Adam Willard was one of two 49ers on the All-Conference USA second team. |
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Willard, Walker, Moreland Earn All-Conference USA Honors
May 24, 2005
Irving, Texas & Charlotte, N.C. - Senior Adam Willard (New Bern, N.C./New Bern) and junior Erik Walker (Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth) were each named to the second-team All-Conference USA Baseball team, the league office announced today.
Pitcher Keith Moreland (Silver Spring, Md./St. John's Prep) represented the 49ers on the All-Freshman Team. The teams were decided through voting by a panel consisting of the league's head coaches, sports information contacts, and one media member per school.
2005 marks the 15th straight season Charlotte has had at least one all-conference award, and the 49ers earned multiple honors in seven of their ten years as members of C-USA.
This is the first All-Conference USA honor for Willard, who earned one of three outfielder spots on the second team. The left-hander led Charlotte in most offensive categories this season, and was the only player in Conference USA to finish the season among the league's top 12 in batting average, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, and stolen bases.
The senior hit .352 with 77 hits and 50 RBI to lead the 49ers. He added 17 doubles, 3 triples, and 17 stolen bases to rank among the league leaders in each of those categories as well.
Willard, a four-year contributor, played in 189 games during his career while making 163 starts. He finished his collegiate career in ninth place on Charlotte's all-time list with a .340 batting average, collecting 42 doubles, 18 home runs, and 120 RBI. He tied the school record with three doubles in a game at Wake Forest earlier this season.
Walker was chosen as the reliever on the second team All-Conference USA squad despite leading C-USA and ranking tied for 13th among the national leaders in saves (12). Walker's 12 saves represent a new school single-season record, and he broke the school's career saves mark this season as well. He also led C-USA in appearances (31), games in relief (31), and games finished (28) this season.
Walker posted the lowest opponent batting average (.170) and second-best ERA (1.80) among all pitchers in conference games, while picking up 3 wins and 6 saves in the team's 13 C-USA wins.
Overall, the junior won or saved more than half of Charlotte's team victories (16 of 31). He did not allow an earned run in 23 of 31 appearances, including 15 of 19 C-USA games. Walker had 16 multiple-strikeout performances, including a career-high six in three different games, and finished just outside the league leaders with 67 punchouts.
Moreland was one of four pitchers chosen to the C-USA All-Freshman team, which included 11 players regardless of position. The right-hander was among the league's top three in appearances (29) and games in relief (29) as one of the first arms out of the 49er bullpen last season.
The true freshman posted a first-year ERA of 3.86, which would have been good enough to rank among the conference's leaders but Moreland didn't have enough innings to qualify. He finished with 40 strikeouts in 51.1 innings of work, finishing tied with Walker for second on the team with four wins.
Charlotte finished the 2005 campaign with a 31-23 record, an improvement of 11 wins over their 2004 mark. It was the 49ers last season as members of Conference USA, as the team heads to the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2006 season.
2005 CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL AWARDSPLAYER OF THE YEAR - Micah Owings, Tulane PITCHER OF THE YEAR - Lance Broadway, TCU FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Brad Emaus, Tulane KEITH LeCLAIR COACH OF THE YEAR - Rick Jones, Tulane
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE USA
C Brad Willcutt, Southern Miss INF Shelby Ford, TCU INF Brad Emaus, Tulane INF Marc Maddox, Southern Miss INF Tommy Manzella, Tulane OF Nathan Southard, Tulane OF Brian Cavanaugh, East Carolina OF Travis Tully, Houston DH/UT Micah Owings, Tulane P Brian Bogusevic, Tulane P Lance Broadway, TCU P Ricky Brooks, East Carolina P Matt Farrington, Houston RP Daniel Best, Southern Miss
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE USA C Greg Dini, Tulane INF Jeff Baisley, USF INF Chad Huffman, TCU INF J.T. LaFountain, Louisville INF Mark Minicozzi, East Carolina INF Trey Sutton, Southern Miss OF Adam Willard, Charlotte OF Boomer Whiting, Louisivlle OF Jason Lowery, Southern Miss DH/UT Kevin Roberts, Houston P Ryan Bird, Saint Louis P J.R. Crowel, Tulane P T.J. Hose, East Carolina P Casey Hudspeth, USF RP Erik Walker, Charlotte
CONFERENCE USA ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM Brad Emaus, 3B, Tulane T.J Hose, RHP, East Carolina Matt McGuirk, DH, TCU Dale Mollenhauer, INF, East Carolina Keith Moreland, RHP, Charlotte Sean Morgan, RHP, Tulane Ryan Peisel, OF, East Carolina Trey Sutton, 2B, Southern Miss Daniel Thomas, RHP, USF Clint Toomey, OF, UAB Andrew Walker, C, TCU
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