Three Elon Baseball Players Earn Preseason All-CAA Honors

RICHMOND, Va. – In an announcement made by the Colonial Athletic Association on Thursday, Feb. 1, three Elon University baseball players were recognized with preseason honors and the Phoenix was been selected to finish in a tie for fifth place in the upcoming 2018 season.

Named to the Preseason All-CAA Baseball Team were junior shortstop Ryne Ogren and sophomore starting pitcher Kyle Brnovich. Senior catcher Hayden Platt was an honorable mention selection.

Ogren, who hails from Devon, Pa., was a first-team All-CAA pick after leading the league with 78 hits and 21 doubles. He also led the Phoenix and ranked second in the CAA with a .350 batting average. Ogren added four homers and drove in 33 runs. He was the only Elon player to start all 56 games. Ogren’s 21 doubles tied for the third-most in program history. Ogren tallied a team-best 21 multi-hit games and reached base safely in 23 consecutive contests during the 2017 campaign. During the season he compiled a personal-best 14-game hitting streak.

Brnovich, a native of Milton, Ga., picked was named to the Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American Team and was a second-team choice to the NCBWA Freshman All-American Team and the D1Baseball.com Freshman All-American Team. In his rookie campaign Brnovich posted a 6-5 record and set Elon’s Division I freshman record with 103 strikeouts, good for third in the CAA. The 2017 CAA Rookie of the Year became just the fifth Elon player to ever have a 100-strikeout season. Brnovich’s six wins matched a program Division I record for a freshman. His 3.10 ERA ranked third in the CAA, while his .204 opponent batting average ranked fourth in the conference. In CAA games, opponents hit just .175 off of the freshman. At one point, Brnovich had a streak of 20.2 scoreless innings. He made 15 appearances, including 14 starts and logged 90.0 innings. The three-time CAA Rookie of the Week also claimed one league pitcher of the week honor in 2017. Following a 15-strikeout performance over 8.1 innings in a win at William & Mary, Brnovich was named one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week. He also posted a 10-strikeout outing over 8.0 innings in a victory over UNCW. In a win over James Madison, Brnovich struck out six while tossing a two-hit shutout. Brnovich was the first Elon baseball player to earn a conference rookie or freshman of the year honor since pitcher Thomas Girdwood did so in the Southern Conference in 2008, and just the second at the NCAA Division I level. He was also chosen as a first-team All-CAA player and a member of the CAA All-Rookie Team.

Platt, who is from Naples, Fla., was a third-team All-CAA selection after his first season at Elon. He hit .311 with 17 runs scored, nine doubles, seven home runs and 30 RBI during the 2017 campaign. In conference play, Platt was second in the CAA with a .391 batting average. This summer, Platt represented Great Britain at the 2017 U23 European Championship.

Elon will open up its 2018 season by hosting Penn State for a three-game series. Game one is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Feb. 16. Season tickets are still available for the 37-game home schedule. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at 336-278-6750 or by clicking HERE.

2018 Preseason All-CAA Baseball Team
C – Ryan Jeffers, UNCW
1B – Nick Patten, Delaware
2B – Scott Holzwasser, Northeastern
SS – Ryne Ogren, Elon
3B – Tommy Richter, Charleston
OF – Brandon Raquet, William & Mary
OF – Calvin Scott, Delaware
OF – Adam Sisk, James Madison
UT – Teddy Cillis, Hofstra
DH – Logan McRae, Charleston
SP – Kyle Brnovich, Elon
SP – Alex Royalty, UNCW
RP – Carter Love, Charleston

CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Logan McRae, Charleston

Honorable Mention: Hayden Platt, C, Elon; Hunter Smith, C, William & Mary; Mikey Riesner, 2B, Hofstra; Richie Palacios, SS, Towson; Max Burt, SS, Northeastern; Diaz Nardo, 3B, Delaware; Kevin Mohollen, OF, Delaware; Charlie McConnell, OF, Northeastern; Ryan Hall, OF, William & Mary; Fox Semones, UT, James Madison; Brian Christian, SP, Northeastern; Evan Sisk, SP, Charleston; Clark Cota, RP, UNCW

2018 CAA Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. UNCW (6 first-place votes) – 62 points
2. Delaware (3) – 51
3. Charleston – 47
4. Northeastern – 43
T5. Elon – 37
T5. William & Mary – 37
7. James Madison – 23
8. Hofstra – 13
9. Towson – 11