Date Posted: 12/14/2007

MACON, Ga. – Five of the Atlantic Sun’s premier baseball players have been named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious Wallace Award, honoring college baseball’s top player. Belmont, Lipscomb, Mercer and defending regular season champion Stetson each had at least one player named to the 2008 Wallace Watch. Stetson senior Robbie Elsemiller earned a spot on the list following a stellar junior year. Last season the Hatters closer from Okeechobee, Fla. was named second team all-conference after leading the A-Sun in appearances with 30 and finishing second in saves with 12. Overall on the season he pitched 45.2 innings, struck out 20, had a 3-1 record, and finished with a 2.36 ERA.

Chris Manning, closer for Belmont, was also named to the pre-season Watch List. The junior business administration major from Nashville, Tenn. made 24 pitching appearance for Belmont last season and finished with a record of 3-0 and a team-low ERA of 2.67. He had a team-high 11 saves, which was third in the Atlantic Sun and his second consecutive season with at least 10 saves. Manning also allowed a team-low opponent batting average of .196.

Mercer was the only A-Sun school placing two players on the list, in senior infielders Mike Armstrong and Billy Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy, a shortstop, was named first-team all Atlantic Sun Conference following last season. He finished the regular season leading the squad with a .343 batting average. The Roswell, Ga., native scored 36 runs, drove in 27, and registered 13 doubles, a triple and two home runs. Shaughnessy exhibited tremendous defense all season - committing only eight errors in 216 chances for a .964 fielding percentage. He also notched a .448 slugging percentage and a .401 on-base percentage, and finished second in the A-Sun with 12 sacrifice bunts in the regular season. He earned conference Player of the Week honors April 30 and wrapped up 2007 ranked 15th in hitting in the A-Sun.

Armstrong, primarily playing at first base, ranked 27th in the conference during the 2007 campaign, hitting .316. He was 8th in the A-Sun with 51 runs scored and proved to be a clutch hitter, standing 10th with a .383 batting average with runners in scoring position. The Evans, Ga., native was fifth in the Atlantic Sun recording 19 RBI with two outs on the scoreboard. He was a 2006 first team all-conference selection.

Lipscomb junior catcher Caleb Joseph is the final A-Sun player included on the Watch List. The Franklin, Tenn. native spent this past summer in the Cape Cod League where he was named to the All-Star Team. He also became the first Bisons player to earn All Atlantic Sun Conference first team honors last season. He lead the Bisons in several categories including batting average (.335), home runs (eight), runs batted in (48) and slugging percentage (.566). His 25 doubles lead the A-Sun and ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Last year’s Brooks Wallace award went to Vanderbilt pitcher David Price. Price was the first overall pick in the 2007 First-Year player draft and is currently pitching the Devil Rays’ organization. The 2008 award banquet will be held Thursday, July 3 in the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Related Links:
 • Complete Wallace Watch List