05/22/2007 – Troy University
Troy University Athletics Written By Jason Wright MOBILE, Ala.. – Coming into the 2007 baseball season, the Troy Trojans were picked to win the league title and have a repeat season like they did in 2006. The season has not turned out they way that the Trojans expected but two players that have carried the team have been rewarded by the coaches in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy seniors Josh Dew and Clint Robinson were named to the first-team All-Conference squad today at the pre-tournament awards banquet in Mobile, Ala. Dew was also named as the league’s pitcher of the year. Robinson is the only four-year letterwinner at Troy under current coach Bobby Pierce. In his career, Robinson has established new career records for games played (208), at bats (757), runs scored (166), hits (251), total bases (419) and times hit by pitch (26). He also ranks second in career doubles (45) and runs batted in (172), and is tied for fourth in triples (6) and home runs (37). This season Robinson is batting .370 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI. Dew came into the 2007 season being named as the Preaseason Sun Belt Player of the Year. Dew currently leads all of college baseball in K/9 IP this season with 13.89 and leads the Sun Belt in ERA. He has allowed only four of 23 inherited runners (.182) to score this year. His 10 saves are among the national leaders and he has won or saved half of the Trojans’ victories this season while also playing first base and hitting cleanup. Dew is on the Roger Clemens Award and Brooks Wallace Award lists and is a candidate for the Dick Howser Player of the Year Award. In only two seasons at Troy, Dew has set the Troy record for career saves (17) and is in the top 10 in strikeouts (153) despite having never started a game. Offensively, he is hitting for a higher average than he did in 2006 as a first-team All-Conference performer. League champion Louisiana-Lafayette had three players named to the first team and three named to the second team. Middle Tennessee had one player named to the first team and two on the second team. New Orleans had only one player chosen with Arkansas State having three players make the list. FIU had one first team pick and Western Kentucky did not have a player named to the list. The Sun Belt’s Player of the Year for 2007 was senior outfielder Robbie Widlansky from FAU while Bart Carter from Western Kentucky was named the league’s freshman of the year. The 2007 Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship will begin play on Wednesday at Stanky Field on the campus of South Alabama. The opening day of play will feature third seeded Middle Tennessee against No. 6 seed Florida Atlantic in the opening game at 9:00 a.m. No. 2 seed New Orleans will face No. 7 Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. Top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette will face No. 8 South Alabama in the final game of the day, scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Troy, the defending league and tournament champions, will play at 4 p.m. Wednesday against the No. 6 seeded Louisiana- Monroe.