HATTIESBURG, Miss – Initially picked to finish dead last in Conference USA, Marshall rattled of a program record 32 wins and finished the regular season a half game out of first place. Now, the Herd is being recognized for its record-setting season.
Coach Jeff Waggoner, assistant Tim Donnelly and first-basement Tommy Lane have earned the league’s top awards.
Waggoner, in his 10th season at Marshall, was named the C-USA Coach of the Year, piloting Marshall to the most wins in a single season in program history. It marks the first time a Marshall baseball coach has earned such a conference honor since Jack Cook was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 1989.
Waggoner’s club also set a new single-season best 21 conference wins and secured the Herd’s first winning season since 1994.
Tim Donnelly was named the league’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Donnelly, also the Herd’s recruiting coordinator, played a key role in constructing a lineup that in the top three of 16 batting categories in league play. Marshall stands first in hits (315), RBIs (189), doubles (69), home runs (36), steals (50), total bases (504) and at-bats (1,043).
Making an immediate impact in Marshall’s lineup this season was Tommy Lane, who led the conference with 13 homeruns and drove in a team-high 48 runs. Lane was named the C-USA Newcomer of the year, hitting .305 and slugging .540 this season.
Additionally, Lane, along with pitcher Chase Boster and left fielder D.J. Gee earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
Boster lead Marshall with seven wins and struck out 55 batters this season. His 2.88 ERA is ninth in the league. Boster finished the season, winning his final five conference starts. Boster is also tied for the most career wins in Marshall history with 19.
Gee is hitting .301 with 17 doubles and a pair of triples. In league play, he ranked in the top three of five hitting categories doubles (1st, 14), total bases (2nd, 77), hits (t-2nd, 49), batting average (3rd, .392) and slugging percentage (3rd, .616).
Corey Bird, from Elkview, W.Va., was named 2nd-Team All-CUSA. Bird is hitting .289 with 43 runs and 20 RBI.
Joshua Shapiro earned a spot on the 12-member C-USA All-Freshman Team. He’s made 18 appearances, with nine starts. The Columbus, Ohio, resident is 4-5 with a 5.46 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. In league play, he holds a 4-2 record in seven appearances.