Trevecca Baseball
2006-2007 Season Review
Overall: 44-18-1 (21-6 1st of 10) TranSouth Tournament: lost Crichton, def. Martin Methodist, def. Bethel, def. Crichton, lost Cumberland (finals) NAIA Region XI Tournament: def. Georgetown, lost Campbellsville, def. Crichton, lost Campbellsville
Coming off their first ever trip to the NAIA Region XI title game, the Trevecca baseball team entered the 2007 season in a transition period. The coach who had guided the program’s turnaround from 15-40 in 2001 to 47-16 in 2005, Jeff Forehand had left the program for the same position with NCAA Division 1 Lipscomb University. Chris Collins, a former Trojan and Forehand’s assistant, was tabbed as successor. The season would see Collins carry on the Trojan Tradition he helped create as a player and then later as assistant coach under Forehand.
The Trojans began the season on a tear, sweeping their first eight games of the season, including a road sweep of #RV Belhaven College and a road win over #14 Tennessee Wesleyan. During the streak, the Trojans out-scored their opponents 57-16. After dropping a game to the University of Mobile, the Trojans mounted another nine game unbeaten streak, which included a TranSouth series sweep of Lambuth University.
As the conference season continued to unfold, the Trojans stayed red hot, sweeping Mid-Continent University and #6 Lyon College en route to a 10-game conference winning streak before finally losing their first TranSouth game at Union University. The Trojans bounced back the next weekend, sweeping the Bethel College to run their TranSouth record to 14-1.
The following three weekends, the Trojans won series from the Crichton College, Martin Methodist, and #23 Freed-Hardeman to set up a showdown with Cumberland University for the TranSouth regular season title. The Trojans sent sophomore hurler Nick Shoup to the mound for the first game of the series, and Shoup did not disappoint, tossing a complete game, one hit shutout as the Trojans earned their second TranSouth title in three seasons with a 14-0 win over Cumberland.
The Trojans went into the TranSouth tournament as the #1 seed, but had to work their way back to the championship game after a 3-1 loss in the opener to Crichton College. The Trojans won their next three games, including avenging the loss to Crichton, to get to the TranSouth title game against Cumberland. The Bulldogs took a wild and high scoring affair 16-10. The Trojans had already secured their third consecutive trip to the NAIA Region XI Tournament and advanced as the #2 seed.
Trevecca drew tournament host Georgetown College to open the Region XI tournament, outlasting the Tigers 6-4 in 16 innings. Eric Van Slyke tossed the first 13 innings before giving way to Shoup, who threw the final three frames and earned the win. The Trojans fell to the Campbellsville University the following night, but earned a rematch with Campbellsville by beating Crichton 6-4. The rematch with Campbellsville was tied 2-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, but Campbellsville scored once in the seventh and five times in the eighth to pull away to the 8-3 win, ending the Trojans’ season at 44-18-1.
Maurice Cole and Chris Collins headlined the list of the Trojans’ post-season honors, as Cole was named TranSouth Conference and NAIA Region XI Player of the Year, while Coach Collins earned the TranSouth Coach of the Year honors. Joining Cole (2B) on the all-TranSouth first team were Adam Fleener (C), Chris Lowe (OF), Barrett Brown (SP), Luke Brown (SP), and Steven Brown (RP). Gunner Thayer (SS), Eric Van Slyke (SP), and Wade Angel (DH) earned all-TranSouth second team honors, while Dylan Lynch (3B) earned a spot on the first-ever TranSouth Gold Glove team.
The Trojans had six players earn TranSouth Scholar-Athlete honors: Chad Hitchcock, Chris Lowe, Nick Shoup, Dylan Lynch, Brett Thaler, and Luke Brown. Hitchcock was named to the NAIA Scholar-Athlete team. The awards continued on the All-Region XI team as Fleener, Cole, Lowe, Luke Brown, and Steven Brown were named to the all-Region XI team. Cole and Luke Brown were both named second team NAIA all-American.
The Trojans set team single season records for batting average (.354), hits (704), triples (39), innings pitched (493.2), strikeouts (469), saves (12), and putouts (1481). Maurice Cole set single season records with 100 hits and 10 triples, Luke Brown set the single season record for wins with 16, and Steven Brown tied the single season record with six saves.
This was the fourth consecutive season with 40 or more wins, a first in school history. The school also reached its highest NAIA ranking at No. 4.
Team and Individual Awards
NAIA All-American: Second Team: Maurice Cole, Luke Brown
NAIA Scholar-Athlete: Chad Hitchcock
Region XI Player of the Year: Maurice Cole
Region XI Coach of the Year: Chris Collins
All Region XI: Maurice Cole, Adam Fleener, Luke Brown, Chris Lowe, Steven Brown
TranSouth Player of the Year: Maurice Cole
TranSouth Rawlings Gold Glove: Dylan Lynch
All-TranSouth: First Team: Maurice Cole, Adam Fleener, Chris Lowe, Barrett Brown, Luke Brown, Steven Brown - Second Team: Gunner Thayer, Eric Van Slyke, Wade Angel
TranSouth Coach of the Year: Chris Collins
TranSouth Scholar-Athlete: Chad Hitchcock, Christopher Lowe, Nick Shoup, Dylan Lynch, Brett Thaler, Luke Brown
NAIA National Pitcher of the Week: Eric Van Slyke (March 4)
Region XI Pitcher of the Week: Barrett Brown (March 31), Eric Van Slyke (March 4),
Region XI Player of the Week: Chris Lowe (April 8),
TranSouth Pitcher of the Week: Nick Shoup (April 29), Barrett Brown (March 31), Nick Shoup (March 25), Eric Van Slyke (March 4),
TranSouth Player of the Week: Chad Hitchcock (April 29), Maurice Cole (April 15), Chris Lowe (April 8)
Individual Records/Milestones:
Maurice Cole: Set season triples record (10)
Maurice Cole: Set season record for hits (100)
Luke Brown: Set season wins record (16)
Steven Brown: Tied season saves record (6)
Team Records/Milestones:
Reached highest NAIA ranking ever at No. 4
NAIA Team Rankings
No. 2 in Triples per Game (0.619)
No. 4 in Batting Average (0.354)
No. 7 in Batters Struck Out per Game (7.444)
No. 8 in Hits per Game (11.175)
No. 22 in Slugging Pct (0.497)
No. 23 in Opp Batting Average (0.256)
No. 25 in Earned Run Average (3.900)
NAIA Individual Rankings
Eric House No. 1 in Fielding Pct (1.000)
Luke Brown No. 1 in Wins (16)
Adam Fleener No. 4 in Chances per Game (8.768)
Adam Fleener No. 5 in Putouts per Game (8.000)
Maurice Cole No. 5 in Triples per Game (0.159)
Barrett Brown No. 6 in Batters Struck Out per 9 (11.28)
Barrett Brown No. 11 in Opp Batting Average (0.186)
Barrett Brown No. 11 in Hits Allowed per 9 (5.88)
Maurice Cole No. 11 in At Bats per Game (3.968)
Maurice Cole No. 12 in Hits per Game (1.587)
Wade Angel No. 12 in Triples per Game (0.135)
Chris Lowe No. 12 in At Bats per Game (3.952)
Eric Van Slyke No. 12 in Batters Struck Out per 9 (10.75)
Nick Shoup No. 22 in Wins (10)
