2018 American Athletic Conference Awards Announced

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – ECU collected The American’s baseball Player of the Year, Rookie Pitcher of the Year and Team Academic Excellence awards, while Houston southpaw Aaron Fletcher took Pitcher of the Year and head coach Todd Whitting was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Cougars to their second regular season conference title.

ECU sophomore designated hitter and outfielder Bryant Packard led the league through the regular season with a .418 batting average and was named Player of the Year, while the Pirates’ freshman lefthander Alec Burleson held a 2.91 ERA and 5-1 record to earn the Rookie Pitcher of the Year honor. UConn infielder Christian Fedko took home the Rookie Position Player of the Year award with a tied team-best 11 doubles.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bryant Packard * OF/DH * ECU * So. * Greenville, N.C.
Packard wrapped up the regular season on a 32-game hitting streak and a 37-game on-base streak to accompany his conference-best .418 batting average and 25 multi-hit games. He led the conference in four other offensive categories, including total bases (135), hits (79), on-base percentage (.475) and slugging percentage (.714). He hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats three times this season and finished No. 2 in the league with 14 homers. Packard, who was also a unanimous first team All-Conference selection, becomes the first Pirate to be named Player of the Year.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Fletcher * LHP * Houston * Jr. * Cypress, Texas
Fletcher (6-2), a three-time conference Player of the Week selection, becomes the second Cougar in as many years to take home the Pitcher of the Year award. In addition to leading the conference with his 1.82 ERA, Fletcher ranked in the top 10 in the conference with 75 strikeouts (8.04 per nine innings). He registered two complete games and a shutout to help Houston clinch its second outright regular season title.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Christian Fedko * IF * UConn * Fr. * Gibsonia, Pa.
Fedko was voted Rookie Position Player of the Year following his key role in the Huskies’ lineup, playing in 46 games and making 44 starts to help UConn clinch the No. 3 seed in The American Baseball Championship for a second-straight year. Fedko, who saw time in the infield and as the team’s designated hitter, recorded 11 doubles, 39 hits, 27 RBIs, 50 total bases and 18 runs scored.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Alec Burleson * LHP * ECU * Fr. * Denver, N.C.
Burleson (5-1), who was the conference’s unanimous Rookie Pitcher of the Year selection, has seen time on the mound both in starting and relief roles. He ranks in the top 10 in the conference with four saves and has contributed to the conferences’ second-best pitching staff that holds a 3.27 ERA. Burleson has made six starts through 17 appearances, holding a 2.91 ERA and 45 strikeouts.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Todd Whitting * Houston (8th season)
Whitting guided Houston to its second outright regular season title to clinch the No. 1 seed in The American baseball championship with a 16-8 league record, including back-to-back three-game sweeps of ranked conference opponents. Under his helm in 2018, the Cougars picked up their sixth-straight season with 30 or more wins. Houston is the only team in the conference to reach the championship game each of the last four years, winning the title twice. The Cougars own a record of 13-3 in four years playing in Clearwater, Fla.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
ECU * 3.46 GPA
ECU held the highest cumulative GPA at 3.46 among the conference’s nine teams to capture this year’s conference Team Academic Excellence Award.

2018 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL AWARDS

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bryant Packard, OF, ECU (So., Greenville, N.C.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Fletcher, LHP, Houston (Jr., Cypress, Texas)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE POSITION PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Christian Fedko, IF, UConn (Fr., Gibsonia, Pa.)

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROOKIE PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Alec Burleson, LHP, ECU (Fr., Denver, N.C.) *

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Todd Whitting, Houston

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
ECU

 

• unanimous selection

^{1 2} indicates previous selections to the all-conference first or second team