Murray State University Athletics
Cunningham Named OVC Player of the Year
5/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Murray State senior first baseman Wes Cunningham took home the top honor in the conference as he was named the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The award was announced at the pre-tournament banquet at the DoubleTree Hotel in Jackson, Tenn.
Cunningham, who was also named to the first team for the third-straight year, was not the only player honored as starting pitcher Chris Craycraft and reliever Matt McGaha were voted to the second team. Also, shortstop Brandon Elliott and third baseman/designated hitter Colton Moore were named to the All-Freshman Team.
Cunningham (Louisville, Ky.) is rewriting the record books as he is hitting .415 with 69 runs scored, 88 hits, 17 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 177 total bases and an .835 slugging percentage. He has set new single-season records for hits, triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage, and needs only two more runs scored to set that record.
He becomes the eighth Breds' player to earn Player of the Year honors, and the third position player to win the honor. Pitchers dominated the award in the 1960's as George Dugan (1963-65) won the award three-straight years, before John Beaton (1966), Donald Lee (1967) and David Porter (1970) brought the hardware to Murray. Outfielder Clay Boone won the award in 1985, and was followed by Kirk Rueter (1991) and Matt Culp (1994). Left-hander Daniel Calhoun was honored as the OVC Pitcher of the Year in 2009.
In his career, Cunningham is hitting .401 with 153 runs scored, 230 hits, 34 doubles, 14 triples, 33 home runs, 160 RBIs and 391 total bases. The all-time leader in batting average, hits, triples and total bases needs just one more RBI to set the career RBI record for the Breds.
Cunningham's success has not gone unnoticed around the country as he was recently named one of 25 semifinalists for the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, honoring the top player in college baseball.
Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) earned second-team honors for the second-straight season after going 6-4 with a 5.25 ERA in 15 appearances. He struckout 64 over 85.2 innings.
In his three seasons at MSU, Craycraft is the school's all-time leader in innings pitched (272.0) and games started (40). He is also tied for third in victories (21) and fifth in strikeouts (194).
McGaha (Louisville, Ky.) earned his first conference honor after being the Breds go-to guy out of the bullpen this season. On the season, the southpaw is 5-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 25 appearances. He ranks second in the OVC in earned run average and sixth in opponent batting average (.272). His 25 appearances this season rank fifth on the single-season list at MSU, while his 74 career appearances rank second on the all-time list.
Elliott (Plymouth, Ind.) was named to the freshman team after taking over as the starting shortstop in the 10th game of the season. In his first season, Elliott is hitting .342 with 12 doubles, three triples, 20 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
Moore (Bloomington, Ill.) earned freshman honors after hitting .329 with 12 doubles, one triple, one home run and 39 RBIs. He is one of just 17 players, and the only freshman, to hit for the cycle in Division I this season. Moore's 39 RBIs this season rank fifth on MSU's all-time list for freshman.
The quest for the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Eastern Kentucky at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn.
Cunningham, who was also named to the first team for the third-straight year, was not the only player honored as starting pitcher Chris Craycraft and reliever Matt McGaha were voted to the second team. Also, shortstop Brandon Elliott and third baseman/designated hitter Colton Moore were named to the All-Freshman Team.
Cunningham (Louisville, Ky.) is rewriting the record books as he is hitting .415 with 69 runs scored, 88 hits, 17 doubles, six triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 177 total bases and an .835 slugging percentage. He has set new single-season records for hits, triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage, and needs only two more runs scored to set that record.
He becomes the eighth Breds' player to earn Player of the Year honors, and the third position player to win the honor. Pitchers dominated the award in the 1960's as George Dugan (1963-65) won the award three-straight years, before John Beaton (1966), Donald Lee (1967) and David Porter (1970) brought the hardware to Murray. Outfielder Clay Boone won the award in 1985, and was followed by Kirk Rueter (1991) and Matt Culp (1994). Left-hander Daniel Calhoun was honored as the OVC Pitcher of the Year in 2009.
In his career, Cunningham is hitting .401 with 153 runs scored, 230 hits, 34 doubles, 14 triples, 33 home runs, 160 RBIs and 391 total bases. The all-time leader in batting average, hits, triples and total bases needs just one more RBI to set the career RBI record for the Breds.
Cunningham's success has not gone unnoticed around the country as he was recently named one of 25 semifinalists for the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy, honoring the top player in college baseball.
Craycraft (Lexington, Ky.) earned second-team honors for the second-straight season after going 6-4 with a 5.25 ERA in 15 appearances. He struckout 64 over 85.2 innings.
In his three seasons at MSU, Craycraft is the school's all-time leader in innings pitched (272.0) and games started (40). He is also tied for third in victories (21) and fifth in strikeouts (194).
McGaha (Louisville, Ky.) earned his first conference honor after being the Breds go-to guy out of the bullpen this season. On the season, the southpaw is 5-1 with a 3.36 ERA in 25 appearances. He ranks second in the OVC in earned run average and sixth in opponent batting average (.272). His 25 appearances this season rank fifth on the single-season list at MSU, while his 74 career appearances rank second on the all-time list.
Elliott (Plymouth, Ind.) was named to the freshman team after taking over as the starting shortstop in the 10th game of the season. In his first season, Elliott is hitting .342 with 12 doubles, three triples, 20 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
Moore (Bloomington, Ill.) earned freshman honors after hitting .329 with 12 doubles, one triple, one home run and 39 RBIs. He is one of just 17 players, and the only freshman, to hit for the cycle in Division I this season. Moore's 39 RBIs this season rank fifth on MSU's all-time list for freshman.
The quest for the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Eastern Kentucky at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn.
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