SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Samford junior outfielder
Phillip Ervin was named the Southern Conference's Preseason Player of the Year, and two other Bulldogs were named to the Preseason All-Conference teams, when the league's preseason baseball awards were released on Thursday.
Joining Ervin on the first team All-Conference team was designated hitter
C.K. Irby. Irby was also named second team All-Conference as a starting pitcher, and
Zeth Stone was named second team at second base. College of Charleston's Matt Pegler was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
In addition to the Preseason All-SoCon teams, the league also released its preseason polls. Samford was picked to finish third by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association, receiving three first-place votes, while the league's coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish fourth. The media picked College of Charleston to win the league, while the coaches tabbed Elon as the preseason favorite.
As a sophomore in 2012, Ervin batted .330 with a team-high 18 doubles. He also hit nine home runs, and drove in 45 runs, ranking third on the team in both categories. Ervin also led the team in stolen bases with 14 in 19 attempts. Ervin had 23 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games last season. He also had a team-best 16-game hit streak during the season.
Irby hit .340 with 14 doubles, five home runs and 48 RBI as the team's designated hitter last season. Irby also served as the Bulldogs' closer last season, but will be used as a starter this season. In 2012, Irby finished with a record of 5-2, with 10 saves and a 2.06 ERA.
Stone batted .321 as a junior last season. He had 14 doubles, four triples, one home run and 33 RBI. Stone also stole eight bases in 12 attempts a year ago.
Samford is coming off the best season in school history, winning a school-record 41 games and earning the program's first-ever Southern Conference Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament bid.
The Bulldogs open the 2013 season on Feb. 15, when Samford plays host to Youngstown State. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from Joe Lee Griffin Field.
2013 Preseason All-Southern Conference Teams
Preseason Player of the Year
Phillip Ervin, Jr., OF, Samford
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Matt Pegler, Sr., RHP, College of Charleston
First Team
SP Matt Pegler, College of Charleston
SP Dylan Clark, Elon
RP Preston Hatcher, Western Carolina
C Alex Swim, Elon
1B Ryan Kinsella, Elon
2B Hector Crespo, Appalachian State
SS Will Callaway, Appalachian State
3B Trevor Edwards, UNCG
OF Tyler Zupcic, Appalachian State
OF Brandon Murray, College of Charleston
OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
DH C.K. Irby, Samford
Second Team
SP C.K. Irby, Samford
SP Brandon Yarusi, Wofford
RP Nate Young, Elon
C Chase Griffin, Georgia Southern
1B Tyler White, Western Carolina
2B Zeth Stone, Samford
SS Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina
3B Bradley Goodson, College of Charleston
OF Will Muzika, Furman
OF Scooter Williams, Georgia Southern
OF Julian Ridings, Western Carolina
DH Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
2013 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Place Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Elon (5) 93
2. Western Carolina (3) 88
3. College of Charleston (3) 87
4. Samford 65
5. Georgia Southern 64
6. Appalachian State 61
7. Furman 42
8. The Citadel 39
9. UNCG 37
10. Wofford 16
11. Davidson 13
2013 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Place Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. College of Charleston (10) 195
2. Elon (4) 185
3. Samford (3) 152
4. Appalachian State (1) 143
5. Georgia Southern 142
6. Western Carolina 139
7. The Citadel 87
8. Furman 74
9. UNCG 73
10. Wofford 41
11. Davidson 23
