Murray State University Athletics
Calhoun and McDonald Take Home Top Honors; Five Other Breds Honored
5/22/2009 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
Murray State junior left hander Daniel Calhoun was named the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, while head coach Rob McDonald was voted as the OVC Coach of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday evening at it's pre-tournament banquet in Paducah. Calhoun was joined on the all-conference first team by first baseman Wes Cunningham, outfielder Daniel Hill and designated hitter Jason Laws. Right hander Chris Craycraft was tabbed a second team selection, while younger brother, Jonathan Craycraft, was named to the All-Freshman team.
MSU and regular -season champion Eastern Illinois had four players on the first team, while the ?Breds are the only school to have five players on the first and second team.
Calhoun (Evansville, Ind.) garnered the league's top pitching honor after posting a 10-3 record with a 2.05 ERA. He tied a school-record with 10 complete games in 13 starts. More impressively, Calhoun has struck out 84 and walked only six in 88 innings pitched. He ranks among the national leaders in wins, ERA and walks per nine innings.
He becomes the eighth ?Breds pitcher to take home top league honors. George Dugan took home the honor three times from 1963-65, John Beaton in 1966, Donald Lee (1967), David Porter (1970) and Kirk Rueter (1991).
Calhoun's efforts are not going unnoticed on the national level as he was named one of 15 semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year by The College Baseball Foundation.
McDonald, in his sixth-year at the helm at MSU, was honored by his peers after leading the ?Breds to the fourth-most victories in school history. The 32 victories are the most since the team won 36 games during the 1976 season. He led a team that was picked to finish seventh in the OVC preseason poll to a second-place finish with a 13-8-1 mark.
McDonald becomes the second MSU head coach to be named coach of the year, joining legendary coach Johnny Reagan, who was honored seven times. Reagan took home the honor in 1963, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1985 and 1991.
Cunningham (Louisville, Ky.) garnered first-team laurels for the second-straight year, being named as the first-team designated hitter in 2008. He leads the MSU offense with a .424 average with 75 hits, 49 runs, 12 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. His 75 hits rank fifth on the single-season list at MSU, while his 127 total bases are a new single-season record. He hit safely in 44 of the 47 games he played and had a streak of reaching safely in 50-straight games snapped earlier this month.
Hill (Germantown, Tenn.) needed only three weeks to put his name in the record books as he belted three home runs against North Dakota State. That was just the beginning for Hill, who finished his first season at MSU with a .345 average with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and a school record 67 RBIs. Hill's efforts in the series against NDSU helped the junior earn National Hitter of the Week honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Laws (San Diego, Calif.) becomes MSU's second-straight all-OVC DH after hitting .366 with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 39 RBIs. The junior college transfer delivered his first home run against Memphis on April 21 and followed it up by homering in both games of the doubleheader against Morehead State that weekend.
Chris Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) is one of the hottest pitchers in the OVC as he owns a 10-2 record with a 4.06 ERA. He has tossed a team-best 93 innings with 73 strikeouts. He is coming off back-to-back complete games, including a CG five-hit shutout against UT Martin on May 9. He needs to toss six more innings to establish a new single-season mark at MSU.
Jonathan Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) was selected to the 13-member freshman team after hitting .335 with nine doubles, four triples and 26 RBIs in 45 starts. He joins Tyler Owen (2005), as the only ?Breds players to earn freshman honors. The freshman became the 12th player to record two triples in a game when he accomplished it against Memphis on April 21.
The ?Breds open OVC Tournament action Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Brooks Stadium in Paducah.
MSU and regular -season champion Eastern Illinois had four players on the first team, while the ?Breds are the only school to have five players on the first and second team.
Calhoun (Evansville, Ind.) garnered the league's top pitching honor after posting a 10-3 record with a 2.05 ERA. He tied a school-record with 10 complete games in 13 starts. More impressively, Calhoun has struck out 84 and walked only six in 88 innings pitched. He ranks among the national leaders in wins, ERA and walks per nine innings.
He becomes the eighth ?Breds pitcher to take home top league honors. George Dugan took home the honor three times from 1963-65, John Beaton in 1966, Donald Lee (1967), David Porter (1970) and Kirk Rueter (1991).
Calhoun's efforts are not going unnoticed on the national level as he was named one of 15 semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year by The College Baseball Foundation.
McDonald, in his sixth-year at the helm at MSU, was honored by his peers after leading the ?Breds to the fourth-most victories in school history. The 32 victories are the most since the team won 36 games during the 1976 season. He led a team that was picked to finish seventh in the OVC preseason poll to a second-place finish with a 13-8-1 mark.
McDonald becomes the second MSU head coach to be named coach of the year, joining legendary coach Johnny Reagan, who was honored seven times. Reagan took home the honor in 1963, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1985 and 1991.
Cunningham (Louisville, Ky.) garnered first-team laurels for the second-straight year, being named as the first-team designated hitter in 2008. He leads the MSU offense with a .424 average with 75 hits, 49 runs, 12 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. His 75 hits rank fifth on the single-season list at MSU, while his 127 total bases are a new single-season record. He hit safely in 44 of the 47 games he played and had a streak of reaching safely in 50-straight games snapped earlier this month.
Hill (Germantown, Tenn.) needed only three weeks to put his name in the record books as he belted three home runs against North Dakota State. That was just the beginning for Hill, who finished his first season at MSU with a .345 average with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and a school record 67 RBIs. Hill's efforts in the series against NDSU helped the junior earn National Hitter of the Week honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Laws (San Diego, Calif.) becomes MSU's second-straight all-OVC DH after hitting .366 with nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 39 RBIs. The junior college transfer delivered his first home run against Memphis on April 21 and followed it up by homering in both games of the doubleheader against Morehead State that weekend.
Chris Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) is one of the hottest pitchers in the OVC as he owns a 10-2 record with a 4.06 ERA. He has tossed a team-best 93 innings with 73 strikeouts. He is coming off back-to-back complete games, including a CG five-hit shutout against UT Martin on May 9. He needs to toss six more innings to establish a new single-season mark at MSU.
Jonathan Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) was selected to the 13-member freshman team after hitting .335 with nine doubles, four triples and 26 RBIs in 45 starts. He joins Tyler Owen (2005), as the only ?Breds players to earn freshman honors. The freshman became the 12th player to record two triples in a game when he accomplished it against Memphis on April 21.
The ?Breds open OVC Tournament action Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Brooks Stadium in Paducah.
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