FROM STAFF REPORTS

The University of Montevallo baseball team had four players honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association recently, including junior Austin Dubberly and senior Chris Ross, who were named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II pre-season All-American team.

Senior Heath Peterson was named a “Player to Watch,” while junior Vincente Andrews was named a “Newcomer to Watch” by the association.

Dubberly, a Pelham High School graduate, was named second team All-Region by the ABCA, third team All-Region by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and first team All-Peach Belt Conference at the end of the 2011 season.

Dubberly hit .352 with 27 runs scored, nine doubles and 25 RBIs. He had a .409 slugging percentage and a .401 on-base percentage. He was 5-of-7 in stolen bases and won the Falcons’ Gold Glove Award at the end of the season.

Dubberly was one of the top hitting second baseman in the region and was also a standout in the field. He missed the last nine games of the season due to injury, but put up tremendous numbers despite the missed playing time.

Ross, a fellow Pelham High School graduate, was named second team All-Region by the ABCA, co-MVP of the Montevallo baseball team as well as second team All-Peach Belt Conference in 2011.

Ross hit .405 on the season with 39 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple and two homeruns. He drove in 19 runs while going 12-of-19 in stolen bases. He had a .557 slugging percentage and a .503 on-base percentage. He led the team in batting average, hits, doubles, walks, on-base percentage and was tied for the lead in stolen bases. He was second in runs scored.

In the Peach Belt Conference, Ross ranked first in on-base percentage and batting average and seventh in doubles and slugging percentage.

Peterson was also named co-MVP of the Montevallo baseball team last season as well as second team All-Peach Belt Conference.

Peterson committed just two errors all season out of 408 chances. He had a stellar .995 fielding percentage. He hit .364 on the year with 40 runs scored, 14 doubles, two triples and eight homeruns. He drove in 40 runs as well. He had a .607 slugging percentage and a .425 on-base percentage. He was 12-of-16 in stolen bases. He led the team in runs scored, RBI, slugging percentage and was tied for the lead in stolen bases. He ranked second on the team in batting average, hits, doubles, triples and homeruns.

In the Peach Belt Conference, Peterson ranked third in slugging percentage, tied for sixth in homeruns and was eighth in batting average.

Andrews comes to Montevallo from Chattahoochee Valley Community College. As a sophomore, Andrews had a .367 batting average and a .505 on-base percentage. He attended the same high school and community college as Peterson.

Dubberly, Ross, Peterson, Andrews and the rest of the Falcons open the season Friday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. as they host the University of Alabama in Huntsville.