2019 SAA Baseball Awards List

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Southern Athletic Association office released its 2019 postseason accolades Tuesday morning and six Hendrix baseball players and one coach were honored.

Freshman pitcher Andrei Stoyanow was tabbed SAA Newcomer of the Year after a stellar freshman campaign. In his first year as the head coach of the Warriors, Sean McSheffery earned the SAA Coach of the Year honor after guiding Hendrix to its first-ever SAA regular season championship. Not only did McSheffery guide Hendrix to a championship in his first season as the head man but the Chicago, Ill. native led the Warriors to a program-best 30 wins on the season and finished the regular season with a 16-5 mark in conference contests including winning every single SAA series as well.

In addition to Stoyanow and Coach McSheffery receiving all-conference recognition, brothers Jorge Leon and Juan Pablo Leon obtained All-SAA First Team honors along with Jack Hodgins while Ford Sherrington and Taylor Barker were tabbed Second Team selections.

Stoyanow, a freshman native from Kapolei, Hawaii, finished his first year of collegiate baseball with a 7-1 record on the mound for the Warriors. The freshman tossed 52 and two-thirds innings of baseball on the hill this year while striking out 39 batters and holding opponents to hitting a .242 mark; second-best on the squad. Additionally, Stoyanow obtained SAA Pitcher of the Week honors after making his first collegiate start March 5 versus University of the Ozarks (Ark.). Stoyanow also carved up a 2.39 ERA on the year; the second-lowest mark in the SAA. At the plate, Stoyanow batted .255 (35-for-127) with 11 doubles, three triples, a home run and 24 RBIs while also stealing 15 stolen bases; second-most on the team.

Jorge Leon finished the season with a team-best 31 RBIs while also tallying 61 base hits and maintaining a .372 mark at the plate. The Mexico City, Mexico native surpassed the 200 career hit mark this season; joining four others to reach such a milestone in program history. Additionally, the senior slugged .470 on the year with 11 doubles, stole three bases and sustained a .974 fielding percentage.

Juan Pablo Leon, younger brother of Jorge Leon, batted a team-best .394 at the plate and also tallied 63 base hits; both team-bests this year. The Mexico City, Mexico freshman recorded 26 runs, eight doubles, a triple and a home run while also accounting for four stolen bases and holding a .995 fielding percentage in his first year of playing collegiate baseball. The freshman recorded 17 multi-hit games on the year including six three-hit games and three four-hit ones.

Jack Hodgins finishes his first season of collegiate baseball with a 5-1 mark on the mound while sustaining a SAA-best 1.98 ERA in 12 appearances and 12 starts. The Simi Valley, Cali. native tossed a team-high 81 and two-third innings of action for the Warriors while registering 67 strikeouts; second-most strikeouts in the conference. The freshman held opponents to batting just .252 and only tossed three wild pitches all season long. Just like Stoyanow, Hodgins also obtained SAA Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Ford Sherrington finished his junior campaign with a .368 (60-for-163) mark at the plate with a team-best 12 doubles. Sherrington accounted for two triples, a home run and 27 RBIs on the year as well. Additionally, The junior stole 10 bases and recorded 19 multi-hit performances on the season.

Taylor Barker, a native of Stafford, Va., set the single-season school record for saves after tallying 11 of them on the 2019 season. Barker, who also finishes second all-time in program history in career saves, carved up a 2-1 mark on the mound for Hendrix while holding a 4.64 ERA. Barker tossed 21.1 innings of work for Hendrix while striking out 19 batters in 20 appearances on the year. Additionally, the senior held opponents to hitting just .322 off him.