The Emory University Baseball Team's 2007 season raised the
program to new heights, as the Eagles came just one game shy of a
national championship, finishing second overall in the
nation. The second-place finish at the NCAA Division III
National Championship is the best in the history of Emory's
baseball program (which began during the 1991 season), along with
the best finish by a University Athletic Association (UAA) baseball
team, and the highest national finish by an Emory team in a
team-based sport.
The Eagles finished the season with a 43-10 record, setting mark
for the most wins in Emory baseball history. More impressive
than the actual win total, however, was the way in which the Eagles
won their games. Emory came back to win 21 games in which it
trailed, and 14 of the Eagles' wins came in the team's final at
bat. The Eagles finished the season 35-2 when they held their
opponents to less than five runs.
Emory's four wins in the Division III Championship Tournament are
three more than the Eagles had in their previous two trips to the
tournament. After Emory dropped its first game of the
championship bracket to the sixth-ranked University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point, the Eagles shocked the field by going on a four-game
winning run, which included wins over the top-ranked Chapman
University (Calif.), the second-ranked Cortland State University
(N.Y.), the fifth-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University and
exacting revenge over Stevens Point to advance to the
championship. Emory battled all to the National Championship
game, where they met Kean University (N.J.), and battled the
better-rested team to 10 innings before dropping a 5-4
decision. The Eagles' outscored their opponents 49-28 during
the championship tournament.
Emory's games in the South Regional Tournament in Ferrum, Va. were
equally as thrilling. Playing for the right to compete for
the NCAA Division III Championship, the top-seeded Eagles entered
the regional championship game through the winner's bracket with
wins over Bridgewater College (Va.), Methodist University (N.C.)
and Ferrum College (Va.). After suffering a 12-inning loss to
Ferrum in the first championship game, the two teams met again the
following day to decide the regional champion. With the
Eagles' trailing 5-3 in the ninth inning, senior Sam
Cunningham hit what is unquestionably the most important
home run in school history, a two-run shot to right field that sent
the game into extra innings. A 12th-inning game-winning RBI
single for Tyler Short clinched the Regional
Championship for Emory.
The Eagles claimed two other tournament titles during the
season. Emory won its eighth University Athletic Association
(UAA) title, finishing 4-2 during the annual tournament. The
victory is the Eagles' fourth UAA win in the last five years, and
the team's fourth-outright championship. The Eagles also won
the Rawlings Southern Classic during the second week of the
season.
Emory's season included a 16-3 record against teams that
participated in the NCAA Tournament, and a 9-4 record against teams
that were ranked in the final American Baseball Coaches Association
Poll. The Eagles were 23-1 at their home this season, and
improved their all-time winning percentage at Chappell Park to
.773.
The Eagles' success during the season began with its top-two senior
starting pitchers, Jason Glushon and Ian
Ganzer. Glushon worked harder than any other Emory
pitcher in the school's history, throwing an Emory single-season
record 125.1 innings (11th-most in Division III history), over a
school-record 17 starts (10th-most in Division III history).
The wear and tear on the senior's arm didn't show in his
performance however, as he set a school record with 13 wins during
the season, while recording a 2.23 earned run average and striking
out 112 batters, the fourth-most in school history. For his
performance during the season, Glushon was named a second-team
All-American, and the South-Region pitcher of the year.
Meanwhile, Ganzer's 8-1 record with a 2.45 ERA were both the
second-best on the team, as the senior held opponents to a team-low
.219 batting average. On just two days rest, the senior
pitched nine-effective innings in the NCAA Championship Game.
The Eagles rotation was solidified in the middle of the season,
when fifth-year senior Sam Cunningham became
Emory's third starting pitcher, compiling a 4-0 record with a 4.01
ERA in five starts. Closer Rich Babb set a
school record with eight wins out of the bullpen (to go along with
his 1.48 ERA and six saves), and senior Anthony
Vidal, junior Julian Smith, and freshmen
Adam Genn and Will Gumm provided
consistent performances to solidify the Eagles' rotation and
bullpen.
Juniors Frank Pfister and Joe
Roth led the Emory position players with both their bats
and gloves. Pfister, who constantly contributed with his
strong arm and great glove at third base, set an Emory record at
the plate with a .387 batting average and 87 hits during the
season, the 18th-highest total in Division III history.
Meanwhile, Roth's 58 runs batted in are the third-most in Emory
history, and he was named the nation's gold-glove second baseman
with a .987 fielding percentage during the year. The pair of
Pfister and Roth recorded 225 and 223 at bats respectively, the
fifth- and sixth-most in Division III history.
Senior shortstop Brandon Custer, recorded his best
season as an Eagle, batting .360 with 33 RBIs, including a .474
average with five runs batted in during the championship
tournament. Junior David Hissey's 29 stolen
bases during the year are the fourth-most in school history and
sophomore newcomer Steve Bralver finished second
on the team with four home runs, to go along with 33 RBIs and a
.354 average, despite missing six weeks due to injury.
Meanwhile, despite registering only four at bats in 2006,
Tyler Short became the Eagles' everyday catcher in
2007, including starting all six games behind the plate over five
days in the NCAA National Tournament. Short hit .316 with 10
RBIs in Emory's 11 postseason games.
Seniors Sam Cunningham, Bo
Schill, Zander Sotiriou, and Tim
Cournoyer provided leadership and offensive prowess
throughout the season for Emory, while freshmen Dan
Molnar and Tommy Dugan provided
consistency and defense in the Eagles outfield.
The following Eagles received honors during the 2007 season:
All-America (American Baseball Coaches Association) | |||
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
Second Team |
All-America (d3baseball.com) | |||
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
Third Team |
Gold Glove (American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings) | |||
Joe Roth |
Niwot, CO (Holy Family) |
Second Base |
|
All-Tournament (NCAA Division III National Championship) | |||
Steve Bralver |
Honolulu, HI (Westlake) |
Designated Hitter |
|
Brandon Custer |
Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley West) |
Infield |
|
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
|
Frank Pfister |
Los Angeles, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Infield |
|
South Region Pitcher of the Year (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) | |||
Jason Glushon | Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) | ||
South Region Pitcher of the Year (American Baseball Coaches Association) | |||
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
|
|
All-South Region (American Baseball Coaches Association) | |||
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
First Team |
Joe Roth |
Niwot, CO (Holy Family) |
Second Base |
First Team |
Rich Babb |
Ashland, MA (Ashland) |
Pitcher |
Second Team |
NCAA South Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player | |||
Frank Pfister |
Los Angeles, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Third Base |
|
All-South Regional Tournament | |||
Ian Ganzer |
Morgantown, WV (Wellington) |
Pitcher |
|
Frank Pfister |
Los Angeles, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Third Base |
|
Joe Roth |
Niwot, CO (Holy Family) |
Second Base |
|
University Athletic Association Player of the Year | |||
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
|
All-University Athletic Association | |||
Steve Bralver |
Honolulu, HI (Westlake) |
Designated Hitter |
First Team |
Brandon Custer |
Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley West) |
Shortstop |
First Team |
Jason Glushon |
Encino, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Pitcher |
First Team |
Frank Pfister |
Los Angeles, CA (Harvard-Westlake) |
Third base |
First Team |
Joe Roth |
Niwot, CO (Holy Family) |
Second Base |
First Team |
CoSIDA Academic All-District | |||
Brandon Custer |
Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley West) |
Infield |
First Team |