FROM NCBWA RELEASE
LYNCHBURG, VA. (NCBWA) – St. John’s outfielder Jeremy Baltz and TCU left-handed starting pitcher Matt Purke have been named the 2010 Pro-Line National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year recipients, as announced by the organization today.
Baltz led the Red Storm with a .396 batting average and set school records with 85 RBIs and 24 home runs, claiming the team’s version of the Triple Crown. His 24 home runs are the most by a freshman this season. The Vestal, N.Y., native was selected the 2010 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, leading St. John’s in slugging percentage (.771), multiple-hit games (29), multiple-RBI games (25) and total bases (185). He also had 16 doubles, a triple, 95 hits and scored 64 runs. He was a unanimous first team all-BIG EAST honoree and earned second team All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball.
Baltz helped lead St. John’s to a 43-18 overall record and its conference-record sixth BIG EAST Tournament title, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. The outfielder was named the regional’s MVP. Baltz also has been named Freshman Player of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball News.
Purke has posted a 14-0 record with a 3.23 ERA in 103 innings pitched this season. The Spring, Texas, native has struck out a team-leading 133 batters, walked 28, recorded one complete game and held opponents to a .219 batting average during 18 appearances during 2010. The left-hander went into the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 3 in the country in wins and 12th in strikeouts. He was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and received second team All-American honors and Freshman Pitcher of the Year from Collegiate Baseball News.
Purke leads the Mountain West with 14 wins and 133 strikeouts. The left-hander also ranks in the conference’s Top 10 in ERA (4th), innings pitched (4th) and opponents batting average (2nd). He is the third Horned Frog to be named a Freshman of the Year in school history.
The left-hander has helped lead TCU to a 51-12 record and their first appearance in the College World Series, with NCAA Fort Worth Regional and Austin Super Regional Championships. The Horned Frogs also captured the MWC Regular Season and Tournament titles. Purke has been named one of the finalists for the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year Award.
Pro-Line Athletic, owned by Badger Sport, supplies caps and uniforms to several D-1 college baseball teams and this is the fifth season Pro-Line has sponsored the NCBWA’s Players of the Week. The sponsorship provides for plaques to be awarded to each of the weekly winners and other promotional consideration. For more information about Pro-Line and Badger, visit their web sites at: www.badgersport.com and www.prolinecap.com
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association’s official Web site, www.ncbwa.com.
For more information, contact NCBWA Assistant Executive Director Mike Montoro (304-293-2821, mike.montoro@mail.wvu.edu) or Ryan Bomberger (434-582-2292, rbomberger@liberty.edu).
