Southeast Missouri's Moses, Eastern Kentucky's Fyffe Highlight 2012 All-OVC Honors

May 22, 2012 Not For Release Until at 8:45 p.m. CT Contact: Kyle Schwartz

JACKSON, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri State senior Trenton Moses repeated as Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while Eastern Kentucky senior hurler Matt Fyffe was tabbed OVC of the Year at the annual OVC Awards Banquet held on the eve of the 2012 OVC Baseball Championship (which is being held at Pringles Park in Jackson). Eastern Illinois third baseman Brant Valach was tabbed Rookie of the Year while Eastern Kentucky's Jason Stein took home OVC Coach of the Year honors.

The awards are voted on by league head coaches and sports information directors and were awarded along with fi rst and second-team All-OVC and All-Freshman honors. Regular-season co-champion Eastern Kentucky had the most fi rst-team selections (3), while co-champion Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri had two selections apiece. Austin Peay and Morehead State led the way with three second-team selections apiece while Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech each had three All-Freshman picks. Overall Southeast Missouri's seven selections across the three teams were the most of any school.

After winning Player of the Year honors a season ago, Moses had an even better season in 2012, leading Division I in slug- ging (.802) and on-base percentage (.549), ranking third in total home runs (19) and total bases (158) and fi fth in average (.426). The fi fth-year senior also led the OVC in runs (58) and was second in RBI (59), walks (50) and being by pitch (17). The third baseman was just one RBI shy of becoming the fi rst OVC player to win the league's Triple Crown since 1982. Moses had hitting streaks of 22 and 18-games during the season (the third and fourth-longest marks in the league) and reached base safely in all 55 games, extending his streak dating back a season to 75-straight games, the longest in school history. Moses added 22 multi-hit and 14 multi-RBI games in 2012 and was named OVC Player of the Week twice. He had a pair of fi ve-hit games during the season and six RBI in a game against Wright State. His played helped Southeast Missouri secure a spot in the OVC Tournament fi eld for the 18th-consecutive year, which is an OVC all-time record. Overall Moses is the fourth Southeast Missouri player to earn Player of the Year honors. He becomes only the third player in OVC history to win multiple Player of the Year awards, equaling the feat achieved by Murray State's George Dugan (who won three-straight awards from 1963-65) and Jacksonville State's Clay Whittemore (who won the award in 2007 and 2008).

A season ago Fyffe compiled a 0-5 record and 4.70 E.R.A. in 18 appearances. This year the senior began the year in the bullpen but fi nished the season as a key starter for the Colonels, winning his fi nal four starts of the season and helping Eastern Kentucky win the OVC Co-Championship, the program's fi rst title since the 2000 season. In those four starts Fyffe allowed just three earned runs in 30 total innings, striking out 17 while walking only nine. Included in that was a three-hit complete game shutout over Tennessee Tech on May 12. For the entire season Fyffe made 21 appearances (65.2 innings) and led the OVC in both victories (going 9-0 overall) and E.R.A. (1.51). That E.R.A. ranked him seventh nationally while the nine wins were 19th; the senior also ranked 38th among all Division I players in hits allowed per nine innings (6.58). Fyffe struck out 56 total batters and held opponents to a .209 batting average and picked up two saves. Against OVC competition the senior had a 6-0 record, 1.44 E.R.A. and two saves. Overall Fyffe is the second Eastern Kentucky hurler to be named OVC Pitcher of the Year, joining current Colorado Rockies starter Christian Friedrich who won the award in 2008.

In his fi rst season in a Panthers uniform, Valach started 52 of his team's 53 games and was second on the squad in batting average (.330) while adding 63 hits, 16 runs scored, 10 doubles, a and 28 RBI. Those numbers were even better in OVC play as the third baseman hit .396 (third-best in the league) with 13 runs scored and 16 RBI in 26 games, helping Eastern Illinois to a 15-11 league record and No. 4 seed in the OVC Tournament. Valach had 21 multi-hit games during his rookie season including fi ve three-hit games over the fi nal 13 contests of the season. Valach is the second Eastern Illinois player to earn OVC Rookie of the Year honors (joining 2001 winner Ben Duke) since the award was fi rst handed out in 2000.

In his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater, Stein helped Eastern Kentucky capture a share of the OVC Champion- ship, the program's 16th all-time title (an OVC record) and fi rst since the 2000 season. Picked sixth in the OVC preseason poll, the Colonels got off to a slow start as the team was just 7-15 after a loss to Jacksonville State on March 24. After that game the Colonels won 24 of its fi nal 30 games, including netting winning streaks of fi ve, six and seven games. In Confer- ence play the team won 10 of its fi nal 11 OVC games to fi nish at 19-7 and share the OVC crown with Austin Peay. EKU fi nished the regular season 31-21 overall, marking the fi rst 30-win season for the team since the squad won 34 games in 2004. As a team the Colonels led Division I in home runs/game (1.25) and led the OVC in slugging (.482), doubles (120), triples (21), home runs (65), total bases (902) and sacrifi ce fl ies (26). During the year the former Colonels middle infi elder reached the 100-win plateau for his career. Overall Stein is the third different Eastern Kentucky skipper to be named OVC Coach of the Year (the trio have won a combined eight awards) and fi rst since Stein's college coach Jim Ward won the fi nal of his fi ve awards in 2000 (the other EKU coach to win the award is Charles "Turkey" Hughes, for whom the team's home fi eld is named after).

Moses and Fyffe were two of the 14 total fi rst-team selections, which included 12 seniors and two sophomores. Moses and Eastern Kentucky senior outfi elder Jacob Daniel were the only repeat selections on the fi rst-team while fi ve players moved up from the second-team to the fi rst-team this season. Daniel hit .307 with seven triples, six home runs and 48 RBI for the co-champion Colonels and enters the postseason with 17 career triples, one away from tying the OVC career record. Dan- iel was joined in the outfi eld by Jacksonville State senior Kyle Bluestein and Southeast Missouri State sophomore Derek Gibson. Bluestein, a second-team pick last year and an All-Freshman team selection in 2009, hit .332 with nine home runs and 39 RBI while Gibson had the second-longest (29) in the league during the year and fi nished the regular season hitting .333 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. The infi eld included Eastern Kentucky senior shortstop Richie Ro- driguez who moved up from the second-team last season. Rodriguez became EKU's all-time hits leader during the season and ranked eighth nationally in slugging percentage (.690) and 12th in runs/game (1.12). Jacksonville State senior fi rst baseman Ben Waldrip also moved up from the second-team last season as he led Division I in home runs/game (0.37), smashing 18 total long balls and driving in 55 runs in 2012. The infi eld also included Austin Peay sophomore second base- man Jordan Hankins (.332, 8 home runs, 57 RBI) and Tennessee Tech senior Ben Burgess (.321, six home runs, 29 RBI). Other position players included Eastern Illinois senior designated hitter Ben Thoma (13 home runs, 34 RBI) and Murray State senior utility player Travis Isaak (who ranked sixth nationally in doubles/game with 0.44). Joining Fyffe among the starting was Austin Peay senior Zach Toney and Eastern Illinois senior Mike Hoekstra. Toney, a second-team pick last year, had the fi fth-best E.R.A. in the league this season (3.18) while Hoekstra had the third-best E.R.A. (2.95). The fi rst-team closer was SIUE senior Dustin Quattrocchi, who allowed just three earned runs in 41 innings of work this season, good enough for a 0.66 E.R.A. Quattrocchi fi nished the year with 12 saves (second-most in the OVC) and was 5-1 while 47 and just fi ve walks.

The second-team had two players who were repeat selections from last season, Austin Peay senior third baseman Greg Bachman (who led the OVC with 60 RBI this season) and Governors senior outfi elder Michael Blanchard (who had 14 stolen bases to go along with a .308 batting average), while Southeast Missouri State senior shortstop Kenton Parmley (who had a 47-game hitting streak this season - the third-longest in NCAA history) had been a second-team pick in 2010. Austin Peay junior outfi elder Cody Hudson (who led the OVC with 21 stolen bases this season) made it three APSU players on the second-team (tied for most by one program). Due to ties in voting the team included a pair of fi rst basemen in Eastern Illinois senior T.J. McManus (who hit .356 with 45 RBI) and Tennessee Tech sophomore Zach Stephens (who hit .368 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI) and a pair of relief pitchers in Jacksonville State senior Todd Hornsby (who set the OVC career records for saves - 32 - during the year ) and Morehead State junior Matt Duncan (who led the OVC with 13 saves). Also on the squad was Morehead State senior catcher Eric Bainer, Eastern Kentucky senior Dustin Dunlop, UT Martin senior outfi elder Jordan Owen, Murray State sophomore designated hitter Brandon Eggenschwiler, Morehead State sophomore utility player Nick Duff, Eastern Kentucky junior pitcher Shane Grimm, Southeast Missouri junior pitcher Shae Simmons and SIUE sophomore starter Travis Felax. The All-OVC second-team included eight seniors, four juniors and four sophomores.

Six of the 10 OVC baseball squads had at least one representative on the All-Freshman Team, which was awarded for the seventh time in 2012. The 13-member team was highlighted by Valach, the League's Rookie of the Year. Joining him on the team was teammate Caleb Howell, Jacksonville State relief pitcher Travis Stout, Morehead State starting pitcher Aaron Goe and outfi elder Duran Elmore, Southeast Missouri State utility player Andy Lennington, designated hitter Ryan Barnes and outfi elder Jason Blum, Tennessee Tech second baseman Dylan Bosheers and pitchers Seth Lucio and David Hess and UT Martin infi elders Sonny Mastromatteo and Nico Zych.

-OVC- 2012 All-Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Teams (as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors) OVC Player of the Year: Trenton Moses, Southeast Missouri OVC Pitcher of the Year: Matt Fyffe, Eastern Kentucky OVC Rookie of the Year: Brant Valach, Eastern Illinois OVC Coach of the Year: Jason Stein, Eastern Kentucky

ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM POS. NAME, SCHOOL CL. HOMETOWN KEY STATS C Ben Burgess, Tennessee Tech $ Sr. Brentwood, Tenn. .321, 60 hits, 31 runs, 9 2B, 6 HR, 29 RBI 1B Ben Waldrip, Jacksonville State ** Sr. Medford, Md. .333, 66 hits, 39 runs, 13 2B, 18 HR, 55 RBI 2B Jordan Hankins, Austin Peay **# So. Wentzville, Mo. .332, 71 hits, 45 runs, 14 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 57 RBI SS Richie Rodriguez, Eastern Kentucky **!$ Sr. Miami, Fla. .379, 77 hits, 58 runs, 18 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 44 RBI 3B Trenton Moses, Southeast Missouri *@ Sr. Advance, Mo. .426, 84 hits, 58 runs, 19 HR, 59 RBI, .802 SLUG% OF Jacob Daniel, Eastern Kentucky *$ Sr. Russellville, Ala. .307, 65 hits, 41 runs, 14 2B, 7 3B, 6 HR, 48 RBI OF Kyle Bluestein, Jacksonville State **$ Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio .332, 67 hits, 37 runs, 9 2B, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 7 SB OF Derek Gibson, Southeast Missouri So. Bonne Terre, Mo. .333, 60 hits, 30 runs, 11 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 38 RBI DH Ben Thoma, Eastern Illinois Sr. Columbia, Ill. .264, 51 hits, 27 runs, 13 2B, 13 HR, 34 RBI UT Travis Isaak, Murray State Sr. Carlyle, Ill. .311, 59 hits, 39 runs, 20 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 41 RBI SP Zach Toney, Austin Peay ** Sr. D'Iberville, Miss. 5-3, 3.18 E.R.A., 1 CG,1 SHO, 76.1 IP, 71 K's SP Mike Hoekstra, Eastern Illinois Sr. Lansing, Ill. 4-3, 2.95 E.R.A., 94.2 IP, 74 K's SP Matt Fyffe, Eastern Kentucky Sr. Paintsville, Ky. 9-0, 1.51 E.R.A., 1 CG, 1 SHO, 2 saves, 65.2 IP RP Dustin Quattrocchi, SIUE Sr. Wheaton, Ill. 5-1, 0.66 E.R.A., 12 saves, 41.0 IP, 47 K's

ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM POS. NAME, SCHOOL CL. HOMETOWN KEY STATS C Eric Bainer, Morehead State $ Sr. Louisville, Ky. .273, 53 hits, 41 runs, 9 2B, 8 HR, 40 RBI 1B T.J. McManus, Eastern Illinois Sr. Glenview, Ill. .356, 62 hits, 32 runs, 16 2B, 9 HR, 45 RBI 1B Zach Stephens, Tennessee Tech # So. Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. .368, 75 hits, 44 runs, 13 2B, 18 HR, 52 RBI 2B Dustin Dunlop, Eastern Kentucky Sr. Conyers, Ga. .312, 53 hits, 36 runs, 11 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI SS Kenton Parmley, Southeast Missouri &$ Sr. Goreville, Ill. .366, 83 hits, 54 runs, 13 2B, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 12 SB 3B Greg Bachman, Austin Peay **@ Sr. Germantown, Tenn. .319, 72 hits, 40 runs, 11 2B, 15 HR, 60 RBI OF Michael Blanchard, Austin Peay ** Sr. Memphis, Tenn. .308, 66 hits, 48 runs, 10 2B, 3 3B, 15 RBI, 14 SB OF Cody Hudson, Austin Peay ^ Jr. Germantown, Tenn. .315, 57 hits, 37 runs, 11 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 21 SB OF Jordan Owen, UT Martin & Sr. Kansas City, Mo. .332, 66 hits, 33 runs, 11 2B, 6 3B, 8 HR, 28 RBI DH Brandon Eggenschwiler, Murray State So. Lexington, Ky. .370, 44 hits, 17 runs, 4 2B, 2 HR, 32 RBI UT Nick Duff, Morehead State So. Morehead, Ky. .322, 56 hits, 37 runs, 8 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI SP Shane Grimm, Eastern Kentucky Jr. Paintsville, Ky. 6-4, 3.14 E.R.A., 2 CG, 77.1 IP, 38 K's SP Shae Simmons, Southeast Missouri %^ Jr. Scott City, Mo. 6-4, 4.74 E.R.A., 74.0 IP, 84 K's SP Travis Felax, SIUE So. Troy, Ill. 6-5, 3.67 E.R.A., 2 CG, 95.2 IP, 69 K's RP Todd Hornsby, Jacksonville State * Sr. Clay, Ala. 3-3, 2.81 E.R.A., 12 saves, 48.0 IP, 31 K's RP Matt Duncan, Morehead State Jr. Brownsburg, Ind. 2-1, 2.48 E.R.A., 13 saves, 32.2 IP, 30 K's

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM POS. NAME, SCHOOL CL. HOMETOWN KEY STATS OF Caleb Howell, Eastern Illinois Fr. Jacksonville, Ill. .321, 59 hits, 34 runs, 8 2B, 19 RBI, 4 SB 3B Brant Valach, Eastern Illinois Fr. Orland Park, Ill. .330, 63 hits, 16 runs, 10 2B, 1 HR, 28 RBI RHP Travis Stout, Jacksonville State Fr. Smyrna, Ga. 5-1, 4.21 E.R.A., 47.0 IP, 35 K's RHP Aaron Goe, Morehead State Fr. Dry Ridge, Ky. 6-5, 4.48 E.R.A., 1 CG, 88.1 IP, 58 K's OF Duran Elmore, Morehead State R-Fr. Danville, Ky. .237, 32 hits, 25 runs, 5 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 16 SB UT Andy Lennington, Southeast Missouri R-Fr. Franklin, Tenn. .287, 49 hits, 32 runs, 10 2B, 3 HR, 29 RBI DH Ryan Barnes, Southeast Missouri Fr. St. Louis, Mo. .241, 33 hits, 18 runs, 8 2B, 4 HR, 23 RBI OF Jason Blum, Southeast Missouri Fr. Ste. Genevieve, Mo. .238, 34 hits, 21 runs, 12 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 5 SB 2B Dylan Bosheers, Tennessee Tech Fr. Lawrenceburg, Tenn. .277, 53 hits, 36 runs, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 34 RBI RHP Seth Lucio, Tennessee Tech Fr. Locust Grove, Ga. 3-2, 6.66 E.R.A., 48.2 IP, 60 K's RHP David Hess, Tennessee Tech Fr. Tullahoma, Tenn. 3-7, 7.59 E.R.A., 1 CG, 1 save, 61.2 IP, 51 K's 2B Sonny Mastromatteo, UT Martin Fr. Ortonville, Mich. .243, 42 hits, 19 runs, 6 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 9 SB SS/3B Nico Zych, UT Martin Fr. Monee, Ill. .277, 44 hits, 14 runs, 6 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI

Note: There are two 1B's and RP's on the second-team due to ties in voting.

* - All-OVC 1st Team in 2011 ** - All-OVC 2nd Team in 2011 # - OVC All-Freshman Team in 2011 % - All-OVC 1st Team in 2010 & - All-OVC 2nd Team in 2010 ^ - OVC All-Freshman Team in 2010 ! - All-OVC 2nd Team in 2009 $ - OVC All-Freshman Team in 2009 @ - OVC All-Freshman Team in 2008