By Greg Steiner, SID Intern
May 7, 2002
The Bluffton College post-season baseball awards were announced by coach Greg Brooks after the last home game on May 3. Senior Brad Buckingham, junior Wes Hall and sophomore Kyle Alberson took home awards.
Buckingham shared the Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP Awards with Alberson and Hall. In winning this award it marks the third time in Buckingham's career that he has received both of these awards, the other two coming in his freshman and junior years. Buckingham was also named honorable mention All-HCAC his first three seasons.
This season for the Beavers, Buckingham started 34 of the 36 games, most of which came in centerfield. The senior from Geneva, Ind., led the team in runs scored with 32 on the campaign. He finished second in eight offensive categories, which included batting average (.382), slugging percentage (.545), home runs (3) and runs batted in (21). He also tied for the team lead with 47 hits on the year.
During conference play, Buckingham batted .415 collecting 34 hits in leading Bluffton College to 11 conference wins, the most ever in since joining the HCAC. With the glove Buckingham was just a good as at the plate. He posted a .972 fielding percentage committing only three errors in 98 chances during the 2002 season.
Kyle Alberson also received the Offensive MVP from coach Greg Brooks. Alberson led the Beavers in eight offensive categories in 2002 campaign. The sophomore from Berne, Ind., played in all 36 games starting 34 of them. For the year Alberson batted .380 collecting 41 hits including 12 doubles and seven homeruns. His seven homeruns tied his career high, which he set last season as a freshman.
Alberson led the team in slugging percentage with a .722 average. In HCAC action, Alberson took his play to the next level. He batted .408 and led the conference with a .817 slugging percentage. In conference he collected ten doubles and five homeruns while collecting a total of 58 total bases.
Wes Hall shared honors as the Defensive MVP for his performances in 2002. Hall started nine games on the mound for the Beavers and appeared in 12 games overall. On the season he recorded a 6-1 record with an earned-run-average of 2.98 in 66.1 innings of work. Of Hall's nine starts he finished with a complete game in seven of them. The junior from Huntsville struck-out 28 batters while walking just 17. In games that Hall pitched, the opposition batted just .242 collecting only 53 hits on the year.
During conferences action Hall had an ERA of 2.96 in 52.1 innings of work. Hall's ERA was the sixth lowest in the conference. In addition, all of his five wins came during conference action along with collecting two saves.