Montgomery, Ala. – Auburn University Montgomery Baseball placed three players on the 2007 All-American list released by the NAIA on Friday morning, the most for AUM since 1992 when four Senators were honored. Senior second baseman Junior Kelley of Whatley and junior catcher Paul Vasquez of Columbus, Ga. were named to the first team while senior pitcher Daniel Forrer of Montgomery appeared on the second team.
For Kelley, this marks his second season receiving first team honors making him the first AUM player to be named to the first team in consecutive years. Setting numerous records during his two-year career with the Senators, Kelley holds the AUM record for career batting average at .439 and this past season he established a new single season record for average at .461. Kelley also set the AUM hitting streak record in 2007 by hitting safely in 33 consecutive games. During that streak, he hit three doubles versus Columbus State, an AUM single game record. For the season, Kelley collected 105 hits, 18 doubles, 12 homers and 73 RBI – all while maintaining a .966 fielding percentage at second base. He struck out only four times in 264 plate appearances this past season.
While behind the plate for the Senators this year, Paul Vasquez set a new AUM single season record for doubles with 25 and completed the year batting .416 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI. He gunned down 23 base runners attempting to steal and fielded at an average of .991 with just 9 passed balls in 62 games played. In 254 plate appearances, Vasquez struck out just nine times.
Senior Daniel Forrer pitched in 14 games with 13 starts and finished the year with a 9-2 record and a 2.48 ERA. He struck out 107 opposing batters while issuing only 32 walks. Batters hit a mere .158 against Forrer in 2007 and in February he pitched a no-hitter at Brewton-Parker College in the Senators first conference game of the year. Nationally, he ranked second in batters-struck-out-per-9-innings with 13.25, fourth in opponents batting average, and fifth in hits-allowed-per-9-innings with 4.95.
AUM has now placed 13 players on the NAIA All-American list and 26 Honorable Mention All-Americans in only the program’s 21st season.
