Aubrey, Crowel Named C-USA Player, Freshman of the Year

May 20, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University junior first baseman Michael Aubrey was named Conference USA Player of the Year and rookie southpaw J.R. Crowel was C-USA Freshman of the Year the league announced Tuesday on the eve of the 2003 Conference USA Tournament.

Aubrey is joined on the C-USA first team by junior shortstop Tony Giarratano and senior centerfielder Jonny Kaplan. Crowel, meanwhile, is one of three Tulane rookies to earn C-USA All-Freshman honors, joining teammates Brian Bogusevic and Billy Mohl.

The preseason choice for C-USA Player of the Year, Aubrey becomes the fourth Green Wave player to earn the honor, while this season marks the fifth consecutive year a Tulane player claimed the distinction. Current pitching coach Chad Sutter claimed the honor in 1999, Jake Gautreau claimed back-to-back trophies in 2000 and 2001, and James Jurries won the title last year. Crowel represents the fourth C-USA Freshman of the Year to don a Tulane uniform, joining Sutter in 1996, Jurries in 1999 and Aubrey in 2001.

"This is a great string of five straight Conference USA Players of the Year," head coach Rick Jones said. "This is a tribute to the dedication of our players, our recruiters, and our player development. This is a deserving award for Michael, and he is also a leading candidate for National Player of the Year.

"J.R. was the high school player of the year in Florida coming out as a senior, and we knew we were getting a talented player. So far, he's been as billed. He's pitched in some big games for us and he has the potential to have a record-breaking career here at Tulane."

Aubrey claimed Player of the Year honors after a career year in 2003 as he leads Tulane and Conference USA while ranking seventh in the NCAA with a .433 batting average. He also ranks 10th in the nation with 1.36 RBI per game with a team-best 76 RBI. In addition to his national rankings, Aubrey also leads Tulane with 16 home runs, 160 total bases, a .744 slugging percentage and a .517 on-base percentage.

Kaplan, meanwhile, leads the team and the league with 45 stolen bases, and ranks third in the NCAA with 0.82 steals per game. He also paces the squad and C-USA with 69 runs scored while ranking second on the team with a .370 batting average, 18 doubles, nine home runs and a .570 slugging percentage. He is currently seven steals away from the school single-season record of 52 and just 24 off the Green Wave career mark of 126.

Giarratano, the Green Wave's starting shortstop in all 56 games in 2003, claimed first-team All-Conference USA honors for the first time on Tuesday, claiming the honors after ranking third on the team with a .347 batting average while ranking second in runs scored (64) and stolen bases (22). He paces the team with 178 assists and has helped Tulane turn 34 double plays.

A left-handed pitcher from Boynton Beach, Fla., Crowel claimed Freshman of the Year honors after leading the team with 91.2 innings pitched and 65 strikeouts while ranking second in wins (7-0), ERA (3.24) and opponent batting average (.264). He left games with the lead on 11 occasions, and pitched at least 6.0 innings in eight of his 16 starts, including a pair of complete-game victories.

Mohl, a right-handed pitcher from Sugar Land, Texas, tallied a 5-2 record and a pair of saves as a part-time starter during his freshman campaign. He leads the team with a 7.61 strikeout-per-nine-inning average and a 5.89 strikeout-per-walk ratio with 53 punchouts to just nine base on balls in 62.2 innings.

Bogusevic, meanwhile, was a two-way standout as a rookie, starting 39 games in the outfield and taking the mound on 13 occasions, including four starts. With the bat, Bogusevic is hitting .318 with 10 doubles, four triples and three home runs while driving in 33 runs. On the mound, he is 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA, including 26 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34.1 innings of work.

The award-winning sestet returns to action on Wednesday, May 21 when Tulane opens Conference USA Tournament play against sixth-seeded South Florida at 7:30 p.m. at Turchin Stadium. For ticket information, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.

2003 CONFERENCE USA BASEBALL AWARDS
First Team All-Conference USAINF      Michael Aubrey      TulaneINF      Hyung Cho           HoustonINF      Tony Giarratano     TulaneINF      Mike Settle         TCUOF       Jeff Cook           Southern MissOF       Jonny Kaplan        TulaneOF       Clint King          Southern MissC        Devin Ivany         South FloridaDH       Chris Neuman        TCUP        Clayton Jerome      TCUP        Brad Sullivan       Houston
Second Team All-Conference USAINF      Jeff Baisley        South FloridaINF      Darryl Lawhorn      East CarolinaINF      Myron Leslie        South FloridaINF      George Sandel       CharlotteOF       Josh Bolen          LouisvilleOF       Jake Duncan         TCUOF       Kyle Leon           UABC        Brad Willcutt       Southern MissDH       Ryan Martin         Saint LouisP        David Austen        South FloridaP        Bob McCrory         Southern MissP        Ryan Wagner         Houston
All-Freshman TeamOF/P     Brain Bogusevic     TulaneLHP      J.R. Crowel         TulaneOF       Matt Farrington     HoustonRHP      Stephen Gostkowski  MemphisINF      Nick Haley          LouisvilleINF      Marc Maddox         Southern MissINF      Mark Minicozzi      East CarolinaRHP      Billy Mohl          TulaneC        Jake Smith          East CarolinaOF       Travis Tully        HoustonINF      Boomer Whiting      Louisville
Player of the Year: Michael Aubrey, Tulane
Pitcher of the Year: Clayton Jerome, TCU
Freshman of the Year: J.R. Crowel, Tulane
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year: Corky Palmer

Aubrey, Crowel Named C-USA Player, Freshman of the Year

Players Mentioned

Michael Aubrey

J.R. Crowel

J.R. Crowel

Tony Giarratano

Jonny Kaplan

Ryan Martin

Billy Mohl

Billy Mohl

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Tulane University Athletics

Aubrey, Crowel Named C-USA Player, Freshman of the Year

Players Mentioned

Michael Aubrey

J.R. Crowel

J.R. Crowel

Tony Giarratano

Jonny Kaplan

Ryan Martin

Billy Mohl

Billy Mohl

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