Brooks Named To All-MAC Team
5/16/2001
Marshall's Jason Brooks' 73 RBI broke the school record as well as the MAC record.
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MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Mid-American Conference named its
All-Conference baseball team for the 2001 season and Marshall's
record-setting first baseman Jason Brooks was the only representative for
the Thundering Herd.
Brooks, a senior first baseman from Sayre, Okla., was named to the
All-MAC first team as the utility player. Kent State's John VanBenschoten
was the first team first baseman. Brooks and VanBenschoten spent most of the
season as the top two players in the conference in home runs and RBI.
Brooks finished his final season with a .374 batting average and a
school record 23 home runs. His 73 RBI not only set a new Marshall record,
but also broke the old Mid-American Conference record.
During his senior season Brooks also established new Marshall career
records for home runs (39) and slugging percentage (.743). He fell just shy
of setting new school records for total bases and slugging percentage in a
season.
Brooks finished 17th in the conference in hitting, second in home
runs, first in RBI and third in total bases. He was also second in the
league in slugging percentage during the year.
Nationally, Brooks currently stands second in home runs per game
(.47 to VanBenschoten's .51) and first in runs batted in per game (1.49).
Tulane's Jake Gautreau is second in RBI with 1.481 per game entering
tournament play.
In league play, Brooks ranked fifth overall in the MAC with a .429
batting average. He was second in league games in both home runs and RBI
with 14 and 39 and he was fourth in total bases. His .918 slugging
percentage in league games was second in the MAC.
Despite being among the league leaders in a variety of offensive
categories, senior shortstop Jason Ricceri and juniors Homer Renshaw and
David Colangelo were not named to either the first or second team All-MAC
squads.
Ricceri currently stands 12th in the nation in home runs per game at
.36.
Marshall finished the 2001 season with a 24-29 overall mark with an
11-17 record in the MAC, good for fifth in the Eastern Division. The 24
overall victories tied for the third highest total in school history.
2001 All-Mid-American Conference Baseball Teams
First Team
| Name | School | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown (High School/Junior College) |
| Mitch Maier | Toledo | C | Fr. | Novi, Mich. (Novi HS) |
| John VanBenschoten | Kent State | 1B | Jr. | Milford, Ohio (Milford HS) |
| Ryan Kyes | Ohio | 2B | Sr. | White Lake, Mich. (Detroit Country Day HS) |
| Paul Henry | Ball State | SS | Sr. | Chattanooga, Tenn. (Notre Dame HS) |
| Matt Wood | Ball State | 3B | Sr. | South Bend, Ind. (Washington HS) |
| Lee Morrison | Bowling Green | OF | Sr. | Stow, Ohio (Stow-Munroe Falls HS) |
| Jason Knoedler | Miami | OF | Jr. | Springfield, Ill. (Springfield HS/Lincoln Land CC) |
| Andrew See | Ohio | OF | Sr. | Adrian, Mich. (Adrian HS) |
| Greg Graham | Western Michigan | DH | Jr. | Portage, Mich. (Central HS) |
| Jason Brooks | Marshall | UT | Sr. | Sayre, Okla. (Sayre HS/Pratt [Kan.] CC) |
| Bryan Bullington | Ball State | P | So. | Madison, Ind. (Madison) |
| Jason Paul | Ball State | P | Jr. | Anderson, Ind. (Highland HS/Butler Univ.) |
| Chris Leonard | Miami | P | So. | Columbus, Ohio (St. Francis De Sales) |
| Denny McGee | Ohio | P | Sr. | Washington, Pa. (Trinity HS) |
| Gavin Gillette | Central Michigan | RP | Jr. | DeWitt, Mich. (DeWitt HS/Grand Rapids CC) |
Second Team
| Name | School | Pos. | Yr. | Hometown (High School/Junior College) |
| Tim Newell | Bowling Green | C | Jr. | Bryan, Ohio (Bryan HS) |
| Phil Pilewski | Toledo | 1B | So. | Perrysburg, Ohio (Perrysburg HS) |
| Corey Loomis | Bowling Green | 2B | So. | Pemberville, Ohio (Eastwood HS) |
| Jason Helps | Central Michigan | SS | Sr. | Wyoming, Ontario (LCCVI HS/St. Clair CC) |
| Scott Dukate | Bowling Green | 3B | Sr. | Temperance, Mich. (Bedford HS) |
| Len Elias | Bowling Green | OF | Jr. | Mississaugua, Ontario (St. Martins HS) |
| Eric O'Brien | Kent State | OF | So. | Cincinnati, Ohio (McNicholas HS) |
| Noel Danielson | Northern Illinois | OF | Jr. | Butterfield, Minn. (Butterfield-Odin HS) |
| Chuck Lombardy | Ohio | DH | Sr. | Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Hawken HS) |
| Phil LoCascio | Kent State | UT | Jr. | Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Archbishop Hoban HS) |
| Justin Wechsler | Ball State | P | Jr. | Anderson, Ind. (Pendleton Heights HS) |
| Craig Menke | Bowling Green | P | Sr. | Delphos, Ohio (Fort Jennings HS) |
| Joe Linde | Eastern Michigan | P | Jr. | Midland, Mich. (Midland HS) |
| Pat Misch | Western Michigan | P | So. | Northbrook, Ill. (Glenbrook North HS) |
| Tyler Grinnell | Western Michigan | RP | Jr. | Lansing, Mich. (Kellogg/Lansing CC/Waverly HS) |
MAC Player of the Year: John VanBenschoten, Kent State
MAC Pitcher of the Year: Bryan Bullington, Ball State
MAC Freshman of the Year: Mitch Maier, Toledo
MAC Coach of the Year: Rich Maloney, Ball State
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