JACKSON, Tenn. - Marco Ozuna picked up SSAC Pitcher of the Year honors and was joined by Eduarny Martinez and
Jordan Destefano on the first team with
Jeyson Polanco,
Mose Hayes and
Alonzo Castellanos making the second team.
Ozuna became the sixth different Eagle to win Pitcher of the Year joining an incredible list of Eagle aces to be named the top pitcher in the SSAC: Corey Black, Johnny Shuttlesworth, Evan Gillespie, Antonio Frias and July Sosa. Ozuna, a native of Casa Grande, Arizona carried a 3.05 era through the season with a 1.05 WHIP en route to an 8-2 record on the mound. He struck out 55 batters over 56 innings of work and gave up just 10 extra base hits and 10 walks all season. It is his second consecutive season on the first team.
Eduarny Martinez hit 18 home runs which is sixth most in the modern era for an Eagle in a single season to claim first team honors as the designated hitter. Martinez, a native of Caracas, Venezuela finishes his season with a 1.317 OPS and an .826 slugging percentage while maintaining a .491 on base percentage. His slugging mark is the highest in the SSAC.
Jordan Destefano earned first-team all-conference honors as the relief pitcher after racking up six saves and a 4-0 record with a 1.95 ERA and a .192 batting average against, striking out 27 over 27.2 innings. The native of Fairfield, Connecticut allowed just six earned runs all season.
Jeyson Polanco earned second team honors with a .364 average, 13 home runs, four triples and nine doubles. The Santiago, Dominican Republic native carried a .957 fielding percentage at second base.
Mose Hayes is on the second team for the second consecutive season. Hayes, a native of Homer, Alaska collected a 5-1 record with a .235 batting average against with a 1.24 WHIP. Hayes struck out 52 batters in 59.2 innings.
Alonzo Castellanos also placed on the second team after a 4.53 ERA and a 4-2 record with two saves. The Slymar, California native had a .254 batting average against over 47.2 innings with 38 strikeouts over 47.2 innings.
The Eagles also placed several members on the all-academic team and champions of character team which will be detailed in later stories.
