May 18, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. – Deck McGuire became the first Georgia Tech player to receive the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top pitching honor and is one of five Yellow Jackets to earn All-ACC accolades in 2009, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
McGuire is one of three Georgia Tech players appearing on this year’s All-ACC first team, joining outfielders Luke Murton and Jeff Rowland as first-year honorees. For the second-straight year, Derek Dietrich has been named to the All-ACC second team while first baseman Tony Plagman receives the honor for the first time in his career.
Since 1987, four Yellow Jackets have been named the ACC Player of the Year and five have earned the league’s top rookie honors, but McGuire becomes the first Tech player to receive ACC Pitcher of the Year accolades. The right-hander leads the league with a 10-0 record and has posted an ACC-best 101 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .210 batting average in 2009.
McGuire began the season by striking out a career-high 13 batters against Lipscomb and has eclipsed 10 strikeouts in a game three times this year. He’s posted a career record of 18-1 in his two years on the Flats, while his .947 winning percentage is tops all-time in school history.
McGuire becomes the first Tech pitcher to earn first-team All-ACC honors since Cory Vance did so in 2000, and the Jackets have at least three players tabbed to the first team for the first time since Steven Blackwood (OF), Tyler Greene (SS), Wes Hodges (3B) and Matt Wieters (UT) received the honor in 2005.
After four remarkable seasons on the Flats, Murton caps his career with his first All-ACC nod and just his second conference accolade after being named to the All-ACC Tournament Team in 2006. The twice-drafted outfielder has eclipsed previous season highs for batting average (.376), home runs (17), RBI (54), on base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.735) in 2009 and will conclude his career as one of the top offensive players to ever compete for the Yellow Jackets.
With Rowland also receiving an All-ACC nod, the Jackets placed two outfielders on the all-conference first team for the first time since 1987, when Riccardo Ingram and K.G. White joined pitcher Jim Poole and second baseman Ty Griffin on the squad. A draft-eligible sophomore, Rowland has followed up an impressive rookie season with a strong 2009 campaign, leading the team in hits (75), triples (4) and stolen bases (18) while standing second in batting average (.357), runs (57) and doubles (12).
Dietrich, a sophomore from Parma, Ohio, has been named the All-ACC second team shortstop for the second time in his career and is batting .320 with nine home runs and 48 RBI this season. He’s Tech’s first two-time All-ACC shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra was named to the league’s first team in 1993 and 1994.
Plagman became the first Yellow Jacket first baseman since 1997 (J.J. Thomas) to receive All-ACC accolades after batting .347 with 15 home runs and a team-high 63 RBI this season. The Yellow Jacket junior has twice been named to the league’s Academic All-ACC baseball team, but this is his first All-ACC honor.
2009 ALL-ACC BASEBALL TEAMS
FIRST TEAMName Cl. Position SchoolTony Sanchez Jr. Catcher Boston CollegeDustin Ackley Jr. First Base North CarolinaPhil Gosselin So. Second Base VirginiaKyle Seager Jr. Third Base North CarolinaTyler Cannon Jr. Shortstop VirginiaJeff Schaus So. Outfield ClemsonTyler Holt So. Outfield Florida StateLuke Murton Sr. Outfield Georgia TechJeff Rowland So. Outfield Georgia TechDan Grovatt So. Outfield VirginiaJarrett Parker So. Outfield VirginiaDanny Hultzen Fr. Utility (1B/SP) VirginiaAndrew Wolcott Sr. Starting Pitcher DukeDeck McGuire So. Starting Pitcher Georgia TechAlex White Jr. Starting Pitcher North CarolinaSean Gilmartin Fr. Starting Pitcher Florida StateKyle Bellamy Jr. Relief Pitcher Miami
SECOND TEAM Name Cl. Position School Yasmani Grandal So. Catcher Miami Nate Freiman Sr. First Base Duke Tony Plagman Jr. First Base Georgia Tech Jason Stidham Jr. Second Base Florida State Scott Lawson Jr. Second Base Miami Mickey Wiswall So. Third Base Boston College Derek Dietrich So. Shortstop Georgia Tech Stephen Cardullo Jr.. Shortstop Florida State Steve Domecus Jr. Outfield Virginia Tech Robbie Anston Jr. Outfield Boston College Jeremy Gould Jr. Outfield Duke Mike Belifore Jr. Utility (1B/RP) Boston College Mike McGee So. Utility (OF/SP) Florida State Adam Warren Sr. Starting Pitcher North Carolina Chris Hernandez So. Starting Pitcher Miami
