GWU Senior Quartet Honored By Big South Conference
May 21, 2009 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb seniors Justin Loyd, Brock
Miller, Daniel Cooke and Jonathan Ahearn were each honored by the
Big South Conference Wednesday night during the league's postseason
awards ceremony at McCormick Field.
Loyd and Miller were named first-team All-Conference, Cooke was
named second-team All-Conference and Ahearn was tabbed as the
league's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Loyd (Louisburg, N.C. / Kerr-Vance Academy) was named first-team
All-Big South at third base, where he anchored Gardner-Webb's
potent offensive attack all season. The 6-0, 200-pound slugger
finished the season as the first Gardner-Webb player to bat .400 at
the NCAA Division I level – and the first since Division II
All-American Blake Leverett in 2000.
Loyd batted an even .400 on the season, leading the team with 78
base hits (78/195). His .400 batting average is the fourth-best in
school history for a season with a minimum of 150 at bats.
Loyd paced the Big South with 20 doubles, scored 51 runs, belted a
career-high nine home runs and drove in 56. Loyd finished his
Gardner-Webb career with a .339 batting average, 208 hits, 44
doubles, 16 home runs and 126 RBI in 157 games started. He finishes
ranked fifth in career batting average, fifth in career RBI and
fourth in career doubles.
Miller (Alma, Ga. / Bacon County HS) was named first-team All-Big
South in centerfield, and emerged as one of the Southeast's top
leadoff men in 2009. The speedy senior batted a strong .373 in 50
starts and swiped a school-record 37 bases. Miller also scored 61
runs – third-best in GWU single-season history – rapped
out a career-high 72 hits, and walked a team-high 29 times.
Miller's All-Conference selection is the second of his career,
following a second-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference spot last
season when he swiped 33 bases. For his career, Miller batted .328
with 137 runs scored and 91 steals in 121 starts. He ranks among
the school's top five in stolen bases (2nd), career runs (4th) and
triples (4th).
Cooke (Charlotte, N.C. / Independence HS) was named second-team
All-Big South in left field, wrapping up an outstanding two-sport
career at Gardner-Webb with his best overall on the diamond in
2009. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder posted career-high numbers in
batting average (.353), runs scored (56), hits (71), home runs (7)
and RBI (47), while continuing to run well with 26 stolen
bases.
Cooke finished his career ranked first in GWU history with 944
stolen bases and 170 runs scored, starting 207 of the 214 games he
played for the ‘Dogs. Cooke also finished ranked in the career
top-5 at GWU in hits (2nd, 255), RBI (4th, 145) and at bats (2nd,
785).
The All-Conference nod was the sixth of Cooke's career overall. He
was a four-time All-Big South selection for the GWU football squad
at safety, earning first-team honors on the gridiron in 2005, 2006
and 2008 – and second-team honors in 2007. He was named to the
Atlantic Sun Conference's All-Freshman team in baseball as well in
2006.
Cooke finished his two-sport career as the only known
student-athlete in NCAA Division I history to collect at least 250
career tackles in football (281), 250 base hits in baseball (255),
150 runs scored (170) and 75 stolen bases (94).
Cooke started 44 consecutive games in football, and finished his
two-sport career by starting an astounding 251 intercollegiate
contests.
Ahearn (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence HS) continued to rake in
accolades this season by earning the league's prestigious
Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for baseball.
The right fielder enjoyed a career-best season on the diamond,
batting .327 with 29 runs scored, eight doubles, three home runs
and 19 stolen bases in 50 starts, and continued to excel in the
classroom. Ahearn posted a 3.90 cumulative grade point average as
an undergraduate, earning a degree in Health & Wellness in
December, 2008.
Ahearn was recently awarded the Big South's Bob McCloskey Insurance
Graduate Fellowship, and was named to ESPN the Magazine's Academic
All-District III first team as well – leaving him eligible for
a spot on the Division I Academic All-America Team that will be
announced later this month.
Ahearn finished his career with 117 starting assignments in the
outfield, and batted .285 with 127 career hits. His 49 career
stolen bases rank fifth in GWU history, and his .816 success rate
when stealing (49-of-60) also ranks among the school's career
leaders.
Gardner-Webb (25-25) enjoyed its best offensive season as a senior
college program in 2009, smashing a 38-year old record for team
batting average. GWU finished the 2009 campaign with a .327 team
batting average, which topped the previous record of .324 set by
the legendary 1971 squad.
GWU also established new team marks for slugging percentage (.512),
home runs (65) and on base percentage (.398).
2009 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE BASEBALL
ALL-CONFERENCE
FIRST-TEAM
SP Cody Wheeler, Soph., LHP, Coastal Carolina
SP Shawn Teufel, R-Jr., LHP, Liberty
SP Anthony Meo, Fr., RHP, Coastal Carolina
RP Nick McCully, Jr., RHP, Coastal Carolina
C Billy Alvino, Sr., High Point
1B David Anderson, Sr., Coastal Carolina
2B A.J. Yoder, Sr., VMI
3B Justin Loyd, Sr., Gardner-Webb
SS Alfie Wheeler, Sr., High Point
DH Eddie Rohan, Soph., Winthrop
OF Curran Redal, Jr., Liberty
OF Rico Noel, Soph., Coastal Carolina
OF Brock Miller, Sr., Gardner-Webb
SECOND-TEAM
SP Matteo D'Angelo, Soph., RHP, Winthrop
SP Travis Smink, R-Jr., LHP, VMI
SP Aerik Taylor, Jr., RHP, Radford
RP Tyler Mizenko, Fr., RHP, Winthrop
C Errol Hollinger, Sr., Liberty
1B Alex Gregory, Sr., Radford
2B Bryn Henderson, Sr., Winthrop
3B Tyler Bortnick, Sr., Coastal Carolina
SS Kevin Nolan, Jr., Winthrop
DH Adam Rice, Jr., Coastal Carolina
OF Daniel Cooke, Sr., Gardner-Webb
OF Daniel Bowman, Fr., Coastal Carolina
OF Cory Lyda, Sr., Presbyterian
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Mark Perry, Sr., Charleston Southern
Austin Fleet, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Jonathan Ahearn, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
Billy Alvino, Sr., High Point
Errol Hollinger, Sr., Liberty
Mitchell Odom, Sr., Presbyterian
Alex Gregory, Sr., Radford
Justin Schumer, Jr., UNC Asheville
Adam Kruithof, Soph., VMI
Bryn Henderson, Sr., Winthrop
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
David Anderson, Sr., 1B, Coastal Carolina
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Cody Wheeler, Soph., LHP, Coastal Carolina
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jeff Kemp, SS, Radford
COACH OF THE YEAR
Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina
GARDNER-WEBB'S ALL-TIME .400 HITTERS (BY
YEAR)
Joe Stepp (1971) – .439 (40/91, 23 games)
Roger McSwain (1971) – .405 (37/91, 24 games)
David Rogers (1973) – .426 (26/61, 17 games)
Butch Alred (1973) – .417 (20/48, 15 games)
Gary Robinson (1974) – .466 (34/73, 22 games)
Rick Young (1976) – .447 (34/76, 21 games)
Jimmy Jordan (1978) – .425 (31/73, 22 games)
Martin Rivers (1979) – .412 (28/68, 20 games)
Scott Lee (1986) – .406 (28/69, 27 games)
Terry Wright (1994) – .408 (80/196, 47 games)
Blake Leverett (2000) – .403 (100/248, 65 games)
Justin Loyd (2009) – .400 (78/195, 50 games)
