NCSU - Sergio and Eason earn honors
Saab Siddiqui
Sergio, Eason Earn NCBWA All-America Honors
By Gary Hahn
http://199.72.8.158/hahn/baseserge2.html
6/2/97
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State second baseman Tom Sergio and reliever
Clay Eason continued to harvest postseason All-America honors this past
weekend, with both seniors earning spots on the National Collegiate
Baseball Writers Association's 1997 All-America teams.
Sergio, who previously was named All-America by Collegiate Baseball
(third team), The Sporting News (second team) and Baseball America
(first team), was a first-team All-America choice by the college baseball
writers. Eason, who was a first-team All-America pick by Collegiate
Baseball, was a third-team pick by the NCBWA.
Sergio batted .412 with 14 doubles, 16 home runs, 68 RBIs and 18 stolen
bases for the Wolfpack in 1997. He finished the season tied for 10th in the
ACC in home runs, tied for ninth in RBIs, sixth in slugging percentage
(.700) and second in on-base percentage (.526). He batted .579
(11-for-19) with two triples, one home run and eight RBIs in four games
at the NCAA South II Regional at Tuscaloosa, Ala., and was named to the
All-Tournament team.
During the course of the '97 season, Sergio surpassed numerous career
milestones. He leaves NC State as the school's career leader in runs
scored (290), base hits (362), stolen bases (73) and triples (19, tied with
Jake Weber). He is second in career at-bats (976) and walks (150), third
in career batting average (.370) and total bases (521), sixth in career RBIs
(167), and tied for eighth in career doubles (46). Sergio is the ACCés
all-time leader in both base hits and runs scored.
Eason's ascent to All-America status is the continuation of a
rags-to-riches story. Eason posted an ERA of 18.47 with 12 walks and 13
hits allowed in 6 1/3 innings a year ago, but he was brilliant in 1997,
performing equally well in short, middle and long relief for first-year head
coach Elliott Avent. Eason wound up the season with a 10-2 record, a 2.18
ERA and four saves. He kept his ERA below 2.00 until the final game of
the season, and had it below 1.00 as late as April 25.
Eason worked 62 innings in 28 relief appearances during in 1997, allowing
42 hits, walking 27 and striking out 78. He became just the second pitcher
in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win 10 games in a season out of the
bullpen. Eason finished one inning short of qualifying for the ACC's
per-innings leaders, but he unofficially led the ACC in ERA, strikeouts per
nine innings (12.58), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (0.68), and
opponents batting average (.192). He finished the year tied for third in the
league in victories, and tied for seventh in saves.