Led by Rookie of the Year Josh Merrigan, Georgia State had six players named to the Colonial Athletic Association all-conference baseball teams Tuesday.
Merrigan, a center fielder who played at Walton High, hit .353 with four homers, 36 RBIs and 52 runs scored. He also was named to the second team and all-rookie team. He is first player in school history to be named the CAA rookie of the year.
Chad Prain, a shortstop, was named to the All-CAA first team. Prain, a junior, hit .394 with 48 RBIs and 89 hits, just two shy of the school record.
Making the second team were designated hitter Chase Raffield and third baseman Caden Bailey. Raffield, a junior, batted .382 with 10 homers and 51 RBIs. He was one of two players in the conference to rank in the league’s top five in average, homers and RBIs. Bailey, a sophomore, hit .353 with 33 RBIs.
Joining Merrigan on the all-rookie team were pitcher/infielder Matt Rose and catcher Joey Roach. Rose hit .283 with four homers and 32 RBIs, and also went 3-2 with five saves. He had a 2.55 ERA. Roach batted .296 with four homers and 24 RBIs.
Georgia State, which went 35-21 this season, will play in the Sun Belt Conference next season.
Kaplan commits: Georgia State's football team picked up a commitment from offensive lineman A.J. Kaplan on Tuesday.
Kaplan can play guard or tackle, is expected to sign Friday and will be eligible for the season. Kaplan is good at pulling and is strong as Miles continues to beef up the line.
Kaplan is huge — 6-foot-5, 305 pounds — and recently played at Palomar College, a junior college in California. He played in high school in Las Vegas. Scout.com said he received medium interest from several FBS teams, but didn’t receive any offers.
Miles said he was going to build the team from the inside out, and he continues to do that by stockpiling offensive linemen. Miles signed four offensive linemen in February. The team had only eight healthy linemen by the end of the spring, and several players will run out of eligibility after the 2013 season, including starters Ulrick John, Michael Davis and Grant King.
Last week, Miles secured a commitment from linebacker Tevin Hanley, who played at Highland (Kan.) Community College. Like Kaplan, Hanley should be able to play in 2013.
