Coppin State’s Jordan Hamberg has been named one of ten semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation.
The five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award will be announced on May 30 with the award presented later this summer.
“What we’re seeing this year is a lot of the title contenders and regional hopefuls are leaning heavily on their two-way players, whether they are seasoned veterans or new to the college game,” said Olerud Award chairman George Watson. “Each week, our semifinalists are being counted on in key situations, from starting on the mound to closing out games or coming up with the big hits to send their teams to victory. The way this is shaping up it could be the closest race we have since the award was created in 2010.”
All 10 of the semifinalists have been named the Olerud Award weekly winner at least once, with Hamberg and Virginia sophomore Devin Ortiz earning the honor twice.
A sophomore from South Plainfield, N.J., Hamberg went 5-2 with a 3.67 earned run average while striking out 77 batters in 56.1 innings on the mound. Hamberg posted four games with at least ten strikeouts, fanning a career-high 13 in a five-hit complete game shutout against Norfolk State on April 10.
He added 12 strikeouts in a win over Maryland Eastern Shore on May 1 and had ten more punchouts against the Hawks on April 3 and against Cornell over just 5.2 innings on March 6. Hamberg’s 12.30 strikeouts per nine innings by far lead the conference and rank 36th in the NCAA.
Hamberg also leads Coppin with a .364 batting average, recording eight doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 30 RBI. He also scored 30 runs, drew 21 walks and stole 11 bases, accumulating a .661 slugging percentage and .473 on-base percentage. Hamberg was also named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week twice this season.
Courtesy: Coppin State Athletics
