Courtesy of GoXavier.com
NEW YORK – Defending champion Xavier baseball raked in the preseason awards on Tuesday, as senior Joe Gellenbeck was named the program’s first-ever Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year. As a team, XU was selected to finish first in the league for the first time in program history.
Seven Musketeers were also selected for the preseason All-BIG EAST Team, setting a new program record – prior to Tuesday, XU had never placed more than two players on the BIG EAST’s preseason all-conference team.
GELLENBECK NAMED BIG EAST PRESEASON POY
One of just four unanimous preseason All-BIG EAST selections, senior Joe Gellenbeck was also named the program’s first-ever preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year. The lefty swinger had a breakout season in 2016, homering in 10 of XU’s 15 weekend series and leading the BIG EAST with 51 RBI and 125 total bases. A force in the middle of the lineup, the Lebanon, Ohio native and St. Xavier grad also ranked second for Xavier with 13 homers, 16 doubles, 41 runs, 70 hits and a .508 slugging percentage.
Clutch in big moments, Gellenbeck had back-to-back walk-off hits to clinch a series win over Creighton in mid-May in addition to a game-tying homer in the third inning of the 2016 BIG EAST Championship game.
He played in and tied all 62 games for Xavier last season, tying a school record, while hitting .300 (9-for-30) with a homer and six RBI in seven postseason starts.
PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST
• Seven Musketeers were selected by the league’s coaches as Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees – the most for the program since joining the league for the 2014 season.
• Xavier had two preseason All-BIG EAST selections in each of the last two seasons and had one selection during its first year in the league.
• The seven selections more than doubles the total preseason All-BIG EAST picks in Xavier’s proram history. The Musketeers had five overall in the last three seasons.
• Each of the selections is a first-time honoree.
• Five juniors, one senior and one sophomore were honored for Xavier.
Preseason Player of the Year – Joe Gellenbeck, Xavier, Sr., 1B/OF
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – Hunter Schryver, Villanova, Sr., SP
Preseason All-BIG EAST *
Nate Soria, Xavier, Jr., C
Joe Gellenbeck, Xavier, Sr., 1B/OF ^
Josh Shaw, St. John’s, So., 2B
Chris Givin, Xavier, So., SS
Rylan Bannon, Xavier, Jr., 3B
Mike Alescio, Seton Hall, Jr., DH
Michael Donadio, St. John’s, Sr., OF
Tyler Houston, Butler, Jr., OF
Michael DeRenzi, Georgetown, Jr., OF ^
Will LaRue, Xavier, Jr., OF
Rollie Lacy, Creighton, Jr., SP
Zac Lowther, Xavier, Jr., SP
Shane McCarthy, Seton Hall, Jr., SP ^
Simon Mathews, Georgetown, Sr., SP
Hunter Schryver, Villanova, Sr., SP ^
Garrett Schilling, Xavier, Jr., RP
X PICKED FIRST
• The defending league regular season and tournament champions, Xavier was picked to finish first in the BIG EAST for the first time in program history.
• Xavier had been picked fourth in each of its three seasons in the league prior to the first-place prediction on Tuesday.
First place votes in ( )
T1. Xavier – 32 points (4)
T1. St. John’s – 32 pts. (3)
3. Creighton – 25 pts.
4. Seton Hall – 24 pts.
5. Georgetown – 17 pts.
6. Villanova – 9 pts.
7. Butler – 8 pts.
^ – denotes unanimous selection
* – due to ties in voting there are four outfielders and five starting pitchers on the 2017 Preseason All-BIG EAST team
UP NEXT
Xavier begins its 2017 schedule at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 17 in the first of four games at Troy University.
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