Pacer Baseball All-Decade Team Released
AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken athletic department and head coach Kenny Thomas unveiled the 2000-10 Baseball All-Decade team on Monday, July 18, 2011.
The 2000-10 USC Aiken Baseball All-Decade team features 16 student-athletes, including three pitchers and two designated hitters.
"What a great group of players,” noted Thomas. “We've had several great players over the past decade and this team was very difficult to choose. I'm sure we have left several great players out but we could only choose 16. What I would give to have all these on the same team! Congratulations to these guys."
David Gillespie (1999-2001) was a two-year starter for the Pacers after transferring to the program from Volunteer State Community College. During his junior campaign in 2000 he led the team in doubles (16) and home runs (12).
A first team all-region and Honorable Mention All-America selection in 2006, Robert Davis (2004-06) was named to the NCAA South Atlantic All-Tournament team in 2005. An all-region selection in 2005 as well, Davis was a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference choice (2005 and 2006). The San Francisco Giants drafted Davis in the 50th Round of the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Davis’ 58 career doubles is tied for the school record in the category.
Chad Jacobsen (2007-08) concluded his two-year Pacer career by being selected in the 18th Round of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies. The 2008 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year and the Daktronics South Atlantic Region Player of the Year, Jacobsen was the 2008 Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year. Jacobsen finished his Pacer career with the highest slugging percentage in school history at .809.
Daniel Quartararo (2004-05) was an Honorable Mention All-America selection in 2005. Quartararo ranked in the top two on the team in 10 offensive categories in 2005. He batted .388 with 17 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 52 runs scored and 50 RBIs. His efforts led to him being named to the Peach Belt Conference All-Conference team and to the 2005 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region first team.
Bradley Key (2002-04) was an All-Peach Belt Conference selection and ABCA South Atlantic All-Region performer in 2004. In his three seasons as a Pacer, the former Greenbrier High School standout posted a career .323 batting average with school-record tying 58 doubles, six triples and 28 home runs for a .564 slugging percentage. The Cincinnati Reds drafted him in the 48th Round of the 2004 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
An all-region selection in 2008 and 2009, Ken Raborn (2006-09) concluded his Pacer career as a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference selection.
Raborn is the USC Aiken career record holder in hits (289), runs scored (199), RBIs (213), total bases (484), at-bats (827), walks (175) and home runs (41).
Demetrik Drumming (2002-03) was a second team All-American in the 2002 season. He began the 2003 season as a preseason All-America selection. He was also a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference selection.
Set to be inducted into the USC Aiken Athletic Department Hall of Fame on Feb. 17, 2002, Ashley Farr (2002-04) was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-America first team in 2002 and 2003. He was also a Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-America choice in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Farr was tabbed as the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Player of the Year. The same year he was also selected to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America first team. After his playing days concluded with the Pacers, Farr signed a free agent contract with the Reds.
Clint Keown (2001-03) signed a free agent contract with the Reds’ organization in 2003. An all-conference and all-region selection in basketball and baseball at USC Aiken, Keown became the first player in Peach Belt Conference history to steal 50 bases in a season in 2003 with 52. For his three-year career, he swiped 87 bases on 100 attempts.
Zach Cooper (2004-07) earned NCAA South Atlantic All-Region accolades in 2005 after going 5-for-12 with two doubles and two runs scored in the Pacers’ three games in the regional. Cooper followed that up by leading the Pacers in runs scored in 2006 with 56. Cooper hit .301 for the Pacers in 62 games in 2007. Cooper was chosen to the Rawlings Division II Gold Glove Team in 2007.
Cody McMorris (2008-09) was tabbed to the Rawlings Division II Gold Glove Team in 2008. One year later as a senior in 2009, McMorris was chosen to the all-region team and to the Peach Belt Conference All-Conference team. He was tops among USC Aiken and Peach Belt Conference players with 39 stolen bases in 2009. McMorris at one point during the 2009 season hit in a Pacer season-high 24 consecutive games.
Travis Howard (2009-10) had one of the most prolific seasons in college baseball history in the 2009 season. A consensus first team All-American in 2009, Howard was the Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year that same season. Howard ended the 2009 season with 103 RBIs to tie Jason Jones’ (Kennesaw State) PBC record of 103 originally set in 1998. He just missed out on tying the all-time NCAA Division II record of 104 set by Jarred McAlvain of Central Oklahoma in 1997. Howard’s proclivity to bring in runs in 2009 left him ending the year atop the NCAA Division II landscape in runs batted in and runs batted in per game.
Tavis Cummings (1999-2002) was a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference selection. He was tabbed to the ABCA All-America team after the conclusion of his senior season in 2002. Cummings still owns the school record for most RBIs in a single game with seven. Cummings accomplished the feat twice in the 2002 season.
Scott Wandless (2005-08) owns the school record for most strikeouts in a career with 318. Wandless concluded his Pacer career with a 27-6 record. Wandless went 9-3 with a team-best 3.31 ERA in 111.1 innings pitched in 2008. In holding opponents to a .227 batting average against him, he struck out 125 hitters, which was just nine shy of the school record.
An Honorable Mention All-American in 2008, Peden Rucker (2004-08) went 11-1 in his senior campaign. The 11 wins were the most in a single season in school history. His 116 innings pitched in 2006 also set the school single season mark. Rucker finished his impressive career with a school-record 30 wins (30-13). He also owns the school career marks in innings pitched (363.2) and starts (47).
Nick Wandless (2003-06) ended his career with the most single season and career saves in NCAA Division II history. His 17 saves is still the Peach Belt Conference record in the category. Wandless made a school-record 107 relief appearances in his career. Wandless’ 114 appearances is still in the top three in the history of NCAA Division II. A first team All-American in 2006, Wandless was drafted in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Reds.
The head coaches of each of USC Aiken's teams selected the 2000-10 USC Aiken Athletic Department All-Decade teams.
Over the course of the coming weeks, an All-Decade team will be released each week by the USC Aiken athletic department.
Please visit USC Aiken's official athletic website at www.PacerSports.com the remainder of the summer to see the All-Decade teams.
Baseball All-Decade Team
C – David Gillespie
C – Robert Davis
IF – Chad Jacobsen
IF – Daniel Quartararo
IF – Bradley Key
IF – Ken Raborn
IF – Demetrick Drumming
OF – Ashley Farr
OF – Clint Keown
OF – Zach Cooper
OF – Cody McMorris
DH – Travis Howard
DH – Tavis Cummings
SP – Scott Wandless
SP – Peden Rucker
RP – Nick Wandless
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