SAVANNAH, Ga. - Three members of the Peach Belt Conference champion Armstrong Atlantic State University baseball squad earned national honors from the ABCA and the NCBWA this week in conjunction with the NCAA DII College World Series.
Senior pitcher Chandler Hall and senior shortstop Alex Frederick each earned Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove honors from the American Baseball Coaches' Association, becoming the first Armstrong baseball players to take home national Gold Glove honors since the team was instituted in 2008.
Hall made 16 appearances and pitched 106.1 innings for the Pirates in 2012 without making an error as the pitcher on the national Gold Glove team. The Augusta, Ga., native went 9-3 with a 4.40 ERA in also earning All-Region honors from Daktronics/CoSIDA.
Frederick, meanwhile, enjoyed an outstanding season at shortstop for the Pirates, making just nine errors all season in 304 chances for a .970 fielding percentage. The Baltimore, Md., native led all the regional gold glove shortstops in fielding percentage, total chances and total chances per game while also turning 32 double plays on the year.
Junior outfielder Zach Taylor rounds out Armstrong's national honorees in 2012 as he was named a first-team All-American by both the ABCA and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA).
The Statesboro, Ga., native hit .373 with 15 home runs and 71 RBIs in 2012, earning Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year honors. He is Armstrong's 44th All-American in the past 24 seasons and he is the first player to earn first team All-American honors since Matt Nalutka was a first-team All-American relief pitcher in 2005.