HPU Baseball’s Ryan Retz OF Named to the John Olerud Watch List

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Senior Ryan Retz of the High Point University baseball team has been named to the 2013 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Olerud Award, presented on June 29 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual Night of Champions, recognizes baseball players who excel both on the mound and in the field. Twenty-five players from universities across the nation were named on the watch list.

“We are extremely proud that Ryan Retz has been named to the John Olerud Award Watch List,” HPU head coach Craig Cozart said. “Ryan is an extremely hard worker. He has been at the heart of much of our success this season. The difficulty of pitching and playing a position at the Div. I level is hard to express. We have a ton of appreciation and admiration for the season that he has put together thus far.”

Retz has started every game for High Point this season and leads the Panthers in batting average (.363), hits (61), RBI (32), doubles (14), home runs (4), slugging percentage (.518) and on-base percentage (.447). On the mound, Retz is 4-3 in nine starts and leads all HPU starters with a 2.91 ERA. He has thrown two complete games this season including a complete-game shutout against NC Central.

No school features more than one dual-threat representative, but the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big South and Great West conferences each feature two players on the list. David Olson of Campbell is the only other player from the Big South named to the Olsen Watch List.

Retz is the first HPU player to be named to the John Olerud Watch List in the Panthers’ Div. I era.

For more information on the Olerud Award or the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.