Sophomore Billy Dimlow was named the Co-Pitcher of the Year and freshman Richard Brereton was selected as the Rookie of the Year as the University Athletic Association announced its 2017 All-Association Baseball team Wednesday afternoon as voted on by the six conference head coaches.
Dimlow and Brereton are joined by six other members of the team as the Eagles garnered a UAA-best eight All-Association honors. Among the honorees are four Eagles on the First Team: Dimlow, seniors Brian Hernandez, Jeff Ronpirin and junior Bubby Terp and three Eagles on the Second Team: junior Nick Chambers and seniors Kyle Monk and Wilson Morgan.
Dimlow was named the Pitcher of the Year, sharing the honor with Washington's Brad Margolin, after compiling one of the more dominating seasons on the mound in Emory history. In 10 starts spanning 66.1 innings, he was 6-1 and led the UAA in both earned run average (0.95) and strikeouts (78). He did not allow an earned run until his fourth start of the season, held opponents scoreless in four outings and racked up double-digit strikeouts in four starts including a career-high 12 in his first start of the year against Sewanee. His sub-1.00 ERA currently ranks fifth among Division III qualified leaders and is the lowest all-time single season mark for a pitcher who's logged at least 40 innings in program history.
Brereton becomes just the sixth player in school history to be named the UAA Rookie of the Year after serving in a utility role for the Eagles in 2017, splitting time between the outfield, shortstop and on the bump. In 18 games, including 15 starts, Brereton batted at a .256 clip (11-for-43) with eight runs, three doubles, eight RBI and four stolen bases. He added a 4-1 record with one save in 13 appearances as a pitcher, striking out 23 batters in 31.1 innings. He struck out a career-high seven hitters across five innings in a win against Oglethorpe on April 11th.
Hernandez earns his second straight appearance on the All-UAA First Team after leading the Eagles in batting average (.331) for the second consecutive year. Hernandez has added team-highs in hits (44), home runs (3), slugging percentage (.459) and multi-hit games (13).
Ronpirin collects his first All-Association selection after playing in a team-high 39 games and making 37 starts between second base and at DH. Ronpirin, owner of a .319 average, is currently tied with Hernandez for the team lead in hits (44) while topping the club in doubles (10), triples (4), RBI (41), total bases (62), stolen bases (10) and multi-RBI games (12).
Terp joins Ronpirin as another Eagle making his first career appearance on the All-Association team, earning First Team kudos. Terp was one of four Emory hitters to record at least 40 hits on the year, going 40-for-124 (.323). He added eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 30 runs batted in to his ledger.
Chambers, another first time All-Association honoree, leads a trio of Eagles on the Second Team. In his third year with the program, Chambers put forth a slash line of .321/.397/.408, totals all marking career-highs. He's crossed home plate a team-leading 32 times to go along with eight doubles, one triple, 10 stolen bases and has driven in 17 runs.
Monk makes his third consecutive appearance on the All-UAA team, having gained Second Team acclaim as a sophomore and First Team recognition as a junior. As a senior, Monk posted career-highs in wins (8) and strikeouts (57) while finishing the regular season with five saves in a team-leading 21 appearances. Seven of his eight victories came in relief, placing him second for most in a single season in program history. He made his first career start at home against Case Western Reserve on March 24th, striking out seven in the complete-game victory.
Morgan rounds out the honorees, earning All-Association honors for the first time in his career. He is batting .330 (37-for-112) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 21 RBI and leads the club with 29 walks and a .469 on-base percentage.
The Eagles, winners of eight of their last nine to close out the regular season, will find out if they are one of the two Pool "B" at-large bids selected to the NCAA tournament when the field of 56 is announced on Sunday, May 14th. Emory finished the campaign with a 27-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in UAA competition.