Troy State places four on A-Sun teams
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 11, 2002
MACON,Ga. – The Troy State baseball team placed four players on the 2002 All-Atlantic Sun Conference first and second teams, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Designated hitter Wade Miller and right-handed pitcher Eric Wisktrom were named to the first team, while catcher Lance Newman and first baseman Drew Miller earned second-team honors.
Wade Miller, a sophomore from Skipperville, Ala., currently leads the team and is fifth in the conferencewith a .391 batting average. He also has 79 base hits, 17 doubles and five sacrifice flies – all of which rank in the top five in the conference. This is Miller’s second straight all-conference honor. He was named to the A-Sun all-freshman team last year.
Wikstrom is currently 5-3 on the season and is sixth in the conference with a 3.68 ERA. The sophomore from Roseville, Minn., leads the league with a 4.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His three complete-game shutouts have tied the A-Sun’s single-season record.
This is the first time in four years that two Trojans have earned first-team accolades. In 1998, catcher Tom Gregorio and designated hitter Jorge Soto each earned a spot on the All-A-Sun first team. Drew Miller, the older brother of Wade, is second on the team and 11th in the A-Sun with a .359 average. He also has 11 home runs and 12 doubles. In his two seasons as a Trojan, he has belted 32 doubles and is currently in eighth place on the school’s career list.
A senior from Brookhaven, Miss., Newman is hitting .288 with 28 stolen bases and seven sacrifice bunts. He also leads the team with two grand slams and has thrown out 12 base runners this season.
The last time four Trojans earned all-conference mention was in 1997 when seven players earned All-Mid-Continent Conference honors.
The four honorees bring the total to 44 since 1991, when John Mayotte was hired as the head coach. He has also coached 27 first-team selections in his 12 seasons.
Fourth-seeded Troy State (28-28 overall, 16-14 A-Sun) will face third-seeded Stetson on Wednesday in the first round of the 2002 A-Sun Baseball Championship. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla.