Mederos, Benedict Named All-Atlantic Region
6/25/2009 2:29:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern pitcher Chris Mederos (Valdosta/Lowndes County/Gordon College) and catcher Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) were selected American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Second Team All-Atlantic Region. The announcement was made Wednesday (June 24).
It marks the second straight year that two Eagles were named to the All-Atlantic Region teams. Mederos was a Third Team All-Ping!Baseball selection while Benedict was also voted All-America by Rivals.com.
Mederos finished the year 11-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 94 innings. He struck out 113 batters to just 29 walks allowed, starting in all 16 appearances. In the latest national statistical rankings Mederos, drafted in the 25th round in the MLB draft, stands ninth in victories and 17th in strikeouts.
He pitched at least five innings in all but one start. The First Team All-SoCon and SoCon All-Tournament pick struck out at least six batters in 13 of his 16 starts, including consecutive outings of double-digits (11 Ks versus Wofford, 12 against Davidson in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament).
Among the Georgia Southern season leaders, Mederos tied for 10th in wins, tied for sixth winning eight consecutive decisions, and fell just five strikeouts shy of joining that season list. He helped the Eagles to a 42-17 record, win their fourth SoCon Tournament championship and make the program's 12th appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
Benedict, a First Team All-Southern Conference pick, hit 17 doubles, scored 67 runs and drove in 65. He set the Georgia Southern single season record with 24 hit by pitches and finished his career second all-time with 53. Benedict also walked (34) more times than he struck out on the year (31) in 221 at-bats. He finished 8-for-8 in stolen bases and posted a .988 fielding percentage.
Among the national leaders, Benedict currently stands 35th in batting average, fourth in hit by pitches, seventh in on-base percentage (.528), 59th in RBI and 84th in slugging percentage (.679). Earlier this year he tied a NCAA single-game record hitting two home runs during the same inning in a 14-4 win over #20 East Carolina. He was chosen in the 16th round by the San Diego Padres and currently plays for the Eugene Emeralds.
He played in 225 career games as an Eagle, tying for 10th place on that all-time list. Benedict also finished his career ranked sixth in runs (192) and tied for sixth in RBI (195). He posted a .342 all-time batting average with 53 doubles (tied 7th) and 33 home runs. Benedict was one of two players in program history to record 60 runs scored/60 RBI in two consecutive years.
