UNIVERSITY PARK — Four members of the Penn State baseball team have been honored for their outstanding achievements for the 2011 season at program’s year-end banquet.
Sean Deegan was honored with F. Joseph Bedenk Award for the Nittany Lions’ most valuable player; Steven Hill won the Charles Medlar Award as the team’s top pitcher; John Walter earned the Ed Drapcho Award as the Lions’ most improved player and Mike Pierce was the winner of the Shorty Stoner Award for his work in the classroom and on the field.
Deegan led the Big Ten with 12 home runs and a .622 slugging percentage in 2011 and ranked second in the league with 18 doubles and five triples. He scored 54 runs, which marked the third-highest total in the conference, and stole 14 bases.
Anchoring the pitching staff, Hill posted a league-best 2.57 ERA while earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. He was even better in conference action, posting a 2.02 ERA, which also was the finest mark in the league. A native of Colleyville, Texas, Hill pitched a Big Ten-high 1012⁄3 innings and four complete games, including a pair of shutouts.
In his 15 starts, he notched a 6-5 record, including three wins during conference action. Hill held his opposition to three or fewer runs during 10 starts. He averaged 1.06 walks-per-nine innings, which still stands as the 16th best rate in the nation. Overall, he issued just 12 free passes during the year. Walter was nearly as effective on the mound during his sophomore season. An imposing right-hander, he posted a 6-4 record during the year with a 3.19 ERA. He fired 842⁄3 innings, including a complete game effort.
Walter also struck out 59 batters, which stands as the ninth-highest total in the conference, and was the only qualifying pitcher in the Big Ten that did not allow a home run.
Pierce, a State College native, wrapped up his career this spring with a strong year both on the diamond and in the classroom. An industrial engineering major, he was an outstanding student and a perennial member of the Academic All-Big Ten team.
Pierce appeared in eight games during the 2011 season as a southpaw specialist. During his time on the mound, he surrendered just two earned runs while striking out nine and allowing just one walk. His 2.70 ERA was the second-best mark on the team among full-time relievers.
