SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Two Elon Phoenix baseball players were honored by the Southern Conference's coaches with all-league accolades on Monday. Junior catcher Alex Swim earned first-team distinction while sophomore first baseman Ryan Kinsella was a second-team pick.
Swim finished the regular-season with a team-best .362 batting average and 81 hits.
A starter in all 55 of Elon's games to date, Swim scored 34 runs, had 10 doubles and three homers.
He also sports a .446 slugging percentage and a .402 on-base percentage. In SoCon play the Greensboro, N.C., native led the league with a .429 average and 54 hits.
During his junior campaign Swim put together a 25-game hitting streak, the longest by a Phoenix player in its tenure at the NCAA Division I level. During the streak he earned by SoCon Player of the Week and national hitter of the week honors.
Swim currently ranks as one of the toughest hitters in the nation to strike out. He has fanned just 10 times in 224 at bats this year. Swim's 217 career hits rank him 10th in the more than 100 years of baseball at Elon.
Kinsella, a native of Warren, N.J., claimed second-team honors after a season in which he hit .296 with a team-high 41 runs scored and 44 RBI. He added 11 doubles, two triples and seven homers in his sophomore campaign. In his 30 conference outings Kinsella batted .357 with 29 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 32 RBI. His .617 slugging percentage in SoCon games ranked third in the league.
This was the first all-league honor for both players.
Swim, Kinsella and the rest of the Phoenix squad will play its first SoCon Tournament game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The maroon and gold is the third seed and will face off with sixth-seeded Georgia Southern at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.
2012 SoCon Baseball All-Conference Team
Player of the Year - Marty Gantt, Sr., OF, College of Charleston
Pitcher of the Year - Christian Powell, Jr., RHP, College of Charleston
Freshman of the Year - Chase Griffin, C, Georgia Southern
Coach of the Year - Chris Pollard, Appalachian State
First Team
SP Christian Powell, College of Charleston
SP Josh Martin, Samford
RP Preston Hatcher, Western Carolina
C Alex Swim, Elon
1B Saxon Butler, Samford
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
SS Will Callaway, Appalachian State
3B Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern
OF Marty Gantt, College of Charleston
OF Phillip Ervin, Samford
OF Brandon Miller, Samford
DH Daniel Kassouf, Appalachian State
Second Team
SP Ryan Arrowood, Appalachian State
SP Brandon Yarusi, Wofford
RP C.K. Irby, Samford
C Brad Moss, Samford
1B Ryan Kinsella, Elon
2B Hector Crespo, Appalachian State
SS Bradley Goodson, College of Charleston
3B Thomas Troelstrup, UNCG
OF Tyler Tewell, Appalachian State
OF Tyler Zupcic, Appalachian State
OF Brandon Murray, College of Charleston
DH Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
All-Freshman Team
Brandon Burris, Appalachian State
Jamie Nunn, Appalachian State
Kevin Connell, The Citadel
Mason Davis, The Citadel
Henry Sisson, Davidson
Chris Ohmstede, Furman
Elliott Warford, Furman
Tyler Avera, Georgia Southern
Chase Griffin, Georgia Southern
Jacob Hoyle, Western Carolina
Jeremy Null, Western Carolina
Bradley Strong, Western Carolina
Elon Sports Information Dept.