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 USA
INF      Michael Aubrey      Tulane
INF      Hyung Cho           Houston
INF      Tony Giarratano     Tulane
INF      Mike Settle         TCU
OF       Jeff Cook           Southern Miss
OF       Jonny Kaplan        Tulane
OF       Clint King          Southern Miss
C        Devin Ivany         South Florida
DH       Chris Neuman        TCU
P        Clayton Jerome      TCU
P        Brad Sullivan       Houston

Second Team All-Conference USA
INF      Jeff Baisley        South Florida
INF      Darryl Lawhorn      East Carolina
INF      Myron Leslie        South Florida
INF      George Sandel       Charlotte
OF       Josh Bolen          Louisville
OF       Jake Duncan         TCU
OF       Kyle Leon           UAB
C        Brad Willcutt       Southern Miss
DH       Ryan Martin         Saint Louis
P        David Austen        South Florida
P        Bob McCrory         Southern Miss
P        Ryan Wagner         Houston

All-Freshman Team
OF/P     Brain Bogusevic     Tulane
LHP      J.R. Crowel         Tulane
OF       Matt Farrington     Houston
RHP      Stephen Gostkowski  Memphis
INF      Nick Haley          Louisville
INF      Marc Maddox         Southern Miss
INF      Mark Minicozzi      East Carolina
RHP      Billy Mohl          Tulane
C        Jake Smith          East Carolina
OF       Travis Tully        Houston
INF      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