North Carolina State University Athletics
Photo by: James Guillory
Brown Earns NC State Baseball’s First Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honor
6/26/2018 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
Wolfpack senior makes history with selection
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the first time in the history of the program, an NC State baseball player has been named the ACC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year as Brian Brown earned the 2018 honor, announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
NC State's Patrick Bailey, Brett Kinneman and Joe O'Donnell were also named to the 2018 All-ACC Academic Team. They were among 18 players on the list that also earned All-ACC honors.
Brown was also named the ACC Pitcher of the Year and becomes just the third player to garner ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to claiming one of the end of year conference honors in the same season. The Glenmoore, Pa., native earned All-ACC Academic Team distinction all four years with the Wolfpack and is the only player on the team that has achieved the honor four times.
To be eligible for consideration on the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during his academic career. The selection is also based on a student-athlete's athletic performance, as well as national and conference accolades.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports.
Brown achieved the accolade as a sport management major, while O'Donnell graduated with a degree in biological sciences and collects his second All-ACC Academic honor. Kinneman is a three-time honoree and is pursuing a degree in business administration and Bailey earns his first mention as a sport management major.
Brian Brown | Glenmoore, Pa. | P
Second Team Collegiate Baseball All-American, Third Team NCBWA All-American, ACC Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-ACC, ABCA All-Region Team, Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the Ninth Round
Brown turned in a stellar senior season to become just the second player in NC State baseball history to garner the ACC Pitcher of the Year award. He recorded a 7-2 record complemented by a 2.74 earned run average (ERA), which ranked sixth among ACC pitchers. Brown threw two complete games, headlined by closing out NC State's win against Army in the NCAA Regional in the rain. He started 16 games on the mound as a senior and 61 for his career to break the program record for career starts. Additionally, he finished his Wolfpack tenure with 25 wins to tie for the fifth most in the NC State record books along with Carlos Rodon. Brown went at least five innings in 15 of his 16 starts and NC State won 13 of the 16 games he started. He was one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of the MLB Draft and is playing with the Lowell Spinners.
Patrick Bailey | Greensboro, N.C. | C
ACC Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-ACC, All-Freshman Team, Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, NCBWA Freshman All-American, Perfect Game Freshman All-American, ABCA All-Region Team
Bailey compiled a .321 batting average in his initial season with the NC State baseball program to garner ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Wolfpack player to claim the honor since Carlos Rodon in 2012. His average led all ACC freshmen and was second on the team. He hit 13 home runs on the year to set the NC State record for home runs by a freshman and lead all freshmen in the conference. The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first NC State player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. Bailey led the Pack with a .604 slugging percentage, which was the fourth highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He tallied two multi-home run games this season and started 50 of the 54 games he played. Bailey logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. He also threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.
Brett Kinneman | York, Pa. | OF
Third Team Collegiate Baseball, College Sports Madness & NCBWA All-American, First Team All-ACC, ABCA All-Region Team, Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Seventh Round
Kinneman's standout junior season earned First Team All-ACC honors and Third Team All-America honors, as he hit 17 home runs to rank fourth in the conference and among the top 25 nationally. He tallied 61 runs batted in (RBI) on the year to finish fourth in the ACC and rank among the nation's best. His 61 RBIs are the most for an NC State player since 2012 when Ryan Matthews had 62. The Wolfpack's left fielder tied for the team-high with 15 multi-RBI games, highlighted by three games with five or more RBIs. Kinneman compiled a .274 batting average and led the Pack in runs and walks with 52 and 46, respectively. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game Midseason All-American, National and ACC Player of the Week twice and NCBWA National Player of the Month for February. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round of the MLB Draft and is playing with the West Virginia Black Bears.
Joe O'Donnell | Wilmington, N.C. | P
NCBWA Third Team All-American, ABCA All-Region Team, Third Team All-ACC
The Wolfpack closer compiled a 1.48 earned run average (ERA) in 24 appearances out of the bullpen in his senior campaign. The Wilmington, N.C., native struck out 40 batters in 30.1 innings and only allowed five earned runs. O'Donnell was named a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation. He was also tabbed a Preseason and Midseason Stopper of the Year Candidate, which is given annually to the top relief pitcher. O'Donnell broke the program record for career appearances this season with his 88th against Campbell and ended his career with 95. His 11 saves during the year tied for the ACC lead and ranked among the top pitchers in the NCAA.
NC State's Patrick Bailey, Brett Kinneman and Joe O'Donnell were also named to the 2018 All-ACC Academic Team. They were among 18 players on the list that also earned All-ACC honors.
Brown was also named the ACC Pitcher of the Year and becomes just the third player to garner ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to claiming one of the end of year conference honors in the same season. The Glenmoore, Pa., native earned All-ACC Academic Team distinction all four years with the Wolfpack and is the only player on the team that has achieved the honor four times.
To be eligible for consideration on the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during his academic career. The selection is also based on a student-athlete's athletic performance, as well as national and conference accolades.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports.
Brown achieved the accolade as a sport management major, while O'Donnell graduated with a degree in biological sciences and collects his second All-ACC Academic honor. Kinneman is a three-time honoree and is pursuing a degree in business administration and Bailey earns his first mention as a sport management major.
Brian Brown | Glenmoore, Pa. | P
Second Team Collegiate Baseball All-American, Third Team NCBWA All-American, ACC Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-ACC, ABCA All-Region Team, Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the Ninth Round
Brown turned in a stellar senior season to become just the second player in NC State baseball history to garner the ACC Pitcher of the Year award. He recorded a 7-2 record complemented by a 2.74 earned run average (ERA), which ranked sixth among ACC pitchers. Brown threw two complete games, headlined by closing out NC State's win against Army in the NCAA Regional in the rain. He started 16 games on the mound as a senior and 61 for his career to break the program record for career starts. Additionally, he finished his Wolfpack tenure with 25 wins to tie for the fifth most in the NC State record books along with Carlos Rodon. Brown went at least five innings in 15 of his 16 starts and NC State won 13 of the 16 games he started. He was one of 25 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award. He was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of the MLB Draft and is playing with the Lowell Spinners.
Patrick Bailey | Greensboro, N.C. | C
ACC Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-ACC, All-Freshman Team, Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, NCBWA Freshman All-American, Perfect Game Freshman All-American, ABCA All-Region Team
Bailey compiled a .321 batting average in his initial season with the NC State baseball program to garner ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Wolfpack player to claim the honor since Carlos Rodon in 2012. His average led all ACC freshmen and was second on the team. He hit 13 home runs on the year to set the NC State record for home runs by a freshman and lead all freshmen in the conference. The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first NC State player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game. Bailey led the Pack with a .604 slugging percentage, which was the fourth highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He tallied two multi-home run games this season and started 50 of the 54 games he played. Bailey logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. He also threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.
Brett Kinneman | York, Pa. | OF
Third Team Collegiate Baseball, College Sports Madness & NCBWA All-American, First Team All-ACC, ABCA All-Region Team, Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Seventh Round
Kinneman's standout junior season earned First Team All-ACC honors and Third Team All-America honors, as he hit 17 home runs to rank fourth in the conference and among the top 25 nationally. He tallied 61 runs batted in (RBI) on the year to finish fourth in the ACC and rank among the nation's best. His 61 RBIs are the most for an NC State player since 2012 when Ryan Matthews had 62. The Wolfpack's left fielder tied for the team-high with 15 multi-RBI games, highlighted by three games with five or more RBIs. Kinneman compiled a .274 batting average and led the Pack in runs and walks with 52 and 46, respectively. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game Midseason All-American, National and ACC Player of the Week twice and NCBWA National Player of the Month for February. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round of the MLB Draft and is playing with the West Virginia Black Bears.
Joe O'Donnell | Wilmington, N.C. | P
NCBWA Third Team All-American, ABCA All-Region Team, Third Team All-ACC
The Wolfpack closer compiled a 1.48 earned run average (ERA) in 24 appearances out of the bullpen in his senior campaign. The Wilmington, N.C., native struck out 40 batters in 30.1 innings and only allowed five earned runs. O'Donnell was named a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation. He was also tabbed a Preseason and Midseason Stopper of the Year Candidate, which is given annually to the top relief pitcher. O'Donnell broke the program record for career appearances this season with his 88th against Campbell and ended his career with 95. His 11 saves during the year tied for the ACC lead and ranked among the top pitchers in the NCAA.
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