University of Tennessee Athletics
Lee Named Candidate for 2015 Olerud Award
June 02, 2015 | Baseball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The National College Baseball Hall of Fame has named Tennessee Baseball's Andrew Lee as a Top 10 candidate for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, as announced this week by the organization.
The Olerud Award is named for the former Washington State University standout who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s and who was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The award will be presented as part of the Hall of Fame's Night of Champions celebration, June 28-29 in Lubbock, Texas.
In his third season on Rocky Top, Lee contributed on both sides of the ball for the Volunteers as the team's primary designated hitter and right-handed closer. At the plate, the Morristown native hit .306 with 10 doubles, two triples and nine home runs, second-most on the squad behind fellow junior Christin Stewart. His 31 RBI and .590 slugging percentage also ranked second, while he also become the sole member of the Volunteers to hit a grand slam home run in 2015.
On the mound, Lee maintained a 4-2 record with a 2.67 ERA over 21 relief appearances. He issued just five walks to his 32 strikeouts in 27.0 innings pitched and collected a team-high nine saves, putting him in third place on Tennessee's all-time career saves list with 13.
Below is the full release from the College Baseball Hall of Fame:
TOP 10 CANDIDATES FOR OLERUD AWARD ANNOUNCED
College Baseball Hall of Fame
LUBBOCK, Texas -- As the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball postseason begins this weekend, the National College Baseball Hall of Fame has narrowed the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award watch list to the top 10.
The top-10 list includes players from five universities who will be playing in the NCAA regionals this week: Elliot Ashbeck of Bradley, Reid Love of East Carolina, Brendan McKay of Louisville, Tyler Peyton of Iowa and Anthony Sequeira of Oral Roberts.
"Trying to get this list of qualified candidates down to 10 has proven to be a tasking undertaking for the committee," Olerud Award co-chairman George Watson said. "The pool of qualified candidates is extremely deep, and really, there could be no wrong choice with any of our top 10 players."
The Olerud Award is named for the former Washington State University standout who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s and who was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. The award will be presented as part of the Hall of Fame's Night of Champions celebration, June 28-29 in Lubbock.
While the list of 10 includes players from several larger conferences, perhaps one of the more impressive players has been Oral Roberts slugger and closer Sequeira. The Summit League Player of the Year led his conference in home runs (10) and RBIs (54) while also leading the Golden Eagles in slugging (.582) and hits (70) to go with his 17 doubles. On the mound he is 1-1 with a 1.04 ERA and has 11 saves to go with 38 strikeouts in 30 innings.
Love, a unanimous All-American Athletic Conference first-team selection as a utility player, played a key role in getting East Carolina to the NCAA tournament under first-year head coach Cliff Godwin. The senior hit .300 with three home runs and 20 RBIs while also going 7-3 on the mound with a 2.84 ERA, four saves and 77 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings.
"The top 10 on the John Olerud Award list have posted impressive numbers at the plate and on the mound," Olerud co-chairman Chris Curbo said. "This is very exciting for these talented players."
For more information on the Olerud Award or the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Night of Champions, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
JOHN OLERUD TWO-WAY PLAYER OF THE YEAR TOP 10
Elliot Ashbeck - Bradley
Cole Hallum - Campbell
Thad Johnson - St. Bonaventure
Andrew Lee - Tennessee
Reid Love - East Carolina
Brendan McKay - Louisville
Tyler Peyton - Iowa
Alex Robles - Austin Peay
Anthony Sequeira - Oral Roberts
Robert Tasin - Oklahoma
