May 7, 2012

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Three Patriot League baseball players earned national recognition last week, including a pair from Army.

Army senior Kevin McKague was named to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award watch list on May 3, leading the pack of nominees with a .385 batting average and a 1.46 ERA. McKague has played in 48 games for the Black Knights, recording 67 hits, 14 doubles, five homers, 41 RBIs and 32 runs scored. He's 1-0 on the mound with five saves and 15 strikeouts in 11 appearances (12.1 innings). Click here for the full release

For the third year in a row, Army senior Zach Price has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 1 Baseball Team, presented by Capital One, it was announced on May 3.

Price, who was a second-team selection each of the last two seasons, was included on this year's first team. The senior second baseman has excelled both on the field and in the classroom since arriving at West Point. This season, Price leads the Patriot League with 41 runs scored, ranks fourth in the conference with 57 base hits and 13 stolen bases, lists fifth in the league with a .320 batting average and a .425 on-base percentage, and stands sixth with 24 walks. Click here for the full release

Holy Cross junior shortstop Alex Maldonado has been named to the 2012 Brooks Wallace Award watch list. The honor, sponsored by Mizuno, is given annually to the top division one collegiate shortstop. The award will be presented on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Night of Champions.

Maldonado joins a list of 49 other shortstops chosen by the Brooks Wallace committee. He is the only representative from the Patriot League. The Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference lead the pack with seven players nominated. On the season, Maldonado bats .298 with a team-leading 57 hits and 37 runs scored. He recently broke the Holy Cross career record for stolen bases as he leads the team with 14 steals this season. Defensively, Maldonado holds a .945 fielding percentage with 74 put outs and 133 assists. Click here for the full release

All three players will compete in the Patriot League Tournament that begins this Saturday with best-of-three-game semifinal series at Army and Holy Cross. Top-seeded Army will host fourth-seeded Lafayette, while No. 2 Holy Cross welcomes in No. 3 Navy.