JMU outfielder Chad Carroll (Oakton, Va./Oakton) was named Colonial Athletic Association preseason Co-Player of the Year as announced Friday after a vote of the league’s eight head coaches. He shared Player of the Year honors with Towson senior designated hitter Kurt Wertz.
Carroll was also selected to the preseason All-CAA squad and was joined by senior infielders Conner Brown (Richmond, Va./Godwin) and Ty McFarland (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) as honorable mentions to the preseason All-CAA team.
In addition to conference Player of the Year, Carroll was selected by the National collegiate baseball Writers Association as a preseason Third Team All-American. Last season he was named to the All-CAA First Team, the Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State Second Team, the All-Region Second Team, and was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Award, given to college baseball’s breakout player of the year.
In 2013, Carroll was at the core of JMU’s offense, ranking third in the CAA by batting .389 with three home runs and 55 RBI. Carroll ranked second in the nation with eight triples and hit 14 doubles, scored 50 runs and stole 21 bases.
Brown was named to Collegiate Baseball’s preseason All-America Second Team in addition to his CAA honor. He led the Dukes in home runs in 2013 with nine, while hitting .341 with 47 RBIs. Brown also scored 44 runs and accumulated 12 doubles, three triples and 30 walks. His .465 on-base percentage was good for third in the CAA and his .592 slugging percentage was seventh best in the conference. Last season Brown was named to the All-CAA Third Team and the All-State Second Team.
McFarland led JMU with a league-high 65 runs scored, 218 at-bats, 55 games and 54 starts in 2013. He hit .339 with four home runs and 42 RBIs and was named to the VaSID All-State Second Team. It is McFarland’s third consecutive preseason All-CAA honorable mention.
The Diamond Dukes start their season with a three-game series at East Carolina Feb. 14-16.
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Chris Graham
