NORFOLK, Va. — Florida A&M infielder Dylan Dillard was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Player of the Year, the conference announced on Tuesday. Danny Rodriguez, of Bethune-Cookman, was selected Rookie of the Year, while Norfolk State’s Matt Outman earned Pitcher of the Year honors. Florida A&M’s Jamey Shouppe received Coach of the Year accolades.
All awards are voted on by the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors.
Dillard started 48 games and batted .335 in 167 at-bats. He finished the season with 56 hits, including eight doubles, six triples, six home runs, 53 runs batted in and 46 runs scored. He led the conference in RBIs and triples. Dillard was a two-time MEAC Player of the Week honoree.
Rodriguez, a two-time MEAC Rookie of the Week honoree, led the Wildcats in RBIs (40). He recorded 60 hits, including nine doubles and seven home runs, with 29 runs scored. Defensively, he notched a .988 fielding percentage.
Outman, the 2015 Pitcher of the Year and 2016 Preseason Pitcher of the Year, appeared in 12 games and registered seven wins, including five shutouts, in 79.0 innings pitched. He led the conference in innings pitched, batters struckout looking (30) and wins. He ranks second in the MEAC in earned run average (2.62) and runs allowed (26).
Shouppe earned Coach of the Year honors after leading the Rattlers to a 19-5 conference mark and 30-19 overall, along with clinching the number one seed from the southern division in the upcoming 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship. This season marks Florida A&M’s first 30-win season since 2003.
Joining Dillard and Outman on the first team are Jonathan Mauricio (NSU), Andrew Vernon (NCCU), Alex Mauricio (NSU), Clay Middleton (B-CU), Brian Davis (FAMU), Alec Wong (FAMU), Ben Ellzey (FAMU), Milton Rivera (NCAT), Nathan Bond (B-CU), Carlos Ortiz (NCCU) and Michael Cruz (B-CU).
The 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship tournament gets underway Thursday, May 19 beginning at 12 p.m. at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. A complete tournament bracket can be found on www.MEACsports.com.
2016 Baseball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference’s head baseball coaches and sports information directors
Player of the Year: Dylan Dillard, Florida A&M
Rookie of the Year: Danny Rodriguez, Bethune-Cookman
Pitcher of the Year: Matt Outman, Norfolk State
Coach of the Year: Jamey Shouppe, Florida A&M
| First Team | ||||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| P | Matt Outman | Norfolk State | r-Sr. | 3-Jun | 210 | Chesapeake, Va. |
| P | Jonathan Mauricio | Norfolk State | Jr. | 2-Jun | 175 | Midlothian, Va. |
| RP | Andrew Vernon | North Carolina Central | Sr. | 4-Jun | 240 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| RP | Alex Mauricio | Norfolk State | So. | Jun-00 | 175 | Midlothian, Va. |
| C | Clay Middleton | Bethune-Cookman | r-Jr. | Jun-00 | 205 | Oviedo, Fla. |
| 1B | Brian Davis | Florida A&M | So. | 10-May | 195 | Pensacola, Fla. |
| 2B | Alec Wong | Florida A&M | Sr. | 6-May | 160 | Rockledge, Fla. |
| 3B | Ben Ellzey | Florida A&M | Jr. | Jun-00 | 205 | Ocala, Fla. |
| SS | Milton Rivera | North Carolina A&T State | So. | 9-May | 175 | Humacao, Puerto Rico |
| OF | Nathan Bond | Bethune-Cookman | Sr. | 2-Jun | 195 | Orlando, Fla. |
| OF | Dylan Dillard | Florida A&M | Gr. | 1-Jun | 205 | Kissimmee, Fla. |
| OF | Carlos Ortiz | North Carolina Central | Jr. | 9-May | 197 | Cleveland, Ohio |
| UTL | Michael Cruz | Bethune-Cookman | Jr. | 11-May | 210 | Aguadilla, Puerto Rico |
| Second Team | ||||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| P | Ricky Page | Florida A&M | Sr. | 11-May | 185 | Ocala, Fla. |
| P | Tyler Norris | Bethune-Cookman | So. | 1-Jun | 160 | Coral Springs, Fla. |
| RP | Joseph Calamita | Bethune-Cookman | So. | Jun-00 | 175 | Lake Worth, Fla. |
| RP | Michael Parmentier | Norfolk State | So. | Jun-00 | 170 | Suffolk, Va. |
| C | Adan Ordonez | North Carolina A&T State | So. | 7-May | 185 | Clermont, Fla. |
| 1B | Danny Rodriguez | Bethune-Cookman | Fr. | 3-Jun | 240 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| 2B | Mike Escanilla | Maryland Eastern Shore | Sr. | 7-May | 150 | Waldorf, Md. |
| 3B | Ellington Hopkins | North Carolina Central | Jr. | 6-May | 174 | Lansing, N.Y. |
| SS | Tom Prospero | North Carolina Central | Jr. | Jun-00 | 180 | Batavia, N.Y. |
| OF | Austin Bentley | Delaware State | So. | 11-May | 205 | Waldorf, Md. |
| OF | Denathan Dukes | Norfolk State | Jr. | 2-Jun | 180 | Woodbridge, Va. |
| OF | Marlon Gibbs | Florida A&M | r-Sr. | 9-May | 185 | Orange Park, Fla. |
| UTL | James Dey | North Carolina Central | Sr. | 10-May | 198 | Charlotte, N.C. |
| Third Team | ||||||
| Pos. | Name | School | Class | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown |
| P | Alex Dandridge | North Carolina Central | Sr. | 3-Jun | 204 | Arlington, Texas |
| P | Chase Jarrell | Florida A&M | Jr. | 3-Jun | 175 | Winter Springs, Fla. |
| RP | Devin Repine | Maryland Eastern Shore | r-Sr. | 9-Jun | 250 | Salisbury, Md. |
| RP | Ryan McCranie | Savannah State | Sr. | 2-Jun | 220 | Covington, Ga. |
| C | Jacky Miles, Jr. | Florida A&M | Jr. | Jun-00 | 205 | Graceville, Fla. |
| 1B | Kyle Clary | North Carolina A&T State | Jr. | 11-May | 175 | Lakewood, Calif. |
| 2B | Jonathan Moore | Savannah State | Sr. | 1-Jun | 160 | Cairo, Ga. |
| 3B | Bryant Miranda | Coppin State | Jr. | 10-May | 175 | Cidra, Puerto Rico |
| SS | Demetrius Sims | Bethune-Cookman | r-So. | 2-Jun | 200 | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| OF | George Dragon | Coppin State | Sr. | Jun-00 | 215 | Ashtabula, Ohio |
| OF | Zachary Marszal | North Carolina Central | Jr. | Jun-00 | 211 | Cary, Ill. |
| OF | Rakeem Quinn | Bethune-Cookman | Sr. | 10-May | 205 | Port St. Joe, Fla. |
| UTL | Kyle Vaas | Norfolk State | Sr. | Jun-00 | 205 | Chesterfield, Va. |
Courtesy: MEAC
