BOCA RATON, Fla. --- Six Tusculum College
baseball players have been named to the 2008 American Baseball
Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division II All-South Region Team
announced officials. Maikol Gonzalez,
Christian Rosa and Boo Morrow
were named to the All-Region First Team, while Dustin
Morrow, Carlos Rivera and Raymond
Ruggles garnered Second Team honors.
Tusculum's six honorees are the most in the region. Two-time
defending national champion Tampa had four selections, while
Catawba, Rollins, Barry and Nova Southeastern had three each.
Gonzalez, a senior second baseman from Maraca Ibo, Venezuela,
returns to the ABCA All-Region First Team for a second straight
season. He was named to the Daktronics All-Region First Team last
week, while also being tabbed the South Region Player of the Year
by that organization for a second time. Gonzalez established a new
school record by hitting .468 this year, surpassing the previous
best by Julio Velazquez in the 1994 campaign (.467). Gonzalez also
broke the TC and South Atlantic Conference single-season record
with his 103 hits this year. The two-time All-SAC First Team
honoree accounted for 21 doubles, seven triples, five home runs and
a team-best 58 RBI. His 30 stolen bases in 2008 were also a new
school record. During his two-year career, Gonzalez established new
TC record for batting average (.457), triples (21) and on-base
percentage (.522).
Rosa, a senior catcher from Toa Boa, Puerto Rico, also returns to
the ABCA All-Region First Team. Rosa finished third on the team
hitting .390 with 15 doubles, seven triples and a team-best 12 home
runs, including a solo shot in his final collegiate at-bat. Rosa's
dozen homers are tied for the fourth most in school history. His 21
career round-trippers are tied for fifth all-time in the TC record
book. He was named to the Daktronics All-Region First Team last
week and was a 2007 NCBWA All-America pick.
Boo Morrow, a junior right-handed pitcher from Lexington, Ky.,
emerged as the ace to the Tusculum rotation in 2008. The Daktronics
All-Region First Team selection, posted a 7-0 record with a 2.00
earned run average. Morrow recorded 61 strikeouts and 20 walks in
his 76.2 innings. The All-SAC First Team honoree has yet to suffer
a loss in his career (11-0) and was also named to the ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District IV Second Team.
Dustin Morrow, a senior first baseman from Lexington, Ky. (Boo's
older brother), earns a spot on the All-Region Second Team. He
posted a .373 batting average in a season that was halted midway
due to an injury suffered against Carson-Newman in March. The
two-time All-SAC selection posted seven doubles, four home runs and
22 RBI. He wrapped up his Tusculum career with 662 career put outs,
which are the fourth most in school history, while his .985 career
fielding percentage is ranked in the top 10 in the TC record book.
Morrow was named the 2008 SAC Scholar Athlete for Baseball,
becoming the fifth Pioneer in the last eight years to earn this
prestigious honor. He was also named to the ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District Team for a second straight year.
Rivera, a senior outfielder from Leesburg, Va., returns to the
ABCA All-Region squad. In 2007, he earned All-Region First Team
recognition and later garnered ABCA All-America Third Team and
NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention. In 2008, Rivera batted .392
with 12 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs and 47 RBI. During
his two years in Greeneville, Rivera batted .395, which is the
fifth best average in school history. He also accounted for 15
career triples, which are the second most ever by a Pioneer.
Ruggles, a senior right-handed pitcher from Newport, Tenn., rounds
out the All-Region Team