American Athletic Conference baseball awards
At the end of each regular season, the American Athletic Conference names major award winners in baseball. Currently, it names a Coach, Pitcher, Player, and Freshman of the Year. The selections are determined by a vote of the conference's coaches at the end of each regular season. The awards were first given out in 2014, the conference's first season of competition.
Coach of the Year
In 2014, UCF head coach Terry Rooney was chosen as the conference's best coach. In the regular season, UCF went 34-22 (17-7 American) to finish second in the conference.[1][2]
Winners by season
Below is a table of the award's winners.
| Season | Coach | School | Conf. (Rk.) | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Terry Rooney | UCF | 17–7 (2nd) | 36–23 |
| 2015 | Cliff Godwin[3] | East Carolina | 15–9 (2nd) | 36–20 |
| 2016 | Jim Penders | Connecticut | 14–9 (3rd) | 38–25 |
| 2017 | Greg Lovelady | UCF | 15–9 (1st) | 40–22 |
| 2018 | Todd Whitting | Houston | 16–8 (1st) | 38–25 |
| 2019 | Cliff Godwin | East Carolina | 20–4 (1st) | TBD |
Winners by school
The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the year each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.
| School (year joined) | Awards | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| UCF (2014) | 2 | 2014, 2017 |
| Connecticut (2014) | 1 | 2016 |
| East Carolina (2015) | 2 | 2015, 2019 |
Pitcher of the Year
In 2014, UCF's Eric Skoglund was chosen as the conference's best pitcher. In the regular season, the junior went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA and 92 strikeouts. After the season, he was selected in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.[2][4]
Winners by season
Below is a table of the award's winners.
| Season | Pitcher | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Eric Skoglund | UCF |
| 2015 | Carson Cross[3] | Connecticut |
Winners by school
The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the year each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.
| School (year joined) | Awards | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut (2014) | 1 | 2015 |
| UCF (2014) | 1 | 2014 |
Player of the Year
In 2014, Jeff Gardner was chosen as the conference's best player. Gardner had been selected as the Preseason Player of the Year, and in the regular season, he led the conference in slugging percentage, runs batted in, and total bases. After the season, he was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 8th round of the 2014 MLB Draft.[2][5]
Winners by season
Below is a table of the award's winners.
| Season | Pitcher | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Jeff Gardner | Louisville |
| 2015 | Ian Happ[3] | Cincinnati |
Winners by school
The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the year each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.
| School (year joined) | Awards | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati (2014) | 1 | 2015 |
| Louisville (2014)[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 2014 |
- After the 2014 season, Louisville left to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Rookie of the Year
In 2014, the Rookie of the Year award was shared by Houston pitcher Andrew Lantrip and Rutgers pitcher Gaby Rosa. Lantrip, as a midweek starter, went 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA in the regular season; Rosa went 6-2 with a 2.28 ERA. In the summer of 2014, Lantrip played for the California Collegiate League's Santa Barbara Foresters, and Rosa played for the Staten Island Tide of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.[2][6][7]
Winners by season
Below is a table of the award's winners.
| Season | Pitcher | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Andrew Lantrip Gaby Rosa |
Houston Rutgers |
| 2015 | Seth Romero[3] | Houston |
Winners by school
The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the year each school joined the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.
| School (year joined) | Awards | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Houston (2014) | 1 | 2015 |
| Rutgers (2014)[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 2014 |
- After the 2014 season, Rutgers left to join the Big Ten Conference.
References
- "2014 American Athletic Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- "American Athletic Conference Announces 2014 Postseason Baseball Awards". TheAmerican.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- "Cincinnati's Happ Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year". TheAmerican.org. May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- Saggio, Jessica (June 11, 2014). "UCF Ace Eric Skoglund Drafted by Kansas City Royals". SeminoleChronicle.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- "UK's Cousino, Louisville's Gardner, Sturgeon Drafted". Courier-Journal.com. June 6, 2014. Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- "Andrew Lantrip Lands on CCL All-Star Roster". UHCougars.com. Houston Athletics Communications. July 10, 2014. Archived from the original on August 5, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- "2014 Staten Island Tide Roster". ACBL-Online.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.