SOUTHWESTERN'S GELOTTI HEADLINES SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY BASEBALL TEAM

SUWANEE, Ga. – Southwestern University outfielder Matt Gelotti highlights an impressive list of past standouts named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s 15th Anniversary baseball team.

Gelotti remains the most decorated baseball player in the history of the league. A four-time All-SCAC performer during his career as well as a three-time All-Tournament selection and two-time SCAC Player-of-the-Year (1999, 2000), Gelotti holds career league records for batting average (.433), hits (327), doubles (73), triples (38), home runs (47), runs driven in (285) and runs scored (263). He is second on the all-time SCAC charts in stolen bases (79) and sixth in walks (107). Gelotti holds NCAA Division III career records for hits and triples. In addition, he is the SCAC single-season leader for hits (93), home runs (18), triples (12) and runs scored (88). During his four years at Southwestern, Gelotti led the league in triples all four years, hits and RBIs three times, home runs and stolen bases twice and doubles and runs scored once. Six times he led the nation in an offensive category. A three-time All-American, Gelotti capped his career by being named the American Baseball Coaches Assocation's Division III Player-of-the-Year in 2000. Upon graduation, he signed a free agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

In addition to Gelotti, 28 other former SCAC student-athletes were selected to the 15th anniversary baseball team.

The catchers on the all-anniversary team are J.C. Bunch of Trinity University, Chris Lawrence of Millsaps College and Brian Lopez of Southwestern University.

Bunch, a four-time All-SCAC performer (1998-2001), hit .400 for his career (11th on the SCAC career list) with 251 hits (tied for fourth all-time), 30 home runs (tied for sixth all-time), 174 runs batted in (fifth all-time) and 202 runs scored (third all-time). In 1998, he led the SCAC in hitting with a .475 average - the third-highest single-season total in league history. Bunch, who played two seasons in the Texas Rangers' organization (2001 and 2002), is one of just three players in league history to be named to the SCAC All-Tournament team three times in a career.

Lawrence was an All-SCAC catcher for three consecutive years (1994-1996), and hit a combined .355 with 54 RBI his final two seasons with the Majors. Also a talented pitcher, Lawrence led the SCAC in ERA his freshman season (2.30) and was third in the league with 53 strikeouts as a junior in 1995.

Southwestern's Lopez finished his SCAC career with a .404 batting average (eighth in league history). A three-time All-SCAC catcher (1995-1997) and a 1996 All-American selection, he posted a career-high .458 batting average as a senior - the 11th-best single-season average in league history. With Lopez behind the plate, the Pirate pitching staff led the SCAC in team ERA in both 1996 and 1997.

First basemen selected to the team include Greg Greene of Sewanee: University of the South and Mike Highfill of Millsaps.

Greene hit more doubles from 1992 to 1994 than any other player in the league (34 in 71 games) and led the league in the category in 1992 (14). A three-time All-SCAC performer, Greene batted .381 for Sewanee from 1992 to 1994 - the highest average of any SCAC player during that three-year span.

Millsaps' Highfill, the 1997 SCAC Co-Player-of-the-Year, a four-time All-SCAC honoree and two-time All-American (1996, 1997), finished his career with 34 home runs, 184 runs batted in, 53 doubles and 115 walks - all good for fourth all-time on the SCAC career charts. He also had 13 triples (seventh all-time), a .391 career batting average (12th all-time) with 176 runs scored (seventh all-time). He led the league in batting in 1997 (.460) and in home runs in 1996 (13).

Second basemen selected to the team include K.K. Aldridge of Millsaps, Tom Gambino of Oglethorpe University and Ryan Sipe of DePauw University.

Aldridge batted .316 for his career, falling just four hits short of 200 with 196. A three-time All-SCAC and a two-time All-Tournament selection, he finished his career with 158 runs scored and 29 doubles.

Gambino, a three-time All-SCAC infielder, finished his career with 98 runs scored, 37 doubles and 99 RBI and batted .328 in his four years at Oglethorpe. He led the league in doubles twice in his career with 11 in 1993 and 13 in 1994.

Sipe, a three-time All-SCAC honoree, finished his four-year career with a .389 batting average - 15th all-time on the SCAC all-time rankings and tops among all DePauw players. He also holds the school record for hits with 236, which ranks him sixth all-time in the SCAC. Sipe also holds schools records for at bats (607), runs (156), doubles (51 - tied for sixth on SCAC list), runs batted in (110) and total bases (343). He was also selected to the SCAC All-Tournament team his senior season (2005).

The shortstops on the all-anniversary team are Jason Armstrong of Trinity and Kirk Kinard and Matt Yglesias - both of Millsaps.

Armstrong is second in league history in hits (281), sixth in runs batted in (167), fifth in doubles (52), tied for 11th in triples (12), tied for fourth in runs scored (195) and his lifetime batting average of .407 is good for sixth all-time. He was a two-time SCAC All-Tournament selection. The SCAC Player-of-the-Year and an All-American in 2004, Armstrong led the league in hitting that season (.457) and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays later that summer. He is currently playing for Single A Dunedin of the Florida State League.

Kinard earned SCAC Player-of-the-Year honors in 1993 as a freshman and finished his career with three All-SCAC selections. He finished his career with 159 runs driven in (10th all-time in the SCAC) and 13 triples (tied for seventh all-time). He led the league in hits in 1993 (45) as well as triples (7), home runs (5) and RBIs (35). After graduation, Kinard played one season of minor league baseball with Bakersfield of the California League.

Yglesias finished his career at Millsaps with 214 hits (ninth all-time in the SCAC), 172 runs scored (tied for 10th all-time) and 67 stolen bases (tied for sixth all-time). The league's Player-of-the-Year in 2003, he was a two-time SCAC All-Tournament selection and four-time all-conference honoree. Yglesias batted .342 for his career with 44 doubles.

Three third basemen man the hot corner for the all-anniversary team including Cory Cassell of Trinity, Scott Staines of Millsaps and Scott Tourville of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Cassell batted .370 for his career with 183 hits, 159 runs scored, 136 runs driven in, 48 doubles (tied for 10th all-time in the SCAC) and 23 home runs. He stole 52 bases in his career and was selected All-SCAC three times and All-Tournament once. As a senior in 2002, Cassell led the league in both runs scored (55) and walks taken (42).

Staines, a three-time All-SCAC selection for Millsaps (2002-2004), hit .323 for his career with 121 runs scored, 35 doubles and 140 runs driven in. He tied for the league lead in RBIs as a junior with 44 and was an All-Tournament selection the following season.

Rose-Hulman's Tourville batted .391 for his career (13th all-time in the SCAC and second in school history). He scored 123 runs and drove in 142 with 173 hits, including 48 doubles (tied for 10th in the SCAC) and 19 home runs. A two-time All-SCAC honoree, he led the league in walks taken with 34 in 2004.

Ryan Dowdy of Southwestern was selected as the all-anniversary designated hitter. Dowdy hit 35 home runs during his career (third all-time in the SCAC) and drove in 202 - making him one of just three players in league history to drive in 200+ runs for a career. In both 1999 and 2000, he earned a selection to the All-SCAC Team as well as a spot on the league's All-Tournament Team. Dowdy was an All-American selection in 1999.

Seven former SCAC outfielders were named to the all-anniversary team. In addition to the selection of Gelotti, other outfield honorees include Peter Austin and Brandon Page of Millsaps, Bo Edwards and Kenneth Sharp of Trinity, Amiel Gross of Southwestern and Wes Holland of Hendrix.

Austin, a four-time All-SCAC outfielder (1994-1997), hit .349 during his career with 177 hits, 131 runs scored and 106 runs driven in. He was drafted in the 40th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball draft – making him the first SCAC student-athlete to be taken by a professional team in its amateur draft. Page, the 2001 SCAC Player-of-the-Year, finished his career with a .359 batting average with 175 runs scored (eighth all-time in the SCAC), 205 hits, 51 doubles (sixth all-time), 12 triples, 129 runs driven in and 67 stolen bases (tied for sixth all-time). Edwards hit .407 for his career (fifth all-time in the SCAC) with 251 hits (tied for fourth all-time), including 50 doubles (tied for seventh all-time) and 30 home runs (tied for sixth all-time). The former Trinity Tigers also drove in 203 runs (second all-time) and scored 208 (second all-time) and stole 77 bases (third all-time). He is Trinity's all-time leader in runs scored and RBIs and tied for the program's lead in home runs. A three-time All-SCAC honoree and two-time All-Tournament selection, Edwards was named the league's Player-of-the-Year as a sophomore in 1998 when he led the league in home runs (14) and runs scored (69). He also posted the second highest single-season stolen base total in league history with 41 in 2000. Sharp posted the fourth-highest career batting average in league history (.409) in his four years in San Antonio. The league's Player-of-the-Year in 2002, he also posted career SCAC top-10 totals in hits (280 - third), doubles (59 - second), triples (13 - tied for seventh) and runs scored (188 - sixth) and is the league's all-time leader in stolen bases with 88. Sharp earned All-SCAC honors four times in his career as well as two All-Tournament selections. He led the league in doubles in 2001 (18), tied for the league lead in hits in 2002 (74) and tied for the league lead in home runs (6) and triples (4) in 2003. When Southwestern entered the SCAC in 1995, Gross quickly established himself as the league's best player. The 1995 and 1996 SCAC Player-of-the-Year as well as a two-time All-American, Gross batted .416 over that two-year span (third all-time in the SCAC) with 146 hits, 40 doubles, 107 runs scored and 120 runs driven in, For those two seasons, he led the league in hits, doubles (his 23 in 1996 remains the second-highest single-season total in conference history), runs scored and runs driven in. Holland of Hendrix earned All-SCAC honors all four of his years in Conway (1996-1999) - three times as an outfielder and once as a pitcher. Holland compiled a career .346 batting average with 170 hits, including 43 doubles and 17 home runs. He scored 114 runs and drove in 112 more. As a senior in 1999, Holland went 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA on the mound and batted .353 to lead the Warriors to their first and only appearance in the SCAC Tournament.

Seven pitchers earned recognition on the all-anniversary team. Doug Garner, Teddy Hymel and Chat Lenhart of Millsaps, Brian Kenna of Oglethorpe, Forest Martin of Southwestern and Mike Frost and Brian Nowell of Trinity.

Garner is the league's all-time leader in wins with 32 and posted a career earned run average of 3.23 (fourth all-time in the SCAC). The 2003 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year, Garner was a two-time All-SCAC and All-Tournament honoree. He charted 260 strikeouts (fourth all-time) in 345.1 career innings pitched. Hymel was a two-time SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year (1994, 1996) who won 28 games in his career (second all-time in the SCAC). His 2.70 career ERA is second all-time in league history. Also a threat at the plate - Hymel was a career .338 hitter - he struck out 150 batters in 233.2 innings pitched. He led the league in ERA and wins in both 1994 and 1996. Lenhart won 27 games for the Majors from 2000-2003 (tied for third all-time) and was a three-time All-SCAC honoree and the league's Co-Pitcher-of-the-Year as a sophomore in 2001. He earned All-Tournament honors twice and posted a career ERA of 4.64 in 333.1 innings with 210 strikeouts. He led the league in innings pitched in both 2001 and 2003. Oglethorpe's Kenna shared SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year honors with Lenhart in 2001 when he went 6-4 with a 3.40 ERA. The former Petrel won 18 games in his career, including 13 his final two seasons, and posted a career earned run average of 4.22 in 283.2 innings of work with 154 strikeouts. Martin is the league's all-time leader in strikeouts per game with 11.62. His 291 career strikeouts in 225.1 innings of work ranks second all-time. The 2000 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year and a three-time all-conference performer, Martin posted a career ERA of 3.39 (sixth all-time) and won 19 games against just six losses and also had three saves. He led the league in ERA in 2000 (2.89) and twice in strikeouts - 2000 (112) and 2003 (104). Martin is the only pitcher in SCAC tournament history to win two games at two different championships and his 22 strikeouts at the 2003 tournament remains a conference record. An All-American selection in 2000, Martin signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Mariners in 2003 and later played in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Trinity's Frost is the league's all-time career leader in both earned run average (2.19) and strikeouts (310). He was selected the conference's Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2004 when he led the SCAC in wins (10) and strikeouts (97). He also earned All-American honors that season. Frost posted 26 career wins (tied for fifth all-time) while striking out 9.59 batters per game (second all-time). He led the SCAC in ERA in 2001 (1.50) and strikeouts in 2002 (85). Nowell established a new SCAC career strikeout record when he initiated 273 whiffs from 1995-98 (now third all-time). The league's Pitcher-of-the-Year in 1998, Nowell won 26 career games (tied for fifth all-time) for Trinity with an ERA of 4.38. He led the league in wins in 1998 (11) and in strikeouts in both 1997 (71) and 1998 (121). His 1998 strikeout total led the nation.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 15th Anniversary teams in all 18 sports during the 2005-06 academic year. The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @ Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South, and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.) University joined the CAC later that same year.

The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.

The SCAC’s 15th Anniversary teams were selected in each sport through balloting by present coaches and administrators. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 1991 through the spring of 2005 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams were eligible for selection.

x First Team All-SCAC
# Player-of-the-Year
% Pitcher-of-the-Year

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