BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- The Mountain East Conference today announced its top individual award winners for the 2018 season with Shepherd's Brenton Doyle taking Player of the Year honors and Fairmont State's Michael Stout earning Pitcher of the Year accolades. West Virginia State's Andrew Stone was tabbed as the MEC Freshman of the Year, and Shepherd's Matt McCarty was selected as the league's Coach of the Year.
Doyle, a sophomore from Warrenton, Va., was an offensive force for the Rams hitting a league-best .434 on the year that also ranks 10th-best in the country. Doyle's 85 hits this season are an MEC single season record heading into this week's conference tournament. He also leads the league with 57 RBI, 16 doubles, 137 total bases and is second in the conference in runs scored (55) and slugging (.699). He was a four-time MEC Player of the Week and a two-time NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the Week.
Stout, a junior from St. Mary's, W.Va., is the MEC Pitcher of the Year after going 8-3 with a 1.68 ERA for the Fighting Falcons. Stout's ERA is the best in conference history and ranks 11th in the NCAA. He also ranks second in the league in wins (8) and strikeouts (88).
Stone, a native of Cross Lanes, W.Va., was a standout outfielder and pitcher in his freshman campaign for the Yellow Jackets. He hit .312 with a team-best 30 RBI with five home runs and 14 doubles. He also made 10 appearances on the mound going 4-3 with a 4.41 ERA. He had four complete games, including a pair of shutouts.
McCarty is the MEC Coach of the Year after directing Shepherd to a third-straight MEC North Division title and his fifth-straight regular season league championship. The Rams finished the regular season with an overall record of 34-13, and their 27 conference wins are the most since the league went to divisional play in 2015.
The All-MEC teams and awards are selected by a vote of the league's coaches. Paul Williams (Concord), Austin Norman (FSU), Michael Stout (FSU) and Chris Metrick (WVWC) were repeat first team selections from last season.
| All-MEC First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| C |
Paul Williams |
Concord |
Sr. |
Vinton,Va. |
| 1B |
Justin Smith |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Hagerstown, Md. |
| 2B |
Darrin Zombro |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Inwood, W.Va. |
| SS |
Ethan Estes |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
Fleming, Ohio |
| 3B |
Jack Brunetti |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Huntington, W.Va. |
| Utility |
Christian Hamel |
Shepherd |
So. |
Pasadena, Md. |
| DH |
Brian McCourt |
Shepherd |
So. |
Huntingtown, Md. |
| OF |
Nick Atkinson |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Manassas, Va. |
| OF |
Brenton Doyle |
Shepherd |
So. |
Warrenton, Va. |
| OF |
Colby Johnson |
Charleston |
So. |
Lewisburg, W.Va. |
| OF |
Austin Nortman |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
Fairmont, W.Va. |
| SP |
Adam Jafine |
Charleston |
Sr. |
Toronto, Ontario |
| SP |
Kenny Pierson |
Notre Dame |
Jr. |
Sheffield Lake, Ohio |
| SP |
Ryan Potts |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Owings, Md. |
| SP |
Michael Stout |
Fairmont State |
Jr. |
St. Mary's, W.Va. |
| RP |
Chris Metrick |
W.Va. Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Beckley, W.Va. |
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| All-MEC Second Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| C |
Eddie Nottingham |
Shepherd |
Jr. |
Windsor Mill, Md. |
| 1B |
Gianfranco Morello |
Charleston |
Jr. |
Toronto, Ontario |
| 2B |
Colton Bauer |
Charleston |
Fr. |
Orient, Ohio |
| SS |
Chad Frazier |
Concord |
Sr. |
Roanoke, Va. |
| 3B |
Drake May |
Notre Dame |
So. |
Canton, Ohio |
| Utility |
Eric Forbrick |
W.Va. Wesleyan |
So. |
Orlando, Fla. |
| DH |
Tre'von Smith |
Glenville State |
Fr. |
Barborsville, Va. |
| OF |
Coby Eckstein |
West Liberty |
Jr. |
Tuscarawas, Ohio |
| OF |
Adam Linkous |
Concord |
So. |
Blacksburg, Va. |
| OF |
Andrew Stone |
W.Va. State |
Fr. |
Cross Lanes, W.Va. |
| OF |
Evan Webb |
Concord |
Jr. |
Whitby, Ontario |
| SP |
Troy Beckner |
Concord |
Jr. |
Roanoke, Va. |
| SP |
Parker Dyson |
West Liberty |
Jr. |
Titonsville, Ohio |
| SP |
Colby Gainer |
W.Va. State |
Sr. |
Elkins, W.Va. |
| SP |
Justin Retzer |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
Ford City, Pa. |
| RP |
Tyrel Panter |
W.Va. State |
Sr. |
Ellensburg, Wash. |
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| All-MEC Honorable Mention |
C: Tyler Hill (FSU); 1B: Trevor Wiersma (CU); 2B: Vincent Haddox (WLU); SS: Ryan Hunt (UC), 3B: John Peloro; Utility: Adrian Peralta (CU); DH: Jordan Clark (CU); OF: Ben Myers (FSU), Greg Yaksich (FSU), Bryan Bayliss (GSC), Hayden Cartt (UC)
SP: Greg Duncan (WISE), Justin Smith (SU), Trent Abernathy (CU), Anthony Zona (UC); RP: Luke Nees (WLU) |
| Top Honors |
Freshman of the Year: Andrew Stone (WVSU)
Player of the Year: Brenton Doyle (SU)
Pitcher of the Year: Michael Stout (FSU)
Coach of the Year: Matt McCarty (SU) |