BGSU baseball sophomore catcher Garrett Wright and senior right-handed closer Connar Penrod earned American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-East Region First Team honors, the organization announced on Tuesday.
“Connar and Garrett had outstanding seasons for us,” head coach Kyle Hallock said. “Both performed at an elite level at their respective positions, and it is a great sign of respect for them to be recognized as being the best in our part of the country. For Connar, it’s a great and fitting way for him to go out as a senior and cement his legacy as a Falcon. For Garrett, it adds to an already impressive resume that will ultimately go down as one of the best to ever do it at BGSU.”
The honors are the first for Wright and Penrod and make them eligible for the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-America Teams, which which will be announced the morning of Friday, June 13, before the start of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Wright and Penrod being recognized marks the third time in program history that multiple Falcons have earned First Team honours in the same season and the first time since 2005, when Nolan Reimold and Alan Brech were both selected. Nathan Archer was named All-Region First Team last year, marking the first time the Orange and Brown have had back-t0-back seasons with a First Team All-Region honoree since 2005 and 2006.
Wright put together one of the best seasons in program history, earning Mid-American Conference (MAC) Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-MAC and All-MAC Defensive Team honors. He set the program record for single-season doubles (20), single-season hit-by-pitches (28) and career hit-by-pitches (49).
The Massillon, Ohio, native led the MAC with a .406 batting average and paced the conference and all of the nation’s catchers with a .513 on-base percentage (OBP).
Wright also played five different positions in the field for Bowling Green—catcher, third base, left field, center field and right field—maintaining a .991 fielding percentage, including a perfect ledger behind the plate.
Meanwhile, Penrod was dominant on the mound for the Falcons.
The Wauseon, Ohio, native earned First Team All-MAC honors, finishing the season with 12 saves, the most in a single season in program history, a 1.65 earned run average (ERA), the best in a single season since 1974, and a 5-2 record, leading the team in wins for the second straight year.
Penrod is the only relief pitcher named to the All-East Region First Team and is the only pitcher in the country to have five or more wins, 12 or more saves and an ERA under 2.00.
