Randolph-Macon Trio Headlines All-ODAC Baseball Awards

FOREST, Va. --- Randolph-Macon College earned three of the five major individual honors in a vote of the league's head coaches, highlighting the 2019 All-ODAC Baseball Awards. Yellow Jackets third baseman Mike Nickles was named the ODAC Player of the Year, while righthander Nick Roth received ODAC Pitcher of the Year laurels. R-MC mentor Ray Hedrick repeated as the ODAC Coach of the Year.

Versatile infielder and pitcher Garrett Jackson from the University of Lynchburg secured ODAC Rookie of the Year distinction. Roanoke College third baseman Jack Howard took home the final major honor as he earned ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition from the conference's sports information directors.

ODAC fans saw plenty of new players move to the top of the ODAC ranks as just nine players earned repeat recognition as All-ODAC players from a season ago. Virginia Wesleyan University righthander and DH Jacob Pilarski is the only player to earn All-ODAC First Team honors to past two years. R-MC's Roth moved up from the All-ODAC Second Team.

The remaining players to earn All-ODAC status each of the past two years include Bridgewater College DH Cameron Stanley, R-MC second baseman Jeff Butler, RC's Howard, Shenandoah University second baseman Tristan Baker, shortstop Robert Marcelle, and outfielder Keegan Woolford, and Virginia Wesleyan shortstop Brady Fallon.

RELATED: 2018 All-ODAC Teams | All-Time All-ODAC

Nickles is one of three brothers on R-MC's squad, each of whom contributes to R-MC's success. A junior from Stafford, Va., Nickles has put together a banner campaign that has seem him slash .386/.486/.705 in conference games and .368/.472/.669 in overall games. His slugging and OBP totals rank first and sixth in the conference in both overall and league-game totals, respectively. He is also #1 in the ODAC with 33 runs scored in conference games and 44 overall. Nickles registered eight doubles, four triples, four homers, and 24 RBI against foes. Those numbers increased to 10 doubles, five triples, seven homers, and 41 RBI overall. Nickles hit safely in 27-of-34 games played. He enjoyed several moderate hitting streaks including a league-high eight-straight games after returning from injury. He is currently riding a four-game run leading up to Friday's ODAC Tournament game against Shenandoah.

Roth, a senior from Henrico, Va., has put together a special season for R-MC as he is 10-0 on the season after going eight stong frames in a 4-2 win over Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Tournament. Roth went 8-0 in league games with a 2.14 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 63.0 innings of work. He walked only five batters in eight appearances versus ODAC competition, and allowed opposing hitters a .233 batting average. Overall, Roth owns a 1.93 ERA with 98 strikeouts and just 70 hits allowed in 84.0 innings on the hill. He has walked just seven batters, giving him a 14-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. 

Hedrick is in the midst of his 15th season guiding the nationally 19th-ranked Yellow Jackets baseball program. This is the third overall and second straight ODAC top coaching honor he's earned, pairing this award with those received in 2008 and 2018. R-MC has been at or near the top of all NCAA Division III national polls at some point this season on the way to securing the top seed in the ODA Tournament. R-MC is currently eighth in the NCAA South Region poll. Hedrick led the Yellow Jackets to a 16-5-1 record during their league slate and a 26-8-1 record overall. Hedrick enters Friday's game against Shenandoah with a 359-235-6 (.603) career record.

Jackson, a first year from Virginia Beach, Va., proved a versatile contributor both at the dish and on the hill. Jackson slashed .322/.378/.575 with 10 doubles, three triples, two homers, and 20 RBI in league games. The 10 doubles were second in the ODAC. His numbers improveed to .350/.402/.550 in overall games with 15 doubles, four triples, three homers, and 40 RBI. On the hill, Jackson went 2-1 overall and 1-0 in league play, tossing 28.0 innings including 22.1 versus league foes. He fanned 21 batters overall and 15 in league play.

Howard, a senior from Leesburg, Va., stars both on and off the field for Roanoke. In the classroom, Howard owns a 3.90 grade point average as a business major. Soon to be a four-time member of the All-ODAC Academic Team, he is a perennial member of the Roanoke Colleg Dean's List and President's List of Distinguised Students. On the field, Howard pairs this honor with an All-ODAC Third Team seletion at third base. He is slashing .301/.405/.420 with 12 doubles and 25 RBI as Roanoke competes in the ODAC Tournament. His slash line was .341/.417/.511 in league games. His 10 doubles in conference games tied with Lynchburg's Jackson for second in the ODAC.

Listed below are the full All-ODAC Baseball Teams.  For more information, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2019 ALL-ODAC BASEBALL AWARDS
ODAC Player of the Year: Mike Nickles | Jr. | 3B | Randolph-Macon College
ODAC Pitcher of the Year: Nick Roth | Sr. | Randolph-Macon College
ODAC Coach of the Year: Ray Hedrick, Randolph-Macon College
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Garrett Jackson | Fy. | 3B/P | University of Lynchburg
ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete: Jack Howard | Sr. | 3B | Roanoke College