Dicks, Nieporte, Elliot lead Eagles’ All-PC contingent
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 3, 2014) – Ten members of the Tallahassee Community College Eagles earned a spot on the 2014 Baseball Coaches' All-Panhandle Conference teams.
Three of the ten earned first-team honors: outfielder Christian Dicks (pictured at right), first baseman Quincy Nieporte and pitcher Logan Elliot.
Outfielders D.J. McKnight and Johnny Blue Craig, third baseman Bobby Rice, shortstop Ryne Willard, catcher Robert Henderson and pitchers Victor Cole and Collin Strall all made the second-team.
Tallahassee had a league-high ten players between the first- and second-teams and its all-conference contingent was second overall only to PC Champion Chipola College (11).
Dicks, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., has batted .353 with eight home runs and 53 RBI in 52 games and hit at a .400 clip with five homers and 23 RBI in league play. Like many of the Eagles, he was especially hot down the stretch, batting 10-for-17 with three home runs and nine RBI over the last four games – all wins – to help Tallahassee chase down Northwest Florida State College and claim the PC Wild Card.
Nieporte, a freshman from Atlanta, Ga., has batted .381 with five home runs and a league-best 56 RBI in 53 games. In league play, he hit an astounding .438 with four homers and 27 RBI.
Elliot, a freshman from Dunwoody, Ga., has posted a 7-0 record with five saves and a 1.58 ERA in 22 appearances. He started the season in the bullpen and saw action in middle relief and as the closer before getting the start in two of the Eagles' biggest games of the season. He threw a complete-game against Northwest Florida State on April 22, a win that started the current four-game winning streak. Then, on April 28, he was the winning pitcher against Seminole State College in the FCSAA Wild Card game.
McKnight, a freshman from Madison, Fla., has batted .362 with five home runs and 37 RBI in 47 games. In league play, he hit .338 with one homer and ten RBI.
Criag, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., has batted .307 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 44 games. In league play, he hit .309 with one homer and nine RBI.
Rice, a sophomore from Monticello, Fla., has batted .304 with 30 RBI in 53 games. This is his second all-conference nod, having earned first-team honors in 2012.
Willard, a sophomore from Smithsburg, Md., has batted .290 with seven home runs and 44 RBI in 53 games. In league play, he hit .276 with two homers and 12 RBI.
Henderson, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla., has batted .306 with two home runs and 13 RBI in 26 games and earned his spot on the team with a stellar finish after taking over behind the plate for starter Matt Olive, who was injured on April 5. Henderson hit safely in the Eagles' final six games and posted a .522 batting average in nine league contests.
Cole, a sophomore from Cordova, Tenn., has posted a 6-2 record and 2.24 ERA in 12 appearances. After missing two weeks down the stretch, he returned to the mound in the Eagles' regular season finale and picked up the win in relief against Gulf Coast State College, a victory that locked up the PC Wild Card for Tallahassee.
Strall, a freshman from Atlanta, Ga., is 6-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 22 appearances, all but one coming in relief. He picked up a team-high four wins during league play.
The Eagles will continue postseason play on Friday, May 9 when they take on State College of Florida at the NJCAA Gulf District/FCSAA State Baseball Tournament in Lakeland, Fla.
2014 Baseball Coaches' All-Panhandle Conference Teams
First-team
Outfield: Nick Flair, Gulf Coast State; Christian Dicks, Tallahassee; Danny Mars, Chipola; Josh Merrigan, Chipola.
Infield: Marcus Morrisette, Pensacola State; Trevor Davis, Gulf Coast State; Ryan Koziol, Gulf Coast State; Quincy Nieporte, Tallahassee; Kevin Santa, Chipola.
Catcher: Ian Rice, Chipola; Tanner Halstead, Northwest Florida State.
Designated Hitter: Christian Williams, Gulf Coast State.
Pitcher: West Covington, Gulf Coast State; Logan Elliot, Tallahassee; Taylor Lewis, Chipola; Tom Watson, Chipola.
Player of the Year: Danny Mars, Chipola
Pitcher of the Year: Taylor Lewis, Chipola
Fireman of the Year: Ryan Koziol, Gulf Coast State
Defensive Player of the Year: Ian Rice, Chipola
Coach of the Year: Jeff Johnson, Chipola
Second-team
Outfield: Woody Edwards, Gulf Coast State; D.J. McKnight, Tallahassee; Johnny Blue Craig, Tallahassee; Jackie Miles, Jr., Chipola.
Infield: Dalton Kelley, Gulf Coast State; Bert Givens, Chipola; Hunter Bening, Northwest Florida State; Bobby Rice, Tallahassee; Ryne Willard, Tallahassee
Catcher: Robert Henderson, Tallahassee; Ben Emery, Pensacola State.
Designated Hitter: Chase Scott, Chipola.
Pitcher: Cameron Ragsdale, Gulf Coast State; Victor Cole, Tallahassee; Collin Strall, Tallahassee; Thomas Huston, Pensacola State.
Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Michael Mader, Chipola; Brian Browning, Northwest Florida State; Brendan Leach, Gulf Coast State; Jo Jo Durden, Chipola.