WILMINGTON, N.C. – Former UNC Wilmington catcher Mark Carver (Wendell, N.C.) picked up yet another post-season honor Wednesday by being named the Eastern College Athletic Association’s Player-of-the-Year and was joined by junior pitcher Brad Holt (Albemarle, N.C.) on the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Third-Team All-America squad.

The ECAC has 88 members on the NCAA Division I level, stretching from Maine to North Carolina. The ABCA is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level.

 Carver and Holt were joined on the ECAC’s first team by senior outfielder Jason Appel (Plainview, N.Y.) and senior third baseman Nate Hall (Coalfield, Tenn.). The quartet was joined by senior second baseman Daniel Hargrave on the ABCA’s All-East squad.

 Carver, the Colonial Athletic Association’s Player-of-the-Year, earned Third-Team Louisville Slugger All-America honors before UNCW’s debut in the NCAA Cary Regional. He slammed a career-high and school record-tying 21 homers and drove in a school-record 82 runs.

 Appel, a First-Team All-CAA selection, led the Seahawks with a career-best .397 batting average and concluded his career as UNCW’s all-time hits leader with 260.

 Hall also had a career year after hitting .348 with 13 homers and 66 runs batted in. He drew a team-leading 40 walks and compiled a .454 on base average.

 Holt, a Third-Team Louisville Slugger All-America, was the 33rd overall selection in the recent Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets after posting an 11-1 record, including 11 consecutive victories. The hard-throwing righthander reported to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the NY-Penn league after striking out 95 batters in 93 1/3 innings.

 Award Breakdown:

ECAC   Player-of-the-Year: Mark Carver

            First-Team All-ECAC: Jason Appel, Nate Hall, Mark Carver, Brad Holt

 ABCA   Third-Team All-America: Mark Carver and Brad Holt

            First-Team All-East: Jason Appel, Mark Carver, Nate Hall, Daniel Hargrave, Brad Holt

-Courtesy UNCW Sports Information  (Photo: Calvin McGowan)