Coutney named C-USA Player of the Year
Edmonton Prospects, Parkland Twins and Junior National Team alum Matt Coutney (Wetaskiwin, Alta.) has been named C-USA Player fo the Year. Photo: Old Dominion Athletics
May 24, 2022
Official Old Dominion University Athletics News Release
IRVING, Texas – Old Dominion University baseball raked in the honours on Tuesday as senior first baseman Matt Coutney (Wetaskiwin, Alta.) was named the Conference USA Player of the Year and pitcher Blake Morgan was named Pitcher of the Year.
Coutney is ODU's first conference player of the year since Tim Hummel earned CAA Player of the Year honours in 2000. Morgan is the third-straight Monarch to be named C-USA Freshman of the Year, joining Carter Trice (2021) and Andy Garriola (2019). Morgan is the first pure pitcher to win Freshman of the Year since Justin Verlander did it in 2002. Brett Harris won CAA Freshman of the Year in 2009 as a pitcher/hitter.
Coutney and Morgan were joined on the all-conference first team by catcher Brock Gagliardi and Garriola, while Trice earned second-team honours.
Coutney leads Conference USA and is fourth in the country with a single-season school record 25 home runs, with 19 of the homers coming in conference play. He also leads the league with 166 total bases and ranks in the top-five in batting average (.364), runs scored (58) and is second in slugging percentage (.809).
The Wetaskiwin, Alta., native leads the Monarchs with 26 multi-hit games and is tied with Garriola with 18 multi-RBI games. Coutney hit .405 with 19 homers and 45 RBIs in conference play and tied for team lead with 47 hits. He was named the Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Month for the month of April. This is the first All-Conference USA honour of Coutney's career.
Morgan has been dominant for the Monarchs this season as he leads C-USA and is third in the country with a 1.41 earned run average. In 63.2 innings, Morgan allowed 52 hits, the fourth fewest by a C-USA stats qualifying pitcher, while striking out 65 with just seven walks. The seven walks are the fewest by a C-USA qualifying pitcher.
A Marlton, New Jersey native, Morgan did not allow a run in his first four Conference USA starts, bringing his scoreless innings streak to 26 2/3 runs before allowing one run in seven innings in a win at Southern Miss. His seven wins leads the Monarchs and are tied for third in C-USA.
Garriola is tied for eighth in the country with 22 home runs and leads Conference USA and is tied for eighth in the country with 72 RBIs. The Sierra Madre, California native is second on the Monarchs in batting average (.332), hits (72), doubles (17) homers (22), total bases (157) and slugging percentage (.724).
He hit .364 in league play and bashed 16 homers and 47 RBIs. Earlier this season, he broke the ODU career record for home runs, and now has 46 career blasts. This is the third all-conference honor of Garriola's career and his second first-team honor.
Gagliardi leads all C-USA catchers with a .296 batting average and has knocked 10 home runs with 31 RBIs. He has 10 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games on the year. The Monarch backstop has played in 42 games on the year and made 41 starts, 40 behind the plate and one at designated hitter. The all-conference honor is the first of his career.
Trice earned his second-straight All-C-USA honor after winning Freshman of the Year a season ago. The sophomore is hitting .293 with 16 homers, 43 RBIs and 12 doubles. He ranks eighth in the league in homers and is second on the club with 16 stolen bases.
All-Conference – First Team
C – Brock Gagliardi, Old Dominion
INF – Matt Coutney, Old Dominion
INF – Nolan Schanuel, Florida Atlantic
INF – Taylor Young, LA Tech
INF – Jack Dragum, Charlotte
OF – Andy Garriola, Old Dominion
OF – Cole McConnell, LA Tech
OF – Gabriel Rincones, Jr., Florida Atlantic
P – Tanner Hall, Southern Miss
P – Blake Morgan, Old Dominion
P – Hurston Waldrep, Southern Miss
P – Luke Malone, UTSA
RP – Kyle Crigger, LA Tech
RP – Landon Harper, Southern Miss
DH – David McCabe, Charlotte
UTIL – Luke Edwards, Marshall
All-Conference – Second Team
C – Jorge Corona, LA Tech
INF – Leyton Barry, UTSA
INF – Nate Furman, Charlotte
INF – Dustin Dickerson, Southern Miss
INF – JT Mabry, Middle Tennessee
OF – Carter Trice, Old Dominion
OF – Cam Fisher, Charlotte
OF – Dylan Goldstein, Florida Atlantic
P – Hunter Cooley, Florida Atlantic
P – Jaden Hamm, Middle Tennessee
P – Trent Seibert, Middle Tennessee
P – Cade Gibson, LA Tech
RP – Ryan Harland, LA Tech
RP – Collin Taylor, UAB
DH – Christian Hall, UAB
UTIL – Jonathan Tapia, UTSA
All-Freshman Team
P – Blake Morgan, Old Dominion
OF – Carson Paetow, Southern Miss
OF – Cam Fisher, Charlotte
P – Ryan Harland, LA Tech
C/DH – Ty Batusich, WKU
P – Collin Kramer, Charlotte
P – James Sells, Middle Tennessee
INF – Aaron Smigelski, Rice
C – Henry Hunter, UAB
INF – Matt King, UTSA
P – Thomas Ballard, UAB
Player of the Year – Old Dominion INF Matt Coutney
Pitcher of the Year – Southern Miss RHP Tanner Hall
Newcomer of the Year – Florida Atlantic OF Gabriel Rincones, Jr.
Defensive Player of the Year – LA Tech INF Logan McLeod
Freshman of the Year – Old Dominion LHP Blake Morgan
Assistant Coach of the Year – Southern Miss' Christian Ostrander
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year – Southern Miss' Scott Berry