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College  | Story | 6/29/2015

2015 College Baseball Awards

Patrick Ebert
Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics

Contributing: Jheremy Brown, Mike Rooney

2015 Perfect Game College Baseball Final Top 25


2015 Player of the Year: Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt

Although Vanderbilt didn't walk away from the 2015 season as repeat Nation Champions they did finish the season as the 2015 College World Series runner-ups, capping a very successful season in which they opened the year ranked as Perfect Game's No. 1 overall team. They lost to Virginia – who opened the year No. 2 – in a rematch of last year's College World Series Finals, a team that appeared to be determined to win it all after serving as the runner-up a year ago.

On a team full of impact talent, none stood out more than Vanderbilt's star shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Swanson was named the Most Oustanding Player from last year's championship, and although he didn't have as great of an impact in Omaha this year, he did enjoy a phenomonal season that saw every aspect of his game improve dramatically.

“I think the experience of everything we went through last year has helped us this year,” Swanson told Perfect Game from Omaha. “We went through similar stretches last year and learned how to battle through it. This year we were better able to handle things that came up. We learned how to win all year because of the target on our back and we learned how to play our best ball when it matters.”

He hit right around .350 for most of the season, finishing the 2015 campaign with a .335/.423/.623 triple slash line. And all of his power numbers jumped up, with 45 extra-base hits (24 doubles, 6 triples, 15 home runs), 64 driven in and 76 runs scored. He also swiped 16 bases in 18 attempts serving as the Commodores' No. 3 hitter for most of the year.

“I like to think that I'm trying to be good at everything,” Swanson continued. “That's how I've always worked out and trained and everything like that. It wasn't anything specific that I was trying to get better at, I just wanted to become the best baseball player I could be, and that's still my mission and goal.”

Swanson's biggest statement performance may have come during one of his last games. In a Super Regional matchup against Illinois in Champaign, Swanson collected both a double and a home run off of electric Illini lefthander Tyler Jay, the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.

Vanderbilt won that game 4-2 which secured a berth in the 2015 College World Series for the second consecutive season.

Dansby Swanson (Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics)

As the season opened big things were expected of Swanson, even if his production surpassed those hopes, and was ranked the sixth-best player eligible for the 2015 MLB Draft. That ranking moved up to No. 3 in the weeks leading up to the draft, and on draft day itself he found himself selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the first overall pick.

“It's something you always dream of and when you get there it's ridiculous,” Swanson added of his draft fortunes. “It's something you can't caught up on because there's still so much baseball left to play. It doesn't mean anything anymore. It's crazy, it's an honor, it's a great organization, it's just pretty surreal that it happened to me.

“I'd by lying if I said there weren't distractions and things didn't cross my mind, but for me I was lucky and blessed to have Carson (Fulmer) and Walker (Buehler). We could be outlets (for each other) to talk about things. They understood everything we were going through and we didn't want to talk to our teammates about it because we didn't want them to think our mind and focus was all on the draft.”

After playing second base during his sophomore season, Swanson slid over to shortstop to take the place of Vince Conde, a senior leader on the 2014 National Championship team that provided rock-solid defense up the middle. Swanson didn't miss a beat, making just eight errors at the position good for a near-perfect .974 fielding percentage for one of the most demanding positions on the field.

The position wasn't new to Swanson, who played there throughout his high school career, and welcomed the opportunity to move back when called upon.

“I think for me it was more of a transition to go from shortstop to second base than it was from second to short, because I always played shortstop and it's something I take pride in doing,” Swanson said of the challenges the position switch presented. “Going back to short I just needed to get my rhythm and reps back. Last year it worked better for me to play second than short than the other way around, it was more beneficial to the team, and I had no problem with that.”

Success is something that seems to come easy for Swanson. A native of Kennesaw, Ga., that attended high school in Marietta, the East Cobb program was right in his backyard. He attended 10 Perfect Game tournament events, all with East Cobb Baseball, and finished his travel ball career on top, winning the 2012 18u WWBA National Championship with the East Cobb Yankees.

“My first year when I was 17 we came in second at the big WWBA (National Championship) in Georgia at East Cobb,” Swanson shared when asked of his memories from playing on the travel ball circuit. “And the next year (2012) we won it, so I've definitely enjoyed my moments in those events. They were very professionally ran, especially with the number of teams it was cool to see people from all over and meeting new friends.

“But from a playing perspective it's top-notch. You're facing the best talent in the country at all times and it prepares you for the college level and beyond.”

Although there wasn't as much fanfare surrounding Swanson coming out of high school, he was ranked by Perfect Game as the 151st top high school prospect in the class of 2012. That led to him being selected by the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2012 draft, which cemented his decision to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt.

Because of that decision he is now set to begin the next chapter in his life as a professional baseball player with a lot of hardware to go with it.



2015 Pitcher of the Year: Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt

For as much as Swanson propelled the Vanderbilt offense, their staff ace Carson Fulmer set the tone to open weekend series throughout the year. His best start may very well have been his last, going 7 2/3 innings in a 5-1 win over Virginia of the first game of the College World Series Finals. In that game he allowed only two hits and a pair of walks without giving up a run, while striking out eight.
Carson Fulmer (Photo: Vanderbilt Athletics)

Overall in his college career Fulmer went 24-3, spending his first year coming out of the bullpen and doing so again to open the 2014 season before being moved to the weekend rotation. He also recorded 14 saves, 10 of which came over the first two months in that 2014 championship season, and will go down as one of the most impactful student athletes in Vanderbilt history.

“When I see Coach walking out, I know that's it,” Fulmer stated after his final game on the mound for the Commodores. “And what made it big for me was not only did I have Coach there but I had the whole infield. And I consider those guys my best friends, and along with the other guys on my team. And for me being able to spend that moment with them and just look back on the brotherhood that we created, and I'm on top of it with a win at the end of the game.??

“So it's definitely a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life, and I couldn't have asked for it to happen any better.”

Overall Fulmer led the nation in wins with 14 (14-2) and finished second in strikeouts (167). He also became just the fourth pitcher in SEC history, and the first since Tennessee's Luke Hochevar in 2005, to claim the league's pitching triple crown. Of his 19 starts Vanderbilt went on to win 17 of them. And while the Commodores didn't win the 2015 College World Series, they finished as a more than respectable runnerup after winning it all in 2014.

Along with teammates and fellow first-round picks Dansby Swanson and Walker Buehler, Fulmer arrived on campus with a lot of fanfare. He, alongside outfielder Rhett Wiseman, was a Perfect Game All-American in high school during the summer of 2011, and was selected eighth overall in this year's draft by the Chicago White Sox. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and hammer curve, Fulmer's competitiveness is expected to more than compensate for his smaller stature at the next level.

“As the game progresses he just gets stronger,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin said of his ace after his final game on the mound. “I've used Joe Frazier, the fighter, as an analogy because he keeps coming and he keeps throwing punches and he's just looking for your jaw; he's not trying to maneuver around you. As a kid, we just haven't had many like him. But he's a special, special competitor, and he'll go down as one of the greatest pitchers to ever pitch at Vanderbilt.”


Video: Carson Fulmer records two quick outs at the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic.





2015 Freshman of the Year: Brendan McKay, Louisville

It was a banner year for freshmen to make an impact on the college baseball landscape, a group of players that will become the face of the sport the next 2-3 years. J.J. Schwarz hit 18 home runs and drove in 73 for the Florida Gators while Alex Lange was perfect on the mound, going 12-0 with a 1.97 ERA for LSU, who spent the majority of the season as Perfect Game's No. 1 team.
Brendan McKay (Photo: University of Louisville Sports Information)
However, it was the unlikely contributions of Brendan McKay, on both sides of the ball, that gave Louisville the boost they needed to enjoy an incredibly successful first season in the ACC.

Although Louisville didn't make it to Omaha, as their season came to an end in Louisville at the hands of the visiting Cal State Fullerton Titans in Super Regional play, the Cardinals wouldn't have been in a position to be there without the contributions of their star freshman.

McKay opened the year coming out of Louisville's bullpen, recording four saves early in the year before it was quickly determined he would have more value as a starter. He not only started, but did so on Saturday nights sandwiched between eventual first-round pick Kyle Funkhouser and draft-eligible sophomore lefty Josh Rogers.

While Funkhouser was the more lauded impact performer coming into the year, McKay had the greatest impact, posting a 9-3 record with a 1.77 ERA, cementing the rotation in ACC play that led to a 25-5 conference record. Louisville won each and every series they played in the ACC, and McKay struck out 117 batters in 96 2/3 innings during his inaugural college campaign.

And for good measure he also posted a .308/.418/.431 triple slash line with 14 doubles, four home runs and 34 driven in serving as an integral cog in the middle of Louisville's lineup.

Read more about McKay on Wednesday when we release our 2015 Freshman All-America teams.



2015 Coach of the Year: Brian O'Connor, Virginia

Although there were several candidates worthy of receiving Perfect Game's 2015 Coach of the Year award, including Illinois' Dan Hartleb, Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin and Cal State Fullerton's Rick Vanderhook, just to name a few, it was impossible not to go with the coach of the National Champion Virginia Cavaliers.

The win in Omaha was especially sweet for O'Connor, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, just on the other side of the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb., whose likeness as a player for the 1991 College World Series Creighton Bluejays is depicted on the famous statue that greets fans as they enter TD Ameritrade Park.

At one point in time it didn't even look as though Head Coach Brian O'Connor would be in a position to navigate his ballclub in the NCAA postseason. While Virginia entered the season as Perfect Game's No. 2 overall team – after their runnerup finish in last year's College World Series – they routinely faced adversity during the regular season, and finished the year out of the Top 25.

Injuries to key performers made that road more difficult, as they opened the year without outfielder Joe McCarthy and soon would lose utility player John La Prise. Nathan Kirby, their ace heading into the year, missed the final month of the season and didn't even take the mound until Virginia's third game in Omaha.

But right the ship they did.
Brian O'Connor (Photo: Matt Riley, Virginia Athletics)
Virginia closed out the regular season 12-5, which included a series sweep of North Carolina that allowed the Cavaliers to squeeze into the postseason – and essentially knocked the Tar Heels out of it – where they started their trek to Omaha as the No. 3 seed in the Lake Elsinore Regional. Although they didn't face host UC Santa Barbara, they did beat Southern California twice, and thanks to Maryland walking away as the champion of the Los Angeles Regional, were able to host the Terps in Super Regional play.

In a Super Regional re-match from last year, O'Connor and his team made quick work of Maryland, winning both games they played, which allowed them to advance to the College World Series as an unlikely participant.

“It was tough given the situation and the challenges that we had throughout the year,” Coach O'Connor told Perfect Game and SiriusXM Radio the day before the College World Series kicked off. “Certainly there were huge expections coming into the season. And all of those expectations were set prior to McCarthy and La Prise (got injured). We made a conscious decision as a team and we met a lot throughout the sesason to determine how were were going to handle this. Every group is different, and we chose to handle it throughout the season (in a way to) create new opportunities for someone else.”

McCarthy kicked off the CWS with a bang, hitting a no-doubt home run in his first at-bat (one of only two hits he collected in Omaha), and Kirby finished it, recording five of his six outs via strikeout in his two inning save that propelled Virginia to the championship.

“It's hard to describe, you come into the season with all of those expectations and they were kind of squelched for a while,” O'Connor continued. “And then in the end you're here standing on this field in Omaha, Nebraska; it's awesome, very rewarding.”

And as unlikely as Virginia was to finished the year on top, they also ended a 60-year drought as the Cavaliers became the first team from the ACC to walk away as champions of the College World Series since Wake Forest in 1955.

“It's been a nice job from a leadership standpoint. It's amazing that you speak of those certain players and certain positions. If one or two of those don't work out, we're not standing here. It took a collection of a lot of different guys for them to be their best for this to happen.”
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