The Emory University baseball team had a bounce-back campaign during the 2011 season, winning the 10^th University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in the program’s history, en route to a 26-17 record.

The 26 victories marked a seven game improvement from the 2010 campaign, and the most wins for the team since the squad went 43-10 during the 2007 season.  Despite the new bats put into use for the 2011 season (causing lower offensive outputs across all levels of NCAA play), the Eagles still managed to bat .306 as a team during the season, while averaging over 7.5 runs per game.  Emory’s pitchers recorded an team earned run average of 4.61 during the year, limiting opponents to a .293 batting average.

The Eagles used a formula of a strong all around defense and a high on base percentage to earn their victories during the season.  Emory’s team fielding percentage of .960 ranked as the fourth highest mark in the program’s history and the 63^rd-best in Division III during the 2011 campaign.  Meanwhile, the squad turned 36 double plays during the year (along with the first triple play in the program’s history), the 46^th-most among Division III teams.  Third baseman Andrew Cohn and second baseman Kevin O’Connor each earned the Rawlings/ABCA South Region Gold Glove Award for their defensive efforts during the season.  Freshman Brandon Hannon impressed in the outfield as well, picking up eight outfield assists during the season, including one that retired the potential game-tying run at the plate for the final out of the ninth inning against DePauw University.

Offensively, the Eagles walked a program-record 229 times during the year, the second most among Division III teams in 2011.  The free passes helped contribute to Emory’s .414 team on base percentage during the season, the fifth-best mark in school history.  O’Connor and Hannon each walked 37 times during the year, tying the second-highest mark in Emory history, and the seventh-highest total in the Nation.  Hannon finished the season with an on base percentage of .543, the second-highest single season total in Emory history, and the highest career mark for any Eagle with 120 or more career at bats.

Senior outfielder/catcher Patrick Riebsame, an All-South Region Second Team selection, added pop to the lineup by hitting .351 with a team-best 40 RBIs and eight home runs, the fifth-most in a season by an Eagle.

On the mound, Emory was led by a young but talented group of pitchers.  The veteran of the group, junior and all-UAA second team selection Paul Schwendel, finished the season 5-1 with a team-best 63 strikeouts.  Sophomore Caleb Long has a breakout year, leading the Eagles with six victories in eight starts and a 2.68 ERA, and freshman Ben Hinojosa contributed with a 3-3 record and a 3.30 ERA over a team-high 73.2 innings pitched.

Emory’s bullpen was led by a pair of right-handed pitchers.  Sophomore and all-UAA second team honoree Mike Bitanga recorded the third-highest single season totals in school history with eight saves and 24 appearances, going 3-3 with a 2.21 ERA.  Freshman Matt McMahon was a workhorse as well, throwing 51.1 innings over 21 appearances (including two starts), and finishing the year with a 4-3 record, a 3.33 ERA, and one save.

The highlight of the Eagles’ season came in March, when the team won its 10^th UAA Championship, and the first since the 2008 season.  Emory claimed outright possession of the conference title in dramatic fashion, as Riebsame hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Washington University (Mo.), capping off a seven-run comeback and giving the team a 9-8 win.  The Eagles finished the UAA Tournament with a 5-1 record, the most wins by the team at the conference championships since 2006, and Riebsame was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for his efforts.

The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2011 season: