Southern’s Hall, Jackson State’s Drain earn top individual honors
BIRMINGHAM – With the 2010 SWAC Baseball Championship tournament underway, the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its All-Conference Baseball Honors Wednesday, headlined by Southern’s Frazier Hall voted Player of the Year and Jackson State’s Quintavious Drains voted Pitcher of the Year. The teams were voted on by the schools’ coaches and sports information departments.
Hall, a 6-3, 225-pound junior from Baton Rouge, LA, ranked second in the conference with a .387 batting average and .660 slugging percentage. The first baseman also ranked third in the SWAC in on base percentage (.505), fourth in home runs (8), tied for fifth with 15 doubles and tied for sixth with 99 total bases.
Drains, a 6-2, 195-pound sophomore from Atlanta, GA, was the winningest pitcher in the conference this season, registering 13 victories in 2010. He also led the SWAC with 87 strike-outs while spending the most time on the mound, pitching 111.2 innings. He boasted a 4.35 ERA for the season and helped his Tigers secure the East’s #1 seed in this week’s championship tournament.
Jackson State’s Cortez Cole has been voted the 2010 Hitter of the Year. A 5-10, 180-pound senior catcher, Cole led the conference with a .405 batting average and a .517 on base percentage. He ranked tied for second in the SWAC with five triples while recording a .582 slugging percentage. The Shannon, MS native’s efforts assisted J-State in etching the top record in the league at 35-15, 19-5 SWAC.
Also from Jackson State, Malcolm Tate has been named the 2010 Freshman of the Year. A 5-9, 268-pound first baseman, Tate had a standout freshman campaign for the Tigers this season. He was fourth on the team with 10 double while ranking fifth in batting average (.291), slugging percentage (.373) and on base percentage (.396). The Carthage, MS product also nabbed 46 hits and 32 RBI for JSU this season.
Kilby Perdomo of Alcorn State has been selected the 2010 Newcomer of the Year. A 6-2, 220-pound junior designated hitter, Perdomo ranked tied for first in the conference with 10 homers this season. He also led the SWAC in total bases (111) and was third with 53 RBI. A Miami, FL native, Perdomo was fifth in the league in hits (67) and runs scored (56).
