(Story courtesy of Birmingham-Southern College)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Birmingham-Southern head baseball coach Jan Weisberg has been named 2010 Alabama College Coach of the Year by the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association, it was announced this week.
Weisberg led the 2010 Panthers to one of the best seasons in program history, amassing a 34-5 record, one of the best in all of Division III. The Panthers won the 2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) East Division title outright with a 14-1 record against conference opponents, and finished the season ranked eighth in the nation, while rising as high as sixth, and No. 1 in the South Region.
Weisberg was named SCAC Co-Coach of the Year
for his efforts, and several of his players received post-season
honors, as Bruce Maxwell was named SCAC Freshman of the Year, while
he, Brandon Ricco, Drew Leachman, J.D. Hulse, and John Naramore
also received All-SCAC First-Team honors. In addition, Sam Hill,
Jordan Burchett, Bryan Higginbotham, Clay Malcolm, Michael McCalib,
and Josh Whitaker were selected to the SCAC honorable mention
team.
The postseason accolades did not stop there for Weisberg’s
players. Ricco brought home the Rawlings Gold Glove award at second
base, and was also named Second-Team All-American by the American
Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). In addition to that, Ricco,
Naramore and Leachman were named First-Team All-South Region by
ABCA, Maxwell was named Second-Team All-South and D3baseball.com
Honorable Mention All-American, and Hill was named Third-Team
All-South Region.
"Coach Weisberg has done a remarkable job of building a nationally respected Division III baseball program in a short period of time, while keeping alive the rich tradition of BSC baseball,” BSC Athletics Director Joe Dean, Jr., said. “This award is a testament to his hard work and abilities.”
The Panthers won the 2010 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) title outright with a 14-1 record against conference opponents, and finished the season ranked eighth in the nation, while rising as high as sixth, and No. 1 in the South Region. Weisberg was named SCAC Co-Coach of the Year for his efforts, and several of his players received post-season honors, as Bruce Maxwell was named SCAC Freshman of the Year, while he, Brandon Ricco, Drew Leachman, J.D. Hulse, and John Naramore also received All-SCAC First-Team honors. In addition, Sam Hill, Jordan Burchett, Bryan Higginbotham, Clay Malcolm, Michael McCalib, and Josh Whitaker were selected to the SCAC honorable mention team.
The postseason accolades did not stop there for Weisberg’s players. Ricco brought home the Rawlings Gold Glove award at second base, and was also named Second-Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). In addition to that, Ricco, Naramore and Leachman were named First-Team All-South Region by ABCA, Maxwell was named Second-Team All-South and D3baseball.com Honorable Mention All-American, and Hill was named Third-Team All-South Region.
"Coach Weisberg has done a remarkable job of building a nationally respected Division III baseball program in a short period of time, while keeping alive the rich tradition of BSC baseball,” BSC Athletics Director Joe Dean, Jr., said. “This award is a testament to his hard work and abilities.”