by TROY, Ala. – University of South Alabama right-hander Kevin Hill (Musocgee Creek Nation) was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year and head coach Mark Calvi earned the Sun Belt Conference Ron Maestri Coach of the Year, as announced by the league at Family Fun Night Tuesday at Riddle-Pace Field.
Hill (9-0) is just the second Jaguar to earn the award, and the first since P.J. Walters earned co-pitcher-of-the-year honors in 2006. He tossed four complete games and two shutouts in the regular season, and finished as the league leader in ERA (1.79), strikeouts (92) and opposing batting average (.197). Hill tied for the SBC lead with nine wins.
Right-handers Mike Zimmerman and Jon Lieber were each named SBC Player of the Year in 1990 and ’92, respectively, prior to the league designating an award for pitchers.
Calvi was named SBC Coach of the Year for the second time in the last three seasons at USA after leading the Jaguars to the program’s 15th SBC title and second under his command. USA was picked to finish seventh in the SBC preseason poll. Calvi was also named the league’s coach of the year in 2013.
Hill, right-hander Ben Taylor and outfielder Cole Billingsley were also named first-team all-SBC. Hill was one of three starting pitchers named to the first-team squad.
Taylor finished the regular season tied for fifth in the conference in wins (6) and saves (6). He enters the SBC Tournament with a 0.75 ERA, and 64 strikeouts against nine walks in 36 innings pitched. Taylor is the first Jaguar reliever to earn all-conference honors since Kyle Bartsch in 2013, and is the first reliever to be named to the first-team since right-hander Chase Christianson in 2006.
Billingsley led the Sun Belt Conference with 25 stolen bases in the regular season, ranked fourth in hits (72), tied for seventh in runs scored (41), eighth in batting average (.338) and on-base percentage (.434), and tied for ninth in walks (32). He was one of three outfielders named first-team all-SBC, and the first Jaguar outfielder to earn first-team honors since Tyler Jones in 2006.
USA also received its SBC championship trophy at Family Fun Night prior to the evening’s home run derby.
No. 1 seed South Alabama will open play in the SBC Tournament Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. against No. 8 seed Arkansas State at Riddle-Pace Field.
