 "Photo: Georgia State Sports Communication")
The 2010 season, filled with football scores and shattered records, ended abruptly last Friday afternoon when the Panthers suffered a walk-off defeat at the hands of UNC-Wilmington’s Hunter Ridge at Brooks Field in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Down 7-5 and facing elimination with two on and two outs in the top of the ninth, senior Bradley Logan stepped in. On a 2-2 pitch Logan doubled to left center, tying the game at seven and representing the go-ahead run in scoring position. Junior Joey Wood then pulled a double down the left-field line to give the Panthers the late lead.
In a season filled with amazing comebacks, it seemed that the Panthers were about to enjoy another storybook ending. Junior and Mets draftee David Buchanan returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and quickly got the first two outs.
Head coach Greg Frady sent in closer Justin Malone after Buchanan gave up two two-out walks to begin the inning. The Seahawks’ Hunter Ridge stepped in and drove Malone’s first pitch over the left-field wall to give UNC-Wilmington the walk-off win.
The Panthers earned the second seed in the double elimination tournament, but got in trouble after dropping the first game 7-4 to third-seed VCU, who went on to defeat UNC-Wilmington in the Championship game.
The 2009 CAA Champion Panthers came to the 2010 CAA Championship boasting the best offense in the country, leading all collegiate teams in runs scored, batting average, and slugging percentage. Although the Panthers failed to defend their 2009 CAA crown, the 2010 season will go down as one of the best in Georgia State history.
One important record was the six selections to the All-CAA team. Junior Mark Micowski was the lone All-CAA First Team selection. Micowski got the monstrous Panther offense going back on March 5, when the Vermont transfer had a record-setting seven hits (the previous record was five) along with the cycle in the fourth inning.
The Panthers had 32 runs on 28 hits, both new records in their first win of the season. Doubles, RBIs, and triples records all fell that day as well, with the new benchmarks at nine, 29, and four respectively. The Panthers proved the offensive onslaught was no fluke two days later when the runs scored record fell in a 33-5 rout of North Carolina Central in the series finale.
The left-handed hitting Micowski received National College Baseball Writers Association Hitter of the Week Award after the inspired performance. The Haddam, Conn., native made himself at home in his first year at Georgia State, finishing the year tied for the record for hits in a single season (89), while taking sole possession of the runs scored record with 66.
Junior Ryan Fleming was named to the All-CAA Second Team for his efforts in 2010. The Whitby, Ontario, native was a consistent power threat at the plate, leading the team with 13 long balls, including grand slams in back-to-back games. Fleming finished 2010 leading the prolific Panther offense in slugging percentage (.688), and in 56 games played, somehow never grounded into a double play.
Of the four All-CAA Third Team members, none had a year like Bradley Logan. Like a scene out of movie, Logan finished his regular season career at Georgia State with a walk-off homerun against William and Mary. The win would prove to be Logan’s last as a Panther.
It seemed like every week in Logan’s final season he was breaking another Panther record. Career hits, doubles, and at-bats are a few of Logan’s ten Panther records, and the Augusta native will finish in the top ten in seven CAA career categories, according to georgiastatesports.com. Although he won’t finish his career with a second CAA Title, the 6’3” slugger was instrumental in the 2009 CAA Championship, where he was honored as CAA Championship Most Outstanding Performer. Now the most decorated baseball player in Georgia State history, Logan was named one of the four Student-Athletes of the year for 2009-2010.
Senior Carl Moniz was also named to the All-CAA Third Team. Moniz played nearly every position in 2010, and the Laval, Quebec, native played a huge part in stopping the midseason slide in March when the Panthers dropped six of seven before a weekend series with CAA-rival Hofstra. The Pride came to Panthersville in first place, but thanks in part to Moniz’s three homers in four games, Hofstra was swept right onto their team bus, their yellow socks all but knocked off. Moniz was also named to the Brooks-Wallace Award Watch List in 2010, a prestigious honor reserved for 52 of the nation’s best shortstops.
Another first year standout, junior Rob Lind was named to the All-CAA Third Team. The Hartford, S.D., native contributed to the Panthers 17-6-1 mark against CAA foes with a team-best .430 batting average, a full 52 points higher than the next Panther. Lind also finished with a .494 on-base percentage, leading a team that seemed to always have runners on base.
In his second year as a Panther, junior Aidan Francis earned his second All-CAA mention, netting the All-CAA Third Team distinction in 2010. A reliever his first year at Georgia State, Francis made the transition to starter with little or no difficulty, winning a team high six games, and like Lind, saving his best for CAA opponents. Francis carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against William and Mary, striking out 12 Tribe hitters in the process. The Australian southpaw abused CAA hitters, going 4-1 with an ERA of 3.22 in CAA action.
The Panthers will lose key starters in seniors Logan, Moniz, and Ryan Moore, but will return the remainder of the roster in 2011. In 2012, however, the Panthers will have the dreaded “flip-flop” season, where the team will have lost over half its roster to graduation.
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