Matt Fox Named A-Sun Pitcher-Of-The-Year

MACON, Ga. – UCF junior pitcher Matt Fox was named the 2004 Atlantic Sun Pitcher-of-the-Year while UCF head coach Jay Bergman was named the 2004 Atlantic Sun Coach-of-the-Year, the conference office announced Tuesday. In addition, six other UCF players garnered A-Sun First Team, Second Team or Freshmen Team honors.

Joining Fox on the A-Sun All-Conference First Team include sophomore pitcher Kyle Bono and junior outfielders Dee Brown and Clay Timpner. Junior shortstop Chandler Rose was chosen to the A-Sun All-Conference Second Team while freshmen RHP Taylor Meier and infielder Matt Ray garnered A-Sun All-Freshmen Team accolades.

Fox was chosen as the A-Sun’s Pitcher-of-the-Year in the first year the conference has offered the award. A three-time A-Sun Pitcher-of-the-Week in 2004, Fox leads UCF with a 12-2 record and 1.84 ERA. In 98.0 innings, Fox has 112 strikeouts (fifth in UCF single-season history) and his 12 wins are tied for third in single-season history.

The Coral Springs native has also been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Roger Clemens Award and is on the Watch Lists for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. A mid-season All-America selection by Baseball America, Fox was recently named the 51st-rated prospect by Baseball America for the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. Fox was also named a national player of the week two different times during the 2004 campaign.

Bergman was named the A-Sun Coach-of-the-Year for a record-setting third time. The dean of all A-Sun coaches, Bergman is the winningest coach in conference history and is also ranked among the top 25 all-time in wins in NCAA history. Bergman turned UCF around from a 31-25 record in 2003 including a 14-16 A-Sun mark to a 42-14 record in 2004 including a 24-6 A-Sun record and two top 25 rankings. UCF was voted third in both the A-Sun Coaches and Media Preseason Polls.

Bono put together a fantastic season on the hill to give UCF one of the nation’s top 1-2 pitching tandems with Fox. The Lake Mary native is 8-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 88.2 innings of work. Bono set a school record with five shutouts in 2004 and ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in single-season strikeouts and ERA. Bono was a three-time A-Sun Pitcher-of-the-Week during the 2004 campaign.

Timpner put up numbers worthy of A-Sun Player-of-the-Year honors. The junior from LaBelle leads UCF in batting (.381), at-bats (218), runs (61), hits (83), doubles (16), triples (5), home runs (5), total bases (124), slugging percentage (.569) and stolen bases (39). He is among the school’s career leaders in hits, stolen bases, total bases and runs scored.

Brown has joined Timpner in forming one of the league’s top outfields. One of only two Golden Knights to start every game (Timpner), Brown has been the team’s leading RBI producer with 55 in 2004. The Brooksville native ranks second on the team in batting (.356), at-bats (194), runs (41), hits (69), home runs (4), total bases (94) and slugging percentage (.485). Brown was a two-time A-Sun Player-of-the-Week in 2004.

Rose had a strong season in his first year in Orlando after transferring from the University of New Orleans. The shortstop hit over .300 for the entire season and ranks second on the team with 15 doubles. One of the most versatile players on the roster, Rose also started 13 games at first base and UCF went a perfect 13-0 when Rose started at first.

Meier became one of the most effective freshman pitchers in the nation as the Altamonte Springs native went 5-3 with a 2.39 ERA. In 60.1 innings of work, Meier fanned 45 and opponents batted just .217 vs. the right-hander. Meier is third on the team in innings pitched and strikeouts, behind Fox and Bono.

Ray became a fixture at second base and in the two-hole in the batting order for Bergman. The Tennessee native is batting .331 in 43 games including 36 starts in 2004. A slick fielder with a strong arm, Ray has stolen 17 bases in 18 attempts.