Xavier University Athletics
Scott Googins Named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
05.20.08 | Baseball
May 20, 2008
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Third-year Xavier baseball head coach Scott Googins has been named the Atlantic 10's Coach of the Year as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, May 20. Three Musketeers have been named to All-Conference teams in the same voting conducted by league coaches. Senior Michael Lucas was named to the First Team while junior Jordan Conley and sophomore Zac Richard earn Second Team honors. Lucas was also named to the Academic All-Conference team as well.
Googins earns Coach of the Year honors after guiding Xavier to a program-best 19 wins in Conference play and the top seed in this week's Atlantic 10 Championship (May 21-24). The Musketeers (25-29) rank in the top five in the league in both hitting (.290) and earned run average (5.35) and nine of their 25 wins this season have been decided by one run. A 1992 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, Googins holds a career record of 73-97 in three years at Xavier.
Senior catchers Derek Mechling of Duquesne and Charlotte's Chris Taylor have been named Atlantic 10 Baseball Players of the Year and this marks the first time in league history that two student-athletes were named Players of the Year. Tom Davis, a senior righthander from Fordham, earned Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year honors and freshman second baseman Corey Shaylor of Charlotte was named Rookie of the Year.
Additionally, for the second consecutive year, St. Bonaventure senior Randy Moley was named Student-Athlete of the Year in voting among the Conference's sports information directors.
Joining Mechling, Taylor and Davis on the All-Conference first-team are Aaron Janusey of Duquesne; La Salle's John Rickards; Brad McElroy, Rob Lyerly and Kelly McLain of Charlotte; Rhode Island's Shaun Hagey; Rich Goulian of Fordham; George Washington's Charlie Kruer; Randy Moley from St. Bonaventure; and Xavier's Lucas. Kruer and McElroy are making their second straight appearance on the All-Conference first-team.
The second-team consists of Xavier's Richard and Conley; Corey Shaylor, Aaron Bray, Shayne Moody, O'Brien Taylor and Joe Yermal of Charlotte; Duquesne's Mike Carroll; Hank Coogan from Richmond; Zach Zaneski of Rhode Island; Temple's Byron McKoy; and Cody Vincent of St. Bonaventure.
Along with Shaylor, the All-Rookie team includes teammate Joe Yermal; Billy Barber and Mike Mergenthaler of Richmond; Temple's Byron McCoy; Mike Coleman of Saint Joseph's; George Washington's Eric Cantrell; Kevin Fuqua of La Salle; and Dayton's Burny Mitchem.
Moley is joined on the Academic All-Conference team by Quinn Haselhorst and Kevin Miller of Dayton; Duquesne's Aaron Janusey and Derek Mechling; Alex Burt of Charlotte; Fordham's Eric Reese; Mitchell Eilenberg of Massachusetts; Casey Moore of Saint Louis; and Xavier's Lucas.
With the first round bye, No. 1 seeded Xavier will play on Thursday at 12 p.m. Its opponent will be decided on Wednesday as the Musketeers will play the winner of the No. 4 Temple/No. 5 Rhode Island game.
Live audio and video streaming of the Championship will be available for $4.95 per day. Annual subscribers to All-Access for the six A-10 teams participating in the Championship and XXL annual subscribers will be able to view the action at no charge. For complete coverage of the 2008 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org
