Aranas Named to PBC Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team
AUGUSTA, Ga. – University of South Carolina Aiken senior Nick Aranas has been chosen to the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team.
The 2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team was released from the conference office on Thursday, Jan. 26. Aranas was selected to the team as a designated hitter.
In total, 13 players were named to the team, expanded from the usual 11 due to a three-way tie at designated hitter. Nine of the 12 baseball-playing schools in the Peach Belt had at least one player on the team with Armstrong, Columbus State, Francis Marion and Montevallo having two each.
The team was selected by the league’s head coaches.
Named a Player to Watch by the American Baseball Coaches Association recently, Aranas missed the entire 2011 season due to injury after entering the season as a preseason All-American and a member of the Peach Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Team. He was named to the 2011 Tino Martinez Award Watch List.
Aranas ended his junior season by being named to the 2010 NCAA
Division II Daktronics All-America Baseball First-Team as a
designated hitter.
Aranas finished the 2010 season leading the Pacers with a .415
(83-for-200) batting average. The batting average was the
third-best in the Peach Belt Conference in 2010.
In total, the Lexington, S.C. native finished the 2010 season in
the top 15 in the PBC in six different categories.
Aranas was second-best among all Pacers in 2010 with 53 RBIs and
46 runs scored. He was second on the squad in total bases over the
course of the year as well with 129.
Aranas slugged a team second-best .645 and had a team-high on-base
percentage of .481. Aranas captured a team-high 29 multiple hit
games in 2010, including 21 two-hit games. He was second on the
squad in multiple RBI games with 14. He was also second on the
squad with 25 extra-base knocks. He had a team-high tying 13
doubles to go along with three triples and nine home runs.
The Lexington High School product owned the team season-high
hitting streak, securing a hit in 14 consecutive games at one point
during the regular season.
The 2011 Pacer baseball team finished its campaign with a record
of 29-21. USC Aiken was 9-15 in Peach Belt Conference action in
2011.
USC Aiken’s 2012 schedule will commence with 13 straight
home games at Roberto Hernandez Stadium as the Pacers will play all
their games in February at home.
For the eighth straight year, USC Aiken will play its first
three-game series of the year against Lincoln Memorial. The
familiar foes will open their 2012 seasons with a 4 p.m. contest on
Friday, Feb. 3. The three-game series between the Pacers and
Railsplitters will end with single 1 p.m. games on Saturday, Feb. 4
and Sunday, Feb. 5. USC Aiken owns a 22-13 all-time series
advantage over Lincoln Memorial.
2012 Peach Belt Conference Baseball
Preseason All-Conference Team
1b - Heath Peterson, Montevallo
2b - Austin Dubberly, Montevallo
3b - Nate Fudala, Flagler
SS - Tanner Funk, Georgia College
C - John Roberts, Armstrong
OF - Kenny Bellavance, North Georgia
OF - Ryan Lewis, Columbus State
OF - Buddy Sosnoskie, Francis Marion
DH - Nick Aranas, USC Aiken
DH - Cameron Scott, Columbus State
DH - Drew Walker, Armstrong
SP - Don Sandifer, Francis Marion
RP - Braxton Lewis, UNC Pembroke
 |  |
