Bishop and Brentz receive All-Region honors

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Junior Rawley Bishop and freshman Bryce Brentz have been named First Team All-Region as voted on by the South Central Region coaches of the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Bishop led the Blue Raiders throughout the season both at the plate and defensively. The Germantown, Tenn. native, ended the season second on the team in batting average (.372), tied for first in home runs (18) and led the team in RBI with 69.

"The year before he hit 17 home runs, led the team in RBI. My statement to him was I do not expect you to hit anymore home runs. Don't worry about it but I think you can hit for a higher average, get more RBI and score more runs. He did that this year plus hit one more home run. He has put back-to-back years together which is very difficult," head coach Steve Peterson said.

Bishop also had 19 doubles and scored 64 runs during the 2008 campaign. Defensively, Bishop notched 509 putouts, 46 assists with a .989 fielding percentage.

"We have a team award that only the players are allowed to vote on which is who they consider is the hardest working person in the organization. Rawley was picked by the team, the "Jack Deere Bust Your Butt" award," Peterson said. "This is the second year in a row he has won it. So if anyone deserves to have success he does and he earns it. He is a very good student and exemplifies what student-athlete is all about."

This is the fourth postseason honor for Brentz who has received two Freshman All-America honors. Brentz played the final two-thirds of the season at the designated hitter position batting .329 with 18 home runs, 14 doubles, 68 RBI and 49 runs scored.

Brentz is the first Blue Raider freshman to hit 18 home runs since Chris Whitehead did it in 1986.

"It was an outstanding freshman year offensively for Bryce. We asked him to do a lot of pitching and playing the outfield and then had to spend the last two-thirds of the season as the designated hitter, which is difficult for a freshman. He handled it very well," Peterson said.

Bishop and Brentz are now tied with Whitehead for fifth on the all-time single-season home run list.

The ABCA will vote on All-America honors later this week at the committee meeting in Omaha, Neb., both Bishop and Brentz will be considered with players from across the country for this honor.