ATLANTA- Majors' sophomore Keith Shumaker was named the Southern Athletic Association's player of the year, as voted upon by conference coaches and staff.
Shumaker headlines four Majors that were named to the All-Conference First Team. Shumaker has absolutely raked at the plate to the tune of a .393 average, good for third in the conference. The sophomore led the conference with 58 runs scored and is second behind teammate Wes Perkins with 51 runs batted in. Additionally, Shumaker stepped into the number two starters role for the Majors and went 5-0 with a 2.68 earned run average. The right-hander from Jackson, Mississippi had four complete games and a pair of shutouts.
Joining Shumaker on the First Team were fellow infielders Wes Perkins, Samuel Doucet and Stephen Gates as well as fellow pitcher Will Edwards.
Perkins led the conference in batting average .436 and leads not only the conference but the nation with 77 base hits. Perkins also led the conference with 55 runs batted in, out slugging Shumaker for tops in the conference. Perkins is also tied for the nation lead with 23 doubles.
Gates finished the season hitting .371 with 66 base hits, good for third in the SAA. His 56 runs scored are second to only teammate Keith Shumaker and places him third in the nation. Gates has seen time primarily at first base but has dabbled at third and even second for the Majors. Batting out of the lead-off spot for much of the year, Gates has been the perfect table-setter for the Majors offense this season.
Samuel Doucet had a banner year hitting out of the clean-up spot for the Majors. The sophomore from Baton Rouge hit .378 on the year for the Majors and drove in 34 runs. His 25 RBIs in conference games is second in the SAA. Doucet has pounded out 62 hits on the season, fourth in the SAA and has scored 36 times.
Will Edwards tied for the conference lead with seven wins this season. The ace of the Majors staff, Edwards has shined against the conference's best pitchers. Edwards went 7-2 over the course of the season with a 2.99 earned run average. His 73 strike outs tied for second in the conference.
Outfielder William Chenoweth and 1B/DH Andrew Rafferty earned second team All-Conference. Chenoweth played a rock solid right field for the Majors this season and led the conference with five triples. Rafferty hit .333 this season for the Majors with a home run and 14 runs batted in.
Second baseman Kevin Wall and freshman right hander Harper Grier were placed on the All-Conference Team. Wall led the conference in put outs and double plays turned at second base for the Majors. He also hit .335 with 29 runs batted in and 32 runs scored. Grier has gone 6-2 this season with 3 saves for the Majors out of the bullpen, including 3-0 and a .86 earned run average in conference. One of the Majors top relievers, Grier has made 10 conference appearances and logged 21 innings against conference foes.
Majors' skipper Jim Page took home Coach of the Year honors after leading the Majors to the regular season conference title. Millsaps went 17-4 in the regular season in SAA play and stand at 32-11 overall. Page in his 25th year at the helm of the Majors eclipsed the 600 win plateau last season, becomming the youngest manager to do so. The Majors will host Birmingham Southern on Tuesday and Wednesday in a best-of-three series for the tournament title.
The complete conference release can be viewed here.
