University of North Carolina Athletics
Diamond Heels Hand Out 2006 Awards
July 25, 2006 | Baseball
July 25, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Following a runner-up finish in the 2006 College World Series, the University of North Carolina baseball program handed out its annual awards recently with four players sharing most valuable player honors. Reliever Jonathan Hovis and left-handed starter Andrew Miller were awarded the S.H. Basnight Award as most valuable pitchers, while first baseman Chad Flack and shortstop Josh Horton claimed the S.H. Basnight Award for most valuable position players.
Additionally, Jay Cox and Benji Johnson shared the Walter Rabb Award for most improved player, while Mike McKee was the recipient of the Francis "Tripp" Bourne Ward for the most dedicated player.
The NCAA's leader in earned run average, Hovis posted an 8-2 record with two saves over 38 appearances and 69.1 innings. Hovis' 1.17 ERA was the fifth-best mark in UNC history and the lowest qualifying ERA since 1970. The Gastonia product's 38 appearances were the second-best mark at Carolina. Hovis is a member of the Class A Staten Island Yankees and has allowed just one earned run over his first nine appearances.
Winner of the Roger Clemens Award and Baseball America National Player of the Year honors, Miller was the No. 6 pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. This past season, he was 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA and set the Carolina single-season strikeout record with 133 and also finished second in wins (13) and innings pitched (123.1). Miller also set the UNC career strikeout record with 325 in just three seasons and is third all-time with 27 wins and fourth with 309 innings. In addition, Miller earned first-team All-America honors from every major national outlet and picked up All-ACC honors for the third time in his career.
Flack set the school single-season hit record with 111 on the year. He batted .384 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI, which marked the eighth-best total in program history. Flack owns a .364 career average after two season for the fourth-best mark at Carolina. He was at his best in the clutch this season and sent the Tar Heels to Omaha with homers in the eight and ninth innings of the Super Regional clincher at Alabama. Also a Basnight Award winner in 2005, Flack is the first Tar Heel to earn back-to-back MVP honors since Derrick DePriest in 1999.
Horton finished the season with a .395 batting average to earn just the second ACC batting title by a Tar Heel since 1979. His 107 hits were the second most in program history, and his .375 career batting average is the third-best mark at Carolina. After tallying career-best marks of seven home runs, 59 RBI and 17 doubles, Horton also picked up first-team All-America honors from Rivals.com, second-team accolades from Baseball America and earned a spot on Collegiate Baseball's third team. He also earned All-ACC honors for the second straight season.
One of two most improved players, Cox enjoyed a career year as a junior in 2006 and picked up first-team All-ACC honors in the process. The Smithfield native hit .375 with a team-best 15 home runs and a career-high 65 RBI and led the team with a .634 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base mark. The Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, Cox was at his best in the postseason with 21 RBI in the NCAA tournament to earn spots on the regional and College World Series all-tournament teams. Cox is off to a fast start with the Casper Rockies, batting .351 with 16 RBI and 13 runs scored in 15 games.
One year after batting just .130 with eight RBI, Johnson slugged 14 home runs and tallied 44 RBI to make the move to the Tar Heels' everyday lineup in 2006. He hit .273 and also was outstanding behind the plate with a .982 fielding percentage. Johnson and fellow catcher Tim Federowicz allowed just 45 stolen bases in 69 games.
Primarily a bullpen catcher, McKee earned praise from the UNC pitching staff all season for his dedication. In two at-bats on the year, the Asheville product had an RBI single and scored one run.
