection
The top-seeded Eagles (36-20, 19-8 A-Sun) will take on eighth-seeded North Florida (22-29, 11-16 A-Sun) at 5 p.m. at Swanson Stadium in the first round of the A-Sun Championship Tournament on Wednesday. Murray is scheduled to take the mound against fellow A-Sun First Team member David Trexler.

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