May 18, 2010

DAHLONEGA, GA – Five North Georgia baseball players have brought in a series of awards over the last two weeks, including Chris Rearick who garnered the highest pitching award as the ABCA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year.

North Georgia’s Chris Rearick, Jordan Erisman, Blake Hobby, Daniel Petitti, and Jacob Rickett have all been honored by either the American Baseball Coaches Association, or Daktronics, the world leader in scoring.

The awards keep coming in for Chris Rearick, who after earning PBC Pitcher of the Year honors, was named the ABCA Southeast Region Pitcher of the year. He also named Daktronics Second-Team All-Region after finishing 9-2 on the year with 99 strikeouts and a 3.20 earned run average.  He tossed 98.1 innings, while opponents hit .237 against the left-hander.

Jordan Erisman also grabbed a pair of awards as the ABCA and Daktronics tabbed the third baseman with Second-Team honors in the Southeast Region. He led the team with a .345 batting average, pacing the Peach Belt Conference in triples with 6, and going 9-for-10 in the stolen base department. He ended the year on a 21-game hitting streak as the sophomore played and started in all 51 games for the Saints.

Jacob Rickett was also named Daktonics Second-Team All-Region as the relief pitcher put up some of the best numbers in North Georgia history as a closer, picking up 11 saves with a 2.19 earned average. He allowed just two home runs in 22 appearances, logging 24.2 innings of work and striking out 33 batters.

Daniel Petitti was honored with his third ABCA/Rawlings Southeast Region Gold Glove award in the last four years as the senior had another stellar defensive campaign behind home plate. The Roswell, Ga., native threw out 21 base stealers, a mark that was tops in the Southeast Region, and committed just four errors in 378 chances for a .989 fielding percentage. He had a stolen base allowed percentage of .462 and allowed just two passed balls on the year.

Blake Hobby was also recognized for his defensive play as the sophomore picked up an ABCA/Rawlings Southeast Region Gold Glove award after a perfect fielding percentage with 22 chances. He right-handed pitcher who finished with a 6-4 record allowed just three stolen bases on the year and had three putouts and 19 assists.

The teams are sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition, while the teams were nominated and voted on by the Southeast Region’s Sports Information Directors. Members of the first team are eligible for All-American nominations.