May 24, 2005
MACON, Ga. - Sophomore pitcher Tim Bascom and senior outfielder Dee Brown were named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference First Team, the conference office announced Tuesday. In addition, junior catcher Drew Butera and junior third baseman John-Michael Howell garnered second team all-conference honors while freshman outfielder Tyson Auer was named to the A-Sun All-Freshmen Team.
The Atlantic Sun coaches vote on the all-conference teams and failed to select Butera as the first team catcher, with Troy's Henry Gutierrez collecting the honor. Butera captured second team honors at catcher, despite the fact he is one of 10 candidates for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the nation's top catcher. A preseason all-conference honoree in the league, Butera is widely considered one of the top defensive catchers in the nation in addition to his .330 batting average.
Bascom gained his first all-conference honor from the A-Sun after one of the best seasons in school history at UCF. The sophomore right-hander made the transition from the bullpen to UCF's No. 1 starter and led the team in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched. For the season, Bascom is 9-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 104.1 innings of work. His 107 strikeouts are tied for seventh in single-season history at UCF.
Brown finished off one of the top careers in Atlantic Sun history. The senior tied for the A-Sun lead with 18 home runs, a new single-season record at UCF. Brown also became UCF's all-time leader in hits and RBI in 2005, batting .317 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI. Brown ranks third in A-Sun history in RBI (227) and fifth in the A-Sun annals in hits (294). Brown is a three-time A-Sun First Team All-Conference honoree.
Howell put up big numbers in his first season at UCF. The Winter Park native led the team with a .354 batting average to go along with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. Howell combined with Brown to become UCF's top home run hitting duo in single-season history as the two combined to hit 33 homers in 2005.
Auer was named to the all-freshman team after serving as UCF's everyday center fielder for the majority of the season. A terrific defensive outfielder, Auer hit .245 with three home runs and 16 RBI this season. He also stole 14 bases in 17 attempts.
The Golden Knights return to action Wednesday in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship vs. Stetson. The third-seeded Golden Knights face the fourth-seeded Hatters at 7 p.m. in DeLand.