PADUCAH, Ky. - Jacksonville State University junior outfielder Clay Whittemore was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Austin Peay State University senior hurler Shawn Kelley was tabbed as the OVC Pitcher of the Year, Southeast Missouri State University catcher Jim Klocke earned OVC Rookie of the Year honors and Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure was named OVC Coach of the Year in a vote of league head coaches and sports information directors. The awards were handed out on Tuesday night at the annual OVC Awards Banquet on the eve of the 2007 O'Reilly OVC Baseball Tournament to be held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah.
Jacksonville State, the OVC regular season runners-up, led the way with three first-team selections, was one of three teams (Austin Peay and Murray State being the others) with three on the second-team and led the way with four All-Freshman team honorees. Three teams - Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois and Samford - had two first-team selections apiece while Southeast Missouri had three All-Freshman picks.
Whittemore becomes the first Jacksonville State player to earn Player of the Year honors since the team joined the OVC four years ago. He led the League in hits (88), RBI (67), doubles (18), multiple-hit (30) and multiple-RBI games (20), was second in batting average (.396), third in total bases (115), fourth in runs scored (50) and on-base percentage (.454) and ninth in slugging percentage (.518). He ranks among the national leaders in both batting average and RBI and is only six hits away from JSU's single-season record. Whittemore proved to be a clutch hitter as well, hitting .443 with runners on-base, .418 with two outs and had 27 of his 67 RBI (40%) come with two outs. The Cullman, Ala. native also stole six bases and had five outfield assists.
Kelley is the seventh Austin Peay pitcher to take home OVC Pitcher of the Year honors and third in the past four seasons (Jeff Mault and Rowdy Hardy were the other winners). He finished the season with a 10-3 overall record (7-1 in OVC play) and 2.65 E.R.A. in 108.2 innings of work. He led the Conference in victories, complete games (7) and innings pitched (averaging 7.24 per start), was second in shutouts (2), third in E.R.A., fifth in strikeouts (68) and sixth in opponent batting average (.248). The Louisville, Ky. native issued only 11 walks on the season (one every nine innings) and was a perfect 7-0 in League play until suffering a loss during the last weekend of the regular season.
Klocke started all 53 games during the season, including 51 times behind the plate for Southeast Missouri (including all 26 OVC games), as a true freshman after previously not having played the position in high school. The St. Louis, Mo. native hit .314 with 53 hits, 36 runs, 10 doubles, three home runs and 36 RBI. He walked 33 times on the season (one behind the League leader) and his .438 on-base percentage ranked eighth in the OVC. He struck out only 12 times in 169 at-bats and behind the plate threw out 30 percent of the runners who tried to steal against him. The 2007 season marks the eighth year the Rookie of the Year award has been handed out.
McClure, who is in his 20th season in Clarksville, earned his fourth Coach of the Year honor after leading Austin Peay to a 19-8 Conference mark and the OVC Regular Season Championships, the squad's third title in the past five seasons (the team won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004). The Governors were tabbed fourth in the preseason poll, lost its first three OVC games and were 4-5 after three weeks of Conference play but finished the season by winning 15 of its final 18 OVC games. Entering the OVC Tournament McClure, who was also tabbed as Coach of the Year in 1992, 1994 and 2003, has compiled a career record of 597-524-4 (247-188-1 in OVC games). With three more victories he'll become only the second coach in OVC history to reach the 600-victory plateau while coaching at an OVC school (Murray State's Johnny Reagan was 776-508-11 in 36 years).
Whittemore, a second-team selection in 2006, and Kelley, a second-team selection in 2005, were both first-team selections this season, leading the 13 players selected to that squad. Repeat selections on the first-team included Samford sophomore shortstop Michael Marseco (.351, 78 hits, 41 runs, 12 doubles, 30 RBI), Eastern Illinois senior outfielder Mark Chagnon (.365, 65 hits, 32 RBI), Eastern Kentucky sophomore lefty pitcher Christian Friedrich (4-4, 2.29 E.R.A., 3 complete games, 91 strikeouts, .158 opponent batting average) and Samford senior reliever Joseph Edens (3-2, 2.18 E.R.A., 11 saves). Three players moved up to the first-team in 2007 after being second-team selections a year ago. Those players included Jacksonville State sophomore second baseman Bert Smith (.366, 79 hits, 61 runs, 34 RBI, 30 stolen bases), Jacksonville State third baseman Jake Ball (.323, 70 hits, 37 runs, 51 RBI) and Eastern Illinois senior first baseman Erik Huber (OVC-best .409 average, 65 hits, 41 runs, 9 home runs, 94 RBI). First-time selections included Tennessee Tech senior catcher Steve Soper (.373, 75 hits, 41 runs, 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 59 RBI), Austin Peay senior first baseman Jake Lane (.310, 48 hits, 8 home runs, 36 RBI), Murray State senior outfielder Tyler Pittman (.309, 60 hits, 16 doubles, 37 RBI) and Southeast Missouri starting pitcher/designated hitter Asif Shah (.305, 51 hits, 49 RBI, 7-2, 2.85 E.R.A., 85.1 innings pitched, six complete games).
Two second-team selections were repeat winners from 2006, including Murray State senior second baseman Seth Hudson (.373, 78 hits, 42 runs, 30 RBI) and Jacksonville State junior hurler Donovan Hand (7-7, 3.91 E.R.A., 6 complete games, 96.2 IP, 82 strikeouts) while JSU senior outfielder Nick Cleckler (.314, 54 hits, 43 runs), a first-team selection last year, was also named to the squad. Other second-team selections included Austin Peay senior catcher Matt Smith, Murray State senior first baseman James Akin, Eastern Kentucky junior shortstop Tyler Barnett, Austin Peay junior third baseman Tyler Farrar, Austin Peay senior outfielder Rafael Hill, Tennessee Tech junior outfielder Jake New, Eastern Illinois freshman utility player Richie Derbak, Murray State sophomore third baseman Tyler Owen (an All-Newcomer pick last year), Southeast Missouri junior starting pitcher Dustin Renfrow and Jacksonville State sophomore reliever Alex Jones.
Seven of the 10 OVC baseball squads had at least one representative on the All-Freshman Team which was awarded for the second consecutive season. The 13-member team was highlighted by the League's Rookie of the Year, Klocke, and Derbak, the Eastern Illinois utility man who saw action at first base, second base, designated hitter and relief pitcher during the season for the Panthers
Derbak was also a second-team choice and the only All-Freshman selection to appear on any of the other teams. Klocke was joined by a pair of Southeast Missouri Redhawk teammates in third baseman Nick Harris and starting pitcher Josh Syberg. Jacksonville State placed four members on the team, shortstop Josh Sanders, outfielders Daniel Adamson and Kyle McCreary and starting pitcher Ben Tootle. Eastern Illinois' other selection was catcher Kory Peppenhorst. The squad was rounded out by Austin Peay catcher Trey Lucas, Tennessee-Martin shortstop Shayne Martin, Morehead State utility infielder Drew Lee and Tennessee Tech pitcher Jared Dobbs.
2007 ALL-OVC BASEBALL TEAMS
OVC Player of the Year: Clay Whittemore, Jacksonville State
OVC Pitcher of the Year: Shawn Kelley, Austin Peay
OVC Rookie of the Year: Jim Klocke, Southeast Missouri State
OVC Coach of the Year: Gary McClure, Austin Peay
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
C - Steve Soper, Tennessee Tech
1B - Jake Lane, Austin Peay
2B - Bert Smith, Jacksonville State **#
SS - Michael Marseco, Samford *#
3B - Jake Ball, Jacksonville State **$
OF - Clay Whittemore, Jacksonville State **
OF - Mark Chagnon, Eastern Illinois *
OF - Tyler Pittman, Murray State
UTIL - Asif Shah, Southeast Missouri
At-Large - Erik Huber, Eastern Illinois **
SP - hawn Kelley, Austin Peay $
SP - Christian Friedrich, Eastern Kentucky *#
RP - Joseph Edens, Samford *
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM
C - Matt Smith, Austin Peay
1B - James Akin, Murray State
2B - Seth Hudson, Murray State **
SS - Tyler Barnett, Eastern Kentucky
3B - Tyler Farrar, Austin Peay
OF - Nick Cleckler, Jacksonville State *
OF - Rafael Hill, Austin Peay
OF - Jake New, Tennessee Tech
UTIL - Richie Derbak, Eastern Illinois
At-Large - Tyler Owen, Murray State #
SP - Donovan Hand, Jacksonville State **!
SP - Dustin Renfrow, Southeast Missouri
RP - Alex Jones, Jacksonville State
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
C - Jim Klocke, Southeast Missouri
C - Trey Lucas, Austin Peay
C - Kory Peppenhorst, Eastern Illinois
SS - Josh Sanders, Jacksonville State
SS - Shayne Martin, UT Martin
3B - Nick Harris, Southeast Missouri
OF - Daniel Adamson, Jacksonville State
OF - Kyle McCreary, Jacksonville State
UTIL - Richie Derbak, Eastern Illinois
UTIL - Drew Lee, Morehead State
SP - Josh Syberg, Southeast Missouri
SP - Ben Tootle, Jacksonville State
SP/RP - Jared Dobbs, Tennessee Tech
* - All-OVC 1st Team in 2006
** - All-OVC 2nd Team in 2006
# - OVC All-Freshman Team in 2006
! - All-OVC 1st Team in 2005
$ - All-OVC 2nd Team in 2005