Program Record Six UB Baseball Student-Athletes Earn Academic All-MAC Honors
6/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BUFFALO, NY – For the second straight season, the University at Buffalo baseball team saw six student-athletes earn Academic All-MAC honors, as announced by the conference office. Alec Tuohy and Ben Haefner earned the recognition for the third straight season while Brent Cleland. Ben Vey, Eddie Edwards III and Kyle Brennan each earned the nod for the second straight season.
A total of 75 student-athletes were selected to this year's team, led by Kent State who had 11 honorees. The six recipients for the Bulls tied the program record which was set in 2016.
Haefner, an exercise science major with a 3.633 cumulative GPA, finished off his junior campaign in impressive fashion as he earned First Team All-MAC honors. The shortstop turned in a career year at the plate for the Bulls as he started all 51 games and was able to collect a team-high and career-high 62 hits on the season. He finished off the season with career-highs in every major offensive category as he batted .326 with 38 runs, three home runs, 37 RBI, 81 total bases and 25 walks. He was able to record an on base percentage of .435 and a slugging percentage of .426 while batting third in the powerful UB lineup. In the field, Haefner produced 106 put outs and 140 assists while notching a .950 fielding percentage.
Tuohy, a computer science major with a 3.316 cumulative GPA, earned Academic All-MAC honors for the third time in his UB career. The senior closed out his season with a 4-3 record to go along with a 8.76 ERA. The crafty righty struck out 30 batters across 37.0 innings of work while only allowing 13 walks.
Cleland, a civil engineering major with a 3.529 cumulative GPA, earned Academic All-MAC honors for the second time in his UB career as he returned to the weekend rotation for the Bulls after missing all of last season. The tall righty closed out his season with a 2-7 record to go along with a 5.27 ERA after earning a spot in the weekend rotation. He went 56.1 innings while striking out 29 batters.
Vey, a business major with a 3.423 cumulative GPA, earned the honor for the second straight season after turning into the Bulls most consistent pitcher out of the bullpen. The junior closed out his impressive season appearing in a career-high 26 games while earning a 1-2 record to go along with three saves and a 4.82 ERA. Vey pitched 52.1 innings while striking out a career-best 48 batters and holding his opponents to a .282 batting average against.
Brennan, an exercise science major with a 3.393 cumulative GPA, earned the recognition for the second straight season after turning in his best season of his career as a senior. The fierce competitor turned in a career year at the plate for the Bulls as he batted .292 with 12 doubles, four home runs, 25 RBI and 25 runs scored while slugging .438. Not only was Brennan good at the plate, he was great behind the plate for UB as well as he started all 51 games and threw out 24-of-51 would-be base stealers. Throwing out 48% of base stealers led the MAC and was a career-high for the MLB Draft hopeful.
Edwards III, a business major with a 3.267 cumulative GPA, earned his second Academic All-MAC honor of his career. The junior was a key member of the Bulls bench as he made 23 starts while appearing in 41 games for Buffalo. He finished his season batting .204 with 12 runs scored, one home run and six RBI. He also posted a solid .949 fielding percentage as he entered late in games for his defensive prowess.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
