Benedict Puts 4 On All-SIAC Baseball Team

ATLANTA (BC SID) — Benedict College senior pitcher Yaniel Delgado was named the SIAC Relief Pitcher of the Year for the second year in a row, and was one of four Tigers named to the 2016 SIAC All-Conference Team.

Alex Jones (Spring Hill) was named the 2016 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Baseball Player of the Year and Kelvin Wimbish (Albany State) was voted Freshman of the Year, announced by the league on Tuesday.

Miles led the all-conference picks with seven followed by Benedict, which placed four players on the all-conference teams.

Outfielder David White Jr. and second baseman John Holleran joined Delgado on the first team. Shortstop Armando Valentin was named to the second team. White leads the Tigers with a .404 batting average, 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and a .794 slugging percentage. Holleran is second on the team in batting with a .379 average. He led the team with 28 stolen bases, drove in 35 runs and had a slugging percentage of .690. Delgado posted a 4-2 record with five saves. He had a 2.89 ERA in 43.2 innings pitched. He also recorded 51 strikeouts. Valentin hit .378 and had 27 stolen bases.

Kenneth Hatcher of Miles was selected as the Coach of the Year. The Golden Bears (29-15 overall, 12-5 SIAC) lead the league in batting (.353), which is ranked sixth in NCAA Division II. Miles is also fourth nationally in runs (419) and sixth in scoring (9.5).

Jones, a 6-2 senior catcher from Pensacola, Fla. helped the Badgers to a 29-15 overall record and an 18-3 mark in the SIAC this season. Jones leads the conference in batting (.454), RBI (66), runs (51), doubles (16), and home runs (13). He has recorded 70 hits and 21 multi-hit games. In his two-year career at Spring Hill, Jones has started in all 79 games. His career stats include a .440 batting average, 130 hits, 124 RBI, 89 runs, 35 doubles, and 17 home runs.

Wimbish, a 5-9 freshman infielder from Ellenwood, Ga., posted a .294 batting average for the Golden Rams in his rookie season. He finished the regular season with 37 hits, 24 runs, 21 RBI, and three doubles. Wimbish is 9-of-13 in stolen bases and yields a fielding percentage of .912.

Claflin’s Jabari Brown was named the Utility Player of the Year. Brown, a 5-10 senior from Chicago, Ill., is ranked fifth in NCAA Division II in stolen bases (31). Throughout the season, Brown has played at shortstop, second base, and in the outfield.

He’s recorded a batting average of .318 with 47 hits and a fielding percentage of .969.

Evan Krenz of Paine was selected as the Starting Pitcher of the Year. Krenz, a 5-11 sophomore from Augusta, Ga. posted a 9-2 record in the regular season. He is ranked sixth nationally in wins. Krenz appeared in 15 games and started in 13 which include six complete games including a shut out. In 83 innings pitched this season he has struck out 78 batters and recorded a 2.82 ERA.

The 2016 SIAC Baseball Championship is scheduled for April 28 – May 1 at Historic Eagle Stadium in Ozark, Ala.

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2016 SIAC Baseball Honors
Player of the Year: Alex Jones, Spring Hill
Freshman of the Year: Kelvin Wimbish, Albany State
Utility Player of the Year: Jabari Brown, Claflin
Starting Pitcher of the Year: Evan Krenz, Paine
Relief Pitcher of the Year: Yaniel Delgado, Benedict
Coach of the Year: Kenneth Hatcher, Miles

2016 SIAC Baseball First Team
SP Evan Krenz Paine
C Alex Jones Spring Hill
1B Aaron “Chase” Williams Miles
2B John Holleran Benedict
SS Reginald Rogers Claflin
3B Malcom Seabrooks Clark Atlanta
OF Nick Vitale Stillman
OF Jimmy Brown, Jr. Miles
OF David White, Jr. Benedict
UT Keland Smith Miles
RP Yaniel Delgado Benedict2016 SIAC Baseball Second Team
SP Austin Pate Miles
C Justin Langdale Miles
1B William Floros Spring Hill
2B Damion Williams Miles
SS Armando Valentin Benedict
3B Matthew Spradlin Spring Hill
OF Marcus Jackson Kentucky State
OF Michael Druhan Spring Hill
OF Ryan Bargery Miles
UT Andrew Solliday Kentucky State
RP Jordan Johnson Clark Atlanta