ASUN Conference baseball awards


At the end of each regular season, the Atlantic Sun Conference, branded since the 2016–17 school year as the ASUN Conference, names major award winners in baseball. Currently, it names a Coach, Pitcher, Player, Freshman, and Defensive Player of the Year. The Coach of the Year award, which dates to 1979, is the oldest. The others—Player, Freshman, Pitcher, and Defensive Player —were added later. Through the 2001 season, the then-existing awards were known as the major awards of the Trans America Athletic Conference, the ASUN's former name.
Through the end of the 2019 season, Stetson has won 29 major awards, the most of any school in the conference.
On six occasions, a team has won swept the major awards given out in a season: Mercer in 1983, Georgia Southern in 1986 and 1987, Stetson in 1989, Florida International in 1995, and Florida Atlantic in 1999. All six instances came before 2001, when only the Coach and Player of the Year awards existed.
Four individuals have won more than one of the awards. Mercer's Craig Gibson was named Player of the Year in 1985 and Coach of the Year in 2013; Mercer's Chesny Young was named Freshman of the Year in 2012 and Player of the Year in 2013; Jacksonville's Michael Baumann was Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year in 2015; and Florida Gulf Coast's Jake Noll was Freshman of the Year in 2014 and Player of the Year in 2016.

Coach of the Year

The conference's Coach of the Year award is presented annually to the conference's most outstanding baseball coach, as chosen by a vote of ASUN coaches taken at the end of the regular season. From 1979–1981 and 1987–1992, the award was given automatically to the coach of the TAAC's tournament champion, rather than chosen by the league's coaches.
The award was first presented in 1979. From 1979–2001, it was known as the Trans America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award, until the conference switched to its current name for the 2002 season.
With the exception of 2012, the award has been given to the coach of the league's regular season champion in each season since 2004. In 2012, USC Upstate's Matt Fincher was given the award after his team, picked to finish last, finished second in the ASUN.
Stetson's Pete Dunn, who has coached in the conference since 1986, has won the award six times, the most of any coach. He is one of three coaches to win the award in three straight years, along with Georgia Southern's Jack Stallings and Florida Gulf Coast's Dave Tollett.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first given out in 1979.
SeasonCoachSchoolConf. Overall
1979Barry MyersMercerN/A38–16
1980Jack StallingsGeorgia SouthernN/A38–21–1
1981Barry Myers Mercer3–4 39–12–1
1982Larry MartindaleHardin–Simmons7–5 23–32
1983Barry Myers MercerN/A 29–26–1
1984Mike KnightNicholls State18–5 38–21
1985Jack Stallings Georgia Southern14–3 41–23
1986Jack Stallings Georgia Southern12–6 36–23
1987Jack Stallings Georgia Southern13–5 33–30
1988Pete DunnStetson9–8 35–25
1989Pete Dunn Stetson13–5 38–23
1990Pete Dunn Stetson10–8 33–31
1991Danny PriceFlorida International11–7 43–23
1992Greg MartenSoutheastern Louisiana12–4 38–22
1993Greg Marten Southeastern Louisiana19–5 38–17
1994Barry Myers Mercer15–9 32–24
1995Danny Price Florida International27–3 50–11
1996Pete Dunn Stetson12–6 42–23
1997Rudy AbbottJacksonville State14–4 39–13
1998Danny Price Florida International15–5 41–24
1999Kevin CooneyFlorida Atlantic26–4 54–9
2000Chip SmithCampbell12–15 31–25
2001Jay BergmanUCF22–5 51–14
2002Jay Bergman UCF23–7 41–22
2003Dave JarvisBelmont19–14 29–23
2004Jay Bergman UCF24–6 47–18
2005Bobby PierceTroy23–7 37–21
2006Terry AlexanderJacksonville23–7 43–19
2007Pete Dunn Stetson21–6 42–21
2008Dave TollettFlorida Gulf Coast25–8 38–15
2009Dave Tollett Florida Gulf Coast23–7 36–18
2010Dave Tollett Florida Gulf Coast25–5 38–20
2011Pete Dunn Stetson23–7 43–20
2012Matt FincherUSC Upstate16–10 33–20
2013Craig GibsonMercer20–7 43–18
2014Dave Tollett Florida Gulf Coast19–8 39–22
2015Smoke LavalNorth Florida16–5 45–16
2016Mike SansingKennesaw State17–4 29–27
2017Chris HayesJacksonville16–5 36–24
2018Steve TrimperStetson15–3 48–11
2019Dave Tollett Florida Gulf Coast16–7 34–21

Winners by school

The following is a table of the schools whose coaches have won the award, along with the first season each school played baseball in the conference, the number of times it has won the award, and the years in which it has done so.
Because NCAA baseball is a spring sport, the first year of ASUN competition falls in the calendar year after each school formally joined the conference.
School AwardsSeasons
Stetson 71988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2007, 2011, 2018
Florida Gulf Coast 52008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019
Mercer 51979, 1981, 1983, 1994, 2013
Georgia Southern 41980, 1985, 1986, 1987
Florida International 31991, 1995, 1998
UCF 32001, 2002, 2004
Jacksonville 22006, 2017
Southeastern Louisiana 21992, 1993
Belmont 12003
Campbell 12000
Florida Atlantic 11999
Hardin–Simmons 11982
Jacksonville State 11997
Kennesaw State 12016
Nicholls State 11984
North Florida 12015
Troy 12005
USC Upstate 12012

Pitcher of the Year

The conference's Pitcher of the Year award is given annually to the best pitcher in the ASUN, as chosen by a vote of the conference's coaches at the end of the regular season. The award was first presented in 2004, prior to which pitchers were eligible for the Player of the Year Award.
Five of the award's winners—Florida Gulf Coast's Richard Bleier and Chris Sale, Kennesaw State's Chad Jenkins, Stetson's Corey Kluber, and UCF's Matt Fox—have gone on to pitch in Major League Baseball.

Winners by season

Below is a table of the award's winners since it was first awarded in 2004.
SeasonPitcherSchool
2004Matt FoxUCF
2005Brent AdcockTroy
2006Matt DobbinsJacksonville
2007Corey KluberStetson
2008Richard BleierFlorida Gulf Coast
2009Chad JenkinsKennesaw State
2010Chris SaleFlorida Gulf Coast
2011Kurt SchluterStetson
2012Ricky KnappFlorida Gulf Coast
2013Kerry DoaneEast Tennessee State
2014Michael MurrayFlorida Gulf Coast
2015Michael BaumannJacksonville
2016Brady PuckettLipscomb
2017Logan GilbertStetson
2018Logan GilbertStetson
2019Brad DeppermannNorth Florida
2021Trevor DelaiteLiberty
2022Tyler ClevelandLipscomb
2023Logan Van TreeckEastern Kentucky
2024Jesse BarkerAustin Peay
2025Jonathan GonzalezStetson