Rylan Bannon Named BIG EAST Player of the Year as Six Earn Spots on All-BIG EAST Teams

NEW YORK - Junior third baseman Rylan Bannon was named BIG EAST Player of the Year on Tuesday, headlining six Xavier honorees on the annual All-BIG EAST teams.

The awards included first team recognition for Bannon, Zac Lowther and Matt Kent. Chris Givin, Garrett Schilling and Blaine Griffiths were each picked for spots on the second team in a vote amongst the league's coaches.

Voting is based upon results and stats accumulated during BIG EAST games.

RYLAN RECOGNIZED

Bannon, a native of Joliet, Ill., is XU's second straight BIG EAST Player of the Year. Andre Jernigan claimed the award in 2016, leading XU to the BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships.

A slick fielder since arriving on campus, Bannon has impressed with the bat all season long and leads the Musketeers with a .332 batting average, 39 runs scored, 14 homers, 125 total bases and a .442 on-base percentage.

In 16 BIG EAST games, Bannon raised his game with a league-leading .426 batting average and .544 on-base percentage. Bannon also ranks among the league leaders in conference play with five homers, a .756 slugging percentage, 20 hits, 11 RBI and five stolen bases.

A unanimous pick for the All-BIG EAST First Team, he ranks among the top-10 in the BIG EAST in 12 different offensive stat categories.

In 54 starts overall, Bannon ranks among the national and league leaders in several stat categories:

Stat	#	BIG EAST Rank	NCAA Rank
HR	14	1st	52nd
SLG %	.638	1st	42nd
SB	17	3rd	89th
TB	125	1st	59th

FIRST TEAM HONOREES

Zac Lowther, Matt Kent and Rylan Bannon represented the Musketeers on the All-BIG EAST First Team. It was Bannon's second straight appearance on the first team.

Lowther and Kent made the first team for the first time after dominant seasons on the mound.

A junior lefty, Lowther is widely considered to be one of the top MLB Draft prospects in the BIG EAST. In fact, he was recently the first-ever XU player named to the Baseball America Top 100 MLB Draft Prospect list and is the only prospect listed from the league. For the season, Lowther ranks among the NCAA's leaders in strikeouts (16th, 106), strikeouts per nine innings (2nd, 13.63), hits allowed per nine innings (5th, 5.14) and WHIP (28th, 0.97).

In BIG EAST play, Lowther is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 32 innings. He's allowed just 15 hits in six league starts.

Kent has been XU's most reliable option out of the bullpen in 2017, going 5-2 in 21 appearances with a 1.21 ERA. The righty began the year without allowing a run (earned or unearned) in his first 22.1 innings. He brings a 16.2 scoreless inning streak into postseason play.

SECOND TEAM HONOREES

Chris Givin, Garrett Schilling and Blaine Griffiths were selected for spots on the second team.

Givin has been rock solid at the leadoff spot for XU, playing strong defense at shortstop and batting .345 in league play. The sophomore leads XU with 15 runs scored in league play and also boasts a .397 on-base percentage. Overall, Givin ranks third on the team with a .305 batting average and has walked 22 times against 22 strikeouts this season.

Schilling leads XU starters with a 1.29 ERA in conference play, logging 28 innings and holding his opponent to two or fewer runs in four of five starts.

Griffiths has stepped up at the designated hitter position in league play, hitting .379 with a homer and eight RBI. He was second on the team with a .500 on-base percentage in BIG EAST games.

FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS

Player of the Year
Ryan Bannon, Xavier, Jr., 3B

Pitcher of the Year
Sean Mooney, St. John's Fr., RHP (Starter)

Freshman of the Year
Sean Mooney, St. John's Fr., RHP (Starter) ^

Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John's, head coach Ed Blankmeyer

All-BIG EAST First Team #
Rollie Lacy, Creighton, Jr., SP (RHP)
Sean Mooney, St. John's, Fr., SP (RHP) ^^
Zach Prendergast, Seton Hall, Sr., SP (RHP)
Hunter Schryver, Villanova, Sr., SP (LHP)
Zac Lowther, Xavier, Jr., SP (LHP)
Matt Kent, Xavier, So., RP (RHP)
John Valente, St. John's, RS-Jr., 1B
Josh Shaw, St. John's, So., 2B
Jesse Berardi, St. John's, Jr., SS ^
Rylan Bannon, Xavier, Jr., 3B ^^
Troy Dixon, St. John's, Sr., C ^^
Tyler Houston, Butler, Jr., OF ^^
Anthony Brocato, St. John's, Jr., OF ^
Michael Donadio, St. John's, Sr., OF ^
Juke Kuzbel, Georgetown, Sr., DH

All-BIG EAST Second Team ##
Jeff Schank, Butler, Sr., SP (LHP)
Keith Rogalla, Creighton, Jr., SP (RHP)
Cullen Dana, Seton Hall, So., SP (LHP)
Garrett Schilling, Xavier, Jr., SP (RHP)
Ethan DeCaster, Creighton, Jr., RP (RHP)
Joe LaSorsa, St. John's, Fr., RP (LHP)
Ryan Testani, Seton Hall, Sr., RP (RHP)
Jordan Lucio, Butler, Sr., 1B
Isaac Collins, Creighton, Fr., 2B
Chris Givin, Xavier, So., SS
Ryan Weisenberg, Georgetown, So., 3B
Michael Emodi, Creighton, So., C
Will Robertson, Creighton, Fr., OF
Michael DeRenzi, Georgetown, Jr., OF
Ryan Ramiz, Seton Hall, Jr., OF
Blaine Girffiths, Xavier, Jr., DH

^^ - denotes unanimous first team selection
^ - denotes unanimous selection
# - due to a tie in voting, there are five starting pitchers voted to the All-BIG EAST First Team
## - due to a tie in voting, there are three relief pitchers voted to the All-BIG EAST Second Team

NEXT UP

Xavier returns to action on Thursday, facing No. 2 seed St. John's in the BIG EAST Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at TD Ameritrade Park.

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