Horizon League Announces 2021 #HLBASE All-League Honors
INDIANAPOLIS – Wright State’s Quincy Hamilton has been named the Horizon League Baseball Player of the Year and Youngstown State’s Collin Floyd was selected as the #HLBASE Pitcher of the Year, while Milwaukee’s AJ Blubaugh collected Relief Pitcher of the Year and UIC’s Cole Conn was tabbed Freshman of the Year as the Horizon League announced its #HLBASE All-League honors on Tuesday. In addition, Coach of the Year went to WSU’s Alex Sogard for the second-straight season as voted on by the League’s head coaches.
Hamilton is the third consecutive WSU player to win Player of the Year and the eighth Raider all-time to take home the honor. The redshirt junior hit .358 on the year with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs, while scoring a League-best 70 runs and stealing 18 bases. He leads the Horizon League in on-base percentage and doubles, while also being top-5 in slugging percentage, RBIs, home runs, walks, total bases and stolen bases. Hamilton leads the country in runs scored and is top-25 in the NCAA in walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles per game and RBIs per game. During Horizon League play, the Centerville, Ohio native was second in batting average (.412) and home runs (12), while leading the League in slugging percentage (.866), on-base percentage (.560), runs scored (60), RBIs (46) and doubles (14).
Floyd is the third Youngstown State pitcher to ever win Pitcher of the Year, joining Aaron Swenson (2008) and Justin Thomas (2005). The redshirt senior posted a League-best 2.17 ERA in 95.1 innings pitched, the only HL pitcher to toss over 90 innings this season. He finished with a 9-3 mark on the mound in 14 starts with six complete games and three shutouts. His nine wins are the most in the Horizon League while also leading in strikeouts with 105, compared to just 20 walks, and ranking second in opponent’s batting average at .199. Nationally, the Akron, Ohio native is second in complete games, fourth in starts and eighth in wins while also top-50 in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP. During Horizon League play, Floyd finished 7-2 with a 1.45 ERA in 10 starts with six complete games. He tossed 68.1 innings and tallied 76 strikeouts, 14 walks, and held batters to a .190 average.
Blubaugh is the first Milwaukee pitcher to earn Relief Pitcher of the Year since the award’s inception in 2014. The Bellville, Ohio native registered a 1.96 ERA in 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Panthers and tallied seven saves. He recorded 30 strikeouts in 23.0 innings of work and held batters to a .165 average. In Horizon League play, Blubaugh tossed 19.0 innings in 13 appearances and made five saves. He tallied 24 strikeouts compared to just eight walks and held HL hitters to a .182 batting average.
Conn becomes the first UIC player to be selected Freshman of the Year since the award was changed from Newcomer of the Year in 2014. The native of St. Charles, Ill. native made 38 starts for the Flames and hit .316 in his first year with eight home runs, eight doubles and 30 RBIs. In League contests he was even better as he recorded a .350 batting average, while slugging .607 with 15 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, to go along with driving in 28 runs and scoring 29 of his own.
Sogard earns Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, becoming just the fifth coach in HL history to go back-to-back. Sogard led WSU to its third League title in a row as the Raiders posted a 28-4 record in League play, having started the HL season winning 12-straight games, followed by ending the season winning 15 out of its last 16 contests against League opponents. The Raider offense is one of the best in the nation as they lead the NCAA in scoring (10.4), batting average (.336), on-base percentage (.446) and slugging percentage (.567), while also top-25 in runs, home runs, doubles, stolen bases and walks.
The 2021 Horizon League Baseball championship will take place at Nischwitz Stadium on the campus of Wright State from May 27-29. Every game of the championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.
For complete championship information go to the #HLBASE Championship Central page, here.
2021 #HLBASE Award Winners
Player of the Year: Quincy Hamilton, Wright State
Pitcher of the Year: Collin Floyd, Youngstown State
Relief Pitcher of the Year: AJ Blubaugh, Milwaukee
Freshman of the Year: Cole Conn, UIC
Coach of the Year: Alex Sogard, Wright State
All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)
AJ Blubaugh, Milwaukee
Griffin Doersching, Northern Kentucky
Matt Bottcher, UIC
Jacob Key, UIC
Bryan Rosario, UIC
Thomas Smart, UIC
Tyler Black, Wright State
Austin Cline, Wright State
Quincy Hamilton, Wright State
Sammy Sass, Wright State
Alec Sayre, Wright State
Collin Floyd, Youngstown State
Jeff Wehler, Youngstown State
All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Riley Frey, Milwaukee
Cam Post, Oakland
Michael Stygles, Oakland
Cole Conn, UIC
Joshua Figueroa, UIC
Fred Gosbeth, UIC
Bradley Brehmer, Wright State
Damon Dues, Wright State
Zane Harris, Wright State
Dominick Bucko, Youngstown State
Phillip Glasser, Youngstown State
Blaze Glenn, Youngstown State
Jon Snyder, Youngstown State
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Riley Frey, Milwaukee
James Severson, Milwaukee
Ben Gerl, Northern Kentucky
Drew Collins, Oakland
Brandon Heidal, Oakland
Ben Paugh, Oakland
Cole Conn, UIC
Ryan Nagelbach, UIC
Jake Shirk, Wright State
Nick Perez, Youngstown State