Wednesday, May 25, 2011

MORAVIAN’S BRENDAN CLOSE HONORED ON D3BASEBALL.COM ALL-AMERICA FIRST TEAM

FAIRBANKS, AK --- Junior pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) of the Moravian College baseball team was named to the D3baseball.com All-America First Team announced Wednesday.

Close becomes the first Moravian player to earn D3baseball.com All-America honors in the five years the team has been chose.  He was also named the 2011 Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year and to the All-Conference First Team, and Close earned a spot on the Rawlings/American BaseballCoaches Association Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team.

Close had a 10-0 record, a 1.00 ERA, four shutouts, 100 strikeouts and just five walks allowed in 80.2 innings, setting school record for wins, shutouts, strikeouts and innings pitched.  Close, who was on the 2009 Landmark All-Conference First Team and the Second Team last season,  has also set the school records with 22 career wins (22-3 overall), seven shutouts and 232 career strikeouts, and he is second in innings pitched at 202.1 in three seasons while walking just 27 batters.

Moravian posted a school record 31 wins this season, going 31-9 overall, the first 30-win season in school history.  The Greyhounds were also 17-1 in the Landmark Conference regular season and earned the top seed and hosted the 2011 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament for the second straight year.

To view the full D3baseball.com All-America Teams, visit http://www.d3baseball.com/awards/all-americans/d3baseball-allamericans-2011.