Gregg Olson Award Official Press Release

CONWAY - Coastal Carolina senior Connor Owings was named one of 42 semifinalists for the Gregg Olson Award, presented by Toolshed Sports. The award honors college baseball's breakout player of the year. The annual award is given to a top amateur baseball player who elevates his game to an elite level throughout the season.

Owings, who has battled kidney disease during his collegiate career, was on the 2014 Gregg Olson Award Watch List during his sophomore season. That year, he went from a .200 hitter as a freshman to being named first team All-Big South after batting .326 with 14 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBI, while starting all 57 games.

This season, Owings, who is rated the 13th-best outfielder in the nation by D1Baseball.com, has a streak of 192 consecutive games started spanning the 2014, '15 and '16 seasons and ranks among the national leaders in batting average, home runs, on base percentage and slugging percentage.

After a 4-for-4 outing Thursday and going 1-for-2 with a home run Friday, Owings is batting .396 with 51 runs scored, 14 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, a .725 slugging percentage and a .504 on base percentage. He is additionally 14-of-15 in stolen bases and he leads the team with 38 walks.

In the Big South statistics through Friday's action, Owings ranks first in slugging, second in batting, second in on base percentage, second in total bases, third in home runs (one behind teammates G.K. Young and Zach Remillard), third in runs scored, third in walks and seventh in RBI.

Prior to Friday night's action, Owings ranked 12th in slugging percentage, 14th in on base percentage, 21st in batting and 40th in home runs.

MORE ABOUT GREGG OLSON
After a freshman season at Auburn filled with only mixed success, Gregg Olson became one of the top collegiate players in the nation during an outstanding, unprecedented sophomore season. Despite being omitted from any preseason All American lists, Olson went on to lead the entire nation in ERA with a 1.26 mark and compiled an incredible 11-1 record with 10 saves for the Tigers.

Following a summer pitching for the USA National Team where he lead the club in strikeouts, Olson returned to Auburn for another spectacular season. He led the SEC with a 2.00 ERA and amassed a triple-digit strikeout total, issuing 113 K's in only 72 innings with only 27 walks. He finished his collegiate career with back-to-back First Team All American honors, a 25-7 record, 3.03 ERA, 20 saves, 271 strikeouts and redefined the way college coaches used their top pitcher.

The Olson Award has been developed to honor college baseball's success stories and showcase players like Olson who have raised the level of their game through hard work, strength of mind and determination. Eligible players will be those who are omitted from major publication's preseason All American prognostications; however by the end of the season their on the field performance will demonstrate that they are among the top amateur baseball players in the nation.

Finalists will be announced during Super Regional action. The winner of the 2016 Gregg Olson Award will be named in Omaha, Nebraska during the College World Series which is to be held this season at TD Ameritrade Park.
2016 Gregg Olson Award Semifinalists
Ryan Aguilar Arizona OF
Manny Alvarez Eastern Kentucky 3B
Nathan Bannister Arizona RHP
TJ Binder Troy 1B
Tate Blackman Ole Miss 2B
Joel Booker Iowa OF
Cassidy Brown Loyola Marymount C
Gene Cone South Carolina OF
RJ Devish Rutgers C
Justin Dunn Boston College RHP
Nick Feight UNCW C/DH
Jameson Fisher Southeastern LA 1B
Dustin Frailey CSU Bakersfield OF
Tanner Gardner Texas Tech OF
Derrick Hall Dallas Baptist UTL
Thomas Hatch Oklahoma St RHP
Brigham Hill Texas A&M RHP
Hunter Hope Tulane 3B
Pat Krall Clemson LHP
Evan Kruczynski East Carolina LHP
Jack Labosky Duke UTL
Jimmy Lambert Fresno State RHP
Zach Lavy Missouri 1B
Matt Menard Baylor C
Evan Mendoza NC State 3B
Jake Meyers Nebraska OF
Brian Mims UNCW 2B
Troy Montemayor Baylor RHP
JB Moss Texas A&M OF
Connor Owings Coastal Carolina OF
Colin Poche Dallas Baptist LHP
Cody Ramer Arizona 2B
Zach Reks Kentucky
Brody Russell Fresno State OF
Clarke Schmidt South Carolina RHP
Phil Sciretta Virginia Tech 1B
Ryan Scott Arkansas Little Rock OF
Clayton Stayton Ball State 1B
Trey Vickers Wichita State SS
Jim Voyles Florida State RHP
Brennan Washington Belmont OF
Harrison Wenson Michigan C
JB Woodman Ole Miss OF