North Carolina A&T pitcher and infielder Nick Rogers is still in contention to win the nationally-recognized John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
Rogers is one of 10 finalists for the award presented by the College Baseball Foundation. The winner will be presented in Lubbock, Texas on July 2 as a part of the College Baseball Awards Show.
"We are proud to honor the legacy that John Olerud established at Washington State as both a first baseman and a pitcher," said Randy Norman, Olerud Award committee co-chair. "All the young men on this list have compiled impressive statistics at the plate, in the field and on the mound."
Rogers had superb senior season for the Aggies. As a pitcher, he went 10-4 with a 5.09 ERA. Rogers' 10 victories tied a school record, and his 93 strikeouts led the MEAC. Nationally, he ranked 24th in the nation in pitching victories and 64th in strikeouts. For his efforts on the mound, he was named second-team All-MEAC.
Offensively, Rogers was just as effective for the Aggies as he earned first-team All-MEAC honors as an infielder. He batted .364 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs. In 198 at-bats, he only struck out 26 times. On the 14 occasions when he batted and was the Aggies starting pitcher, he hit an astounding .457 (21-for-46) with six home runs and 25 RBIs. As the Aggies third baseman, he only made five errors.
"No disrespect to any of the other players, but I don't think there is a player that means more to his team in terms of winning games than Nick Rogers,'' said Shumate. "He played well in the infield. He got clutch hits. And then to go out there and win 10 games - that says a lot about how much this young man wants to win."