DAHLONEGA — The NCBWA has released their Preseason All-Southeast Region teams prior to the start of the 2018 season, and the University of North Georgia baseball team has three Nighthawks who made the list. Sophomore Bill LeRoy and senior Daniel McCrary were named to the first team, while junior Steven Bower was named to the second team.
LeRoy's preseason accolades continue to grow as he was named Preseason All-Conference Wednesday. LeRoy was a second-team All-Conference selection at designated hitter for North Georgia. The Dublin, Georgia, native was a second-team All-Region selection by the ABCA and named to the Southeast Region All-Tournament team. He hit .408 with three home runs and 35 RBIs, adding 15 doubles for a .577 slugging percentage.
McCrary finished last season with a record of 10-2 record, compiling the most wins of any UNG pitcher a season ago. He finished with a 2.40 ERA with 101.1 innings of work and 63 strikeouts. He was named second-team All-Conference and to the All-Tournament Team before a first-team All-Region honor from the ABCA and second-team accolades from the NCBWA.
Bower ended 2017 with a 7-3 record in 11 starts for UNG, including a no-hitter against Montevallo on March 31, the first no-hitter in UNG history. In 67.1 innings pitched, he struck out 57 batters and finished with a 2.14 ERA. Last season, he was an honorable mention for the NCBWA All-Region squad.
The Nighthawks open up the 2018 season with a three-game series against Florida Tech, starting on February 2 at 4 p.m. at Bob Stein Stadium.
