Bowling Green State University Athletics
SCHMITZ NAMED MAC COACH OF THE YEAR; SMITH PITCHER OF THE YEAR
May 19, 2009 | Baseball
May 19, 2009
CHILLICOTHE, OHIO - Bowling Green State University baseball coach Danny Schmitz and sophomore pitcher Brennan Smith earned two of the top awards from the Mid-American Conference when the league announced the award winners for the 2009 season today.
Schmitz was named the Coach of the Year in the conference while Smith was tabbed by the 12 coaches around the conference as the Pitcher of the Year.
Schmitz, who became only the fifth coach in league history to reach the 500 win plateau, was named the top field boss in the MAC for the third time in his career. Schmitz, who has a 517-461-4 record in his 19 seasons at the helm, was also the Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1995.
Schmitz, a Ferndale, Mich. native who played collegiately at Eastern Michigan, has led the program to heights it has never experienced in the 91 years that baseball has been played at BGSU. Schmitz has led the Falcons to four regular season league titles (1995, 2002, 2008, 2009), six division titles (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009) and two league tournament titles (1998, 1999) and the NCAA Tournament berth that goes with winning the MAC Tournament. In addition, his teams have qualified for the league tournament nine times.
Smith, a native of Sandusky Ohio, has emerged as the #1 starter for the Falcons this season after starting four times in 18 appearances last season with a 7.49 ERA in 39.2 innings of work. The hard throwing right-hander became the staff ace this season after the program lost all three starters, one signed professionally last summer and the other two had season-ending surgery, from a year ago when they were expected to return.
All Smith has done this season is start 14 games compiling an 8-3 record with a 4.17 ERA, the best in the MAC, in 77.2 innings, tied for fourth in the league.. Smith has struck out 74, tied for second in the MAC, and walked only 30 while allowing 70 hits. For the season, the opposition has hit only .234 against Smith, the lowest average for any pitcher in the MAC. His eight wins is the top figure in the MAC and ranks 36th in the nationally.
In MAC play, he was 6-1 with a 4.66 ERA, fifth in the MAC, in 56.0 innings, fifth in the league. He had 51 strike outs, fourth in the conference, while drawing the starting assignment in the first game of all nine MAC series this year. Smith's six wins in MAC play led the league.
Smith, who is the probable starter for the Falcons in their first tournament game tomorrow night (7:30 p.m) against Central Michigan, has won eight of his last 11 starts. In his last 12 starts, he has an 8-1 record and Bowling Green is 11-1 in those 12 starts. In the eight games that he has won this season, he has a 2.05 ERA and has allowed only 38 hits in 57.0 innings of work.
Smith joins Jeff Hundley (1998) and Andy Smith (1997) as the only BG players to earn conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
Ohio third baseman Marc Krauss was named the top player in the conference while Kent State's Andrew Chafin, a left-handed pitcher, was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year.
At the same time, the all-league teams were announced and BG had four players earn first team honors and two earned spots on the second team.
Besides Smith earning a spot as one of the four starting pitchers on the first team, junior second baseman Logan Meisler, senior shortstop Ryan Shay and left-handed pitcher Matt Malewitz were also first team honorees.
Meisler earned league honors for the first time in his career after hitting .369, fifth on the team, with 44 RBI and 34 runs scored. Meisler, a native of Port Clinton, Ohio, started 43 games and had eight doubles for the Falcons. Meisler comes into the league tournament on a seven-game hitting streak during which he has hit .514 (19-of-37) with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored. A career .337 hitter, Meisler has 17 two-out RBI this season and has hit safely in 35 of the 48 games he has played in. Meisler hit .342 in MAC play with 25 RBI with his 40 hits ranking 10th in the conference.
Shay was a first team selection for the second successive season after hitting .392 this year with 51 RBI and 70 runs scored. He is fifth in the nation averaging 1.46 runs per game and has scored at least one run in 20 consecutive games heading into the tournament. The Garden City, Mich. native has 80 hits this season with 16 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs - all coming from the Falcon lead off hitter. Shay, who was a first team All-Mideast selection last season, has hit safely in 86 of the 100 games over the last two seasons with a .402 average and 123 runs scored. He is 60th in the country this season in total bases. He ranks among the league leaders (top 10) in 10 categories.
Malewitz, like Smith, filled a void in the starting rotation this season posting a 5-2 record in 76.1 innings of work with a 5.07 ERA. The Grand Rapids, Mich. product came to BG after one season at Grand Rapids Community College. He had 53 strike outs this season to go along with one complete game shutout and one combined shutout. He had four win in league play and was the BG starter in the middle game of all nine MAC series this season.
Junior catcher Tyler Elkins and junior third baseman Derek Spencer earned spots on the second team. Spencer was a first team selection last season while Elkins is in his first season in the BG program. Elkins was second in the MAC this season hitting .407 with 31 RBI and 35 runs scored. Elkins has hit safely in 33 of his last 38 games and had a 13- and a 14-game hitting streak this year. The Hamilton, Ohio native hit .400 in league play. Spencer, who hails from Oregon, Ohio, is one of the top run producers in the league with 57 RBI, fourth in the conference. Spencer is hitting .389 this season with 14 home runs and is coming off a three home run, seven RBI day last Saturday against Akron helping the Falcons capture the league titles and #1 seed in the tournament. Spencer hit .423 in league play with 33 RBI.
2009 Mid-American Conference Baseball Award Winners
MAC Player of the Year -- Marc Krauss, Ohio, 3B
MAC Pitcher of the Year -- Brennan Smith, Bowling Green, RHP
MAC Freshman of the Year -- Andrew Chafin, Kent State, LHP
MAC Coach of the Year -- Danny Schmitz, Bowling Green
All-MAC First Team
C- Zach Dygert, Ball State
1B- Tom Nurre, Miami
2B- Logan Meisler, Bowling Green
SS- Ryan Shay, Bowling Green
3B- Marc Krauss, Ohio
OF- Jeremy Hazelbaker, Ball State
OF- Gauntlett Eldemire, Ohio
OF- Adam Eaton, Miami
SP- Brennan Smith, Bowling Green
SP- Matt Erwood, Miami
SP- Chris Rigo, Ohio
SP- Matt Malewitz, Bowling Green
RP- Andrew Chafin, Kent State
DH- Matt Skirving, Eastern Michigan
At-Large/Utility- Kobrin Vitek, Ball State
All-MAC Second Team
C- Tyler Elkins, Bowling Green
1B- Greg Rohan, Kent State
2B - Jimmy Rider, Kent State
SS- Jim Gulliver, Eastern Michigan
3B- Derek Spencer, Bowling Green
OF- Jared Humphreys, Kent State
OF- Jordin Hood, Northern Illinois
OF- Hayden Johnston, Ohio
SP- Dan Taylor, Central Michigan
SP- Trent Howard, Central Michigan
SP - Matt Kuna, Toledo
SP- Corey Chaffins, Eastern Michigan
RP- Jon Pokorny, Kent State
DH- Robert Maddox, Ohio
At-Large/Utility- Brandon Besl, Ohio; Ian Nielsen, Ball State
