"Five Cougars Earn NCCAA All-American Honors in Baseball"

written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director

Mark Coulter	Justin Clarey	Adam Rowe

Jon Barchus	Scott Crawford

   Five members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College baseball team were recently honored for their performance during the 2002 season when the National Christian College Athletic Association announced its All-American Team.

   Headlining the list was MVNC's Mark Coulter, who was selected as the Unlimited Potential Player of the Year as well as being named to the NCCAA All-American First Team. Coulter, a senior first baseman/pitcher from Lewistown, Pennsylvania, led the Cougars with a .436 batting average. The former Lewistown Area High School standout compiled 13 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 31 runs scored, and 54 runs batted in. On the mound, Coulter posted a 7-2 record with a 3.83 earned run average.

   Justin Clarey, Adam Rowe, and Jon Barchus all joined Coulter on the NCCAA All-American First Team as MVNC had four of the 17 players on the team with no other school having two players on the team.

   Clarey, a sophomore catcher from Columbus, Ohio, batted .411 and led the Cougars with nine home runs and 58 RBI. The former All-Ohioan at Hilliard Darby High School also recorded 11 doubles, one triple, and 15 runs scored.

   Rowe, a sophomore pitcher/outfielder from Wooster, Ohio, posted a 10-0 record on the mound with a 3.00 ERA. In 81 innings of work, the southpaw struck out 78 batters with just 31 walks. The former Wooster High School star also batted .382 with six doubles, one home run, 16 RBI, and 25 runs scored.

   Barchus, a sophomore pitcher from Crestline, Ohio, led MVNC with a school-record seven saves. The former Mansfield Christian High School standout compiled a 3-2 record with a 3.21 ERA. In 28 innings of work, the right-hander struck out 33 batters with 11 walks.

   Scott Crawford, a senior shortstop from Waldo, Ohio, was also chosen as an NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American after twice being a member of the All-American First Team. The former River Valley High School star batted .356 with nine doubles, a team-high four triples, two home runs, 19 RBI, and 49 runs scored.

   MVNC finished the season with a 38-11 overall record. The Cougars also finished as the NAIA Region IX Tournament runner-up for the third straight year, and the team was second in the American Mideast Conference with a 17-5 mark.