Mount Olive ranked among year-end NCAA Division II baseball national stats leaders

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on June 18, 2006 2:18 AM

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MOC Sports Information

Mount Olive is nationally ranked in 12 different team statistical categories and six players are ranked among the individual leaders in the year-end 2006 NCAA Division II baseball statistics report. Josh Carter, David Cooper, Stephen Nordan and Dustin Richardson are ranked among the offensive leaders, while Paul Buhrow and Justin Staatz are ranked among the pitching leaders.

Carter, a junior first baseman from Eastern Wayne, is tied for 29th in the nation in runs batted in with a total of 67 and an average of 1.22 per game. He also ranks 59th in the nation with a .406 batting average, which is the second-highest average in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference. Carter boosted his average back over the .400 mark after hitting .625 at the 2006 NCAA II South Atlantic Regional.

Cooper, a sophomore shortstop from Edmonton, Alberta, finished second in the nation with 12 triples, one shy of first place. His average of 0.22 triples per game is also the second highest. Cooper also finished in the top 20 in two other categories, placing 14th with 40 stolen bases and 18th with 70 runs scored. In addition, he tied for 49th by drawing 36 walks.

Nordan, a junior third baseman from Angier, N.C., tied for 29th in the nation with 22 doubles and an average of 0.40 two-baggers per game. Nordan, who was named Most Valuable Player of the 2006 CVAC Baseball Tournament, ranked second in the CVAC in doubles per game.

Richardson, a junior catcher from Henderson, N.C., finished just a fraction behind Nordan in doubles per game, placing 34th with 17 doubles and an average of 0.395 doubles per contest. Richardson added to his doubles total at the South Atlantic Regional.

Buhrow, a junior left-hander from Treasure Island, Fla., finished 43rd in strikeouts with an average of 9.21 k's per nine innings. Buhrow recorded 59 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings pitched.

Staatz, a senior right-hander from Woodstock, Md., ranked 47th with an average of 9.17 strikeouts per nine innings. Staatz, who ranked third in the CVAC in total strikeouts, notched 88 k's in 86 1/3 innings.

In the team statistics, Mount Olive ranked among the top 20 in six statistical categories, including two top 10 national rankings. The Trojans'.351 team batting average was the seventh highest in the nation and Mount Olive also finished eighth in stolen bases with an average of 2.47 per game. The Trojans recorded 136 stolen bases.

Mount Olive ranked 12th in triples per game (0.47 per game) and 13th in doubles per game (2.36), both of which contributed to the Trojans' .515 team slugging percentage, the 16th highest in the nation. Mount Olive also hit 38 home runs for an average of 0.69 per game, which ranked 70th in the nation.

The Trojans ranked 27th in the nation in scoring with an average of 7.9 runs per game. Mount Olive's .709 winning percentage was the 23rd-highest in Division II.

Defensively, Mount Olive turned 53 double plays and tied for 20th with an average of 0.96 double plays turned per game. The Trojans' .962 fielding percentage ranked 30th in the nation.

On the mound, the Trojans' pitching staff tallied 345 strikeouts and ranked 47th with an average of 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The team's 4.44 earned run average was the 69th-lowest in the nation.

Mount Olive posted a record of 39-16 this season and won the 2006 CVAC Baseball Championship. The Trojans notched their sixth NCAA Division II Championship appearance, earning a trip to the 2006 NCAA II South Atlantic Regional.