Elon’s Jones Named SoCon Baseball Player of the Year(Casey Jones, former Western Guilford Hornet)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After posting Southern Conference bests with a .470 batting average, .770 slugging percentage and .533 on-base percentage in league games, Elon junior Casey Jones was honored as the SoCon’s 2014 Player of the Year as well as a first-team all-SoCon pick in balloting of both the conference’s coaches and media. Jones becomes the third Elon player to collect league player of the year accolades in the SoCon. The Phoenix also had two players selected to the league’s all-freshman squad.

In conference games, Jones also led the league with 47 hits and 77 total bases, was second with 10 doubles and third with 29 RBI and four triples.

The Midlothian, Va., resident started all 52 games for the maroon and gold in 2014. He led the SoCon and ranked among the top players in the nation in batting average (.422), slugging percentage (.661), on-base percentage (.504), hits (81), doubles (20) and total bases (127). Jones compiled an NCAA Division I program-record hitting streak of 26 games and has currently hit in 11 consecutive games. He has failed to record a hit in only six games all season and has failed to reach base safely (walk, hit or hit-by-pitch) in just two games. He is attempting to become just the third Elon Division I player to end the season with an average at .400 or above.

Jones earned his all-conference honors as an outfielder, where he has started 29 games, but he has also started games at first base, second base and third base this year.

Elon’s previous SoCon players of the year were infielder Chase Austin (co-player from the coaches in 2009) and Ryan Kinsella (coaches in 2013).

Also collecting accolades from the Southern Conference coaches were third baseman Nick Zammarelli and right-handed pitcher Matt Harris. The duo was named as Southern Conference All-Freshman Team members.

Zammarelli played in 49 games, including making 42 starts, for the Phoenix in 2014. The native of Lincoln, R.I., finished the regular season with a .283 batting average, scored 18 runs, posted eight doubles, had one homer and drove in 21 runs as a rookie.

Harris, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has appeared in 16 games on the mound for the Phoenix, garnering five starts. He has logged 50.0 innings and a 3.96 ERA to go with a 3-2 record and one save. He has struck out 27 hitters.

2014 Coaches All-SoCon Team
Co-Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Co-Player of the Year – Forrest Brandt, Sr., OF, Davidson
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RH, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson

First Team
SP – Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP – Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP – Andres Gracia, Samford
C – Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B – Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B – Hunter King, UNCG
SS – Dillon Dobson, Appalachian State
SS – Hunter Burton, Furman
3B – Sean Guite, UNCG
OF – Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF – Casey Jones, Elon
OF – Lee Miller, Davidson
DH – Ryan Lowe, Davidson

Second Team
SP – Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP – Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP – Jason Richman, Georgia Southern
C – Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B – Greg Harrison, Furman
2B – Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS – Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B – Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF – Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF – Nathan Becker, Davidson
OF – Eric Kalbfleisch, UNCG
OF – Heath Quinn, Samford
DH – Bo Thompson, The Citadel

All-Freshman Team
Matt Brill, Appalachian State
Dallas DeVrieze, Appalachian State
Tyler Stroup, Appalachian State
Garrett Chapman, Georgia Southern
Ryan Cleveland, Georgia Southern
Matt Harris, Elon
Nick Zammarelli, Elon
Carter Grote, Furman
Adam Swim, UNCG
Jared Brasher, Samford
T.J. Dixon, Samford
Heath Quinn, Samford
Bryan Sammons, Western Carolina

2014 Media All-SoCon Team
Player of the Year – Casey Jones, Jr., OF, Elon
Pitcher of the Year – Josh Wirsu, Jr., RH, Georgia Southern
Freshman of the Year – Heath Quinn, OF, Samford
Coach of the Year – Dick Cooke, Davidson

First Team
SP – Josh Wirsu, Georgia Southern
SP – Jordan Smith, Western Carolina
RP – Andres Gracia, Samford
C – Adam Martin, Western Carolina
1B – Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2B – Michael Pierson, Appalachian State
SS – Tyler Filliben, Samford
3B – David Daniels, Davidson
OF – Drew DeKerlegand, The Citadel
OF – Forrest Brandt, Davidson
OF – Casey Jones, Elon
DH – Ryan Lowe, Davidson

Second Team
SP – Danny Mooney, Davidson
SP – Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
RP – Tyler Powell, Western Carolina
C – Drew McWhorter, Samford
1B – Greg Harrison, Furman
2B – Hunter King, UNCG
SS – Jordan McDonald, UNCG
3B – Chris Ohmstede, Furman
OF – Lee Miller, Davidson
OF – Stryker Brown, Georgia Southern
OF – Aaron Mizell, Georgia Southern
OF – Heath Quinn, Samford
DH – Bo Thompson, The Citadel

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