Michael Paez on Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
5/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
CONWAY - Coastal Carolina sophomore Michael Paez is one of 25 players on the "watch list" for this year's Brooks Wallace Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate shortstop by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Paez ended the 2015 regular season with a .320 batting average, a .419 on base percentage and a .526 slugging percentage. In 52 games, he scored 49 runs, drove in 40 and hit 17 doubles, one triple and seven home runs. The Miami native added 24 walks, was among the NCAA top 10 with 15 sacrifice bunts and stole 15 bases. Paez was the only player in the Big South to rank among the league top 20 in home runs, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs, RBI, doubles, total bases, sacrifice bunts and stolen bases.
In addition to his 40 RBI, Paez led the Big South with 15 sacrifice bunts. Of those 15 sacs, the runner he advanced when on to score 11 times.
In Big South play, Paez was even more impressive, posting a .422 batting average, .495 on base percentage and an impressive .678 slugging percentage. In 24 league games, Paez scored 27 runs and drove in 24 while hitting nine doubles and four home runs. In league games only, Paez was the only player to rank among the top 10 in runs (1st), slugging percentage (1st), total bases (1st), on base percentage (2nd), batting (2nd), hits (2nd), RBI (3rd), doubles (3rd), stolen bases (7th) and home runs (8th).
For the season, Paez reached base safely (hit, walk, hit by pitch) in 47 of his 52 games, including streaks of 14 and 23 games. He has been a two-time Big South Player of the Week and was a D1Baseball.com National top performer after a 5-for-5 game March 27 versus Winthrop with two doubles and a home run.
