SAVANNAH, Ga. --- Three Tusculum College
baseball players have been named to the 2009 American Baseball
Coaches' Association Division II All-Southeast Team announced
officials. C.J. Hillyer, Nate
Grabowski and Rob Currie were all named
to the All-Region Second Team.
Hillyer, a 6-3, 245-pound left-handed pitcher from Abington, Mass.,
earns his second All-Region honor this year and third in his
Tusculum career. He was tabbed to the Daktronics All-Southeast
Region First Team earlier this month. The 2009 South Atlantic
Conference Pitcher of the Year led the Pioneers with his 7-3 record
and a 2.89 earned run average, which is the ninth lowest in school
history. He has made 15 appearances this season, including 14
starts, which are tied for third most in Tusculum history. The
two-time All-SAC standout has tossed 79.1 innings where he has
walked 15 to go along with 55 strikeouts.
Grabowski, a 5-10, 190-pound outfielder, led Tusculum with his .406
batting average. The Pennellville, N.Y. junior also led the squad
in runs scored (51), hits (73), doubles (16), walks (34) and
on-base percentage (.505). The 2009 All-SAC First Team choice went
11-for-19 (.579) at last month's SAC Tournament, earning a spot on
the All-Tournament Team. Grabowski's walk tally is the eighth best
in TC history while his on-base percentage is currently the seventh
highest ever by a Pioneer. He has also tallied seven home runs and
a pair of triples. He was named to the 2009 Daktronics All-Region
First Team.
Currie, a 6-6, 240-pound senior relief pitcher from St. Charles,
Ill., was the ace of the Tusculum bull pen. Currie, who was
selected as the 2009 All-SAC First Team relief pitcher, made 21
appearances where he posted a 5-1 record with a 1.21 ERA to go
along with six saves. The six saves are the fourth-most ever by a
Pioneer reliever. Currie limited the opposition to a .213 batting
average, while striking out at team-best 57 with only 20 walks in
his 52 innings of work. He has already earned Daktronics All-Region
Second Team honors this year.
Tusculum captured its fourth South Atlantic Conference title in
the last five years, while posting a 36-18 record. The Pioneers
also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament,
TC's third straight postseason appearance and fifth in the last
seven years. Tusculum's five NCAA Tournament showings are the most
in conference history.
- TC -