Feb. 9, 2012
NORMAL, Ill. -
Senior closer Kenny Long and senior catcher Matt Mirabal were noted in the CollegeBaseballInsider.com (CBI) 2012 Missouri Valley Conference preview, released Thursday. Long was honored as the MVC's "top closer," and Mirabal was recognized as having "the best catcher arm" in the league.
CBI asked college coaches around the country to preview the college baseball season by sharing their insights on the teams and players to watch in their respective conferences. All eight MVC coaches responded to CBI's questionnaire, and collectively, they determined that this year's "team to beat in the Valley" is preseason favorite Missouri State.
Long, who was selected as one of two closers on the Valley preseason list, earned All- Valley First Team honors for the second-straight season, after leading the 2011 Redbirds with six saves while boasting a team-low 0.92 ERA. The Fox River Grove, Ill., native became the all-time saves leader at Illinois State with 15, and established a 4-1 record with 45 strikeouts through 39.1 innings. Long is also a 2012 preseason candidate for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year award, given to the top relief pitcher in the nation.
As Illinois State's primary catcher, Mirabal recorded 298 putouts, established a .982 fielding percentage and threw out 11 would-be base stealers in 2011. The Chicago native also hit .247, collected 41 hits, scored 30 runs drove in 25. Mirabal hit six doubles, went 8-for-9 in stolen bases, amassed a .324 on-base percentage and had 11 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games.
Long, Mirabal and the Redbirds start the 2012 season, Feb. 17, at Austin Peay beginning at 3 p.m. Illinois State will begin its home schedule against Division III MacMurray College Mar. 23, with free admission to all 17 home games played at Duffy Bass Field this year. Additionally, free play-by-play of all 52 regular-season games will be available live on GoRedbirds.com and WJBC.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
