McELREATH/ANDERSON CO-WINNERS OF LeROY DREYER AWARD

Blinn College baseball sophomore infielders Sam McElreath (Brenham) and Jay Anderson (Humble) were named co-winners of the 2017 Leroy Dreyer MVP Diamond Award.

The award was named after former Blinn baseball coach and athletic director Leroy Dreyer, an NJCAA Baseball Hall of Famer who worked at the College for 36 years and still attends Buccaneer athletic events regularly. Cullen Jozwiak (Brenham) won the award in 2015 and Blaine Suehs (Caldwell) won in 2016.

McElreath, a third baseman, and Anderson, a second baseman, combined to hit .358 on the season and had a combined 3.5 grade point average.

McElreath went from hitting .229 as a freshman in 2016 to raising his batting average to .354 his sophomore season. He knocked in 37 runs and hit five home runs. He recently signed to continue playing baseball at Western Kentucky University.

“I struggled in my first season at Blinn, but that was a learning experience and it helped me to work even harder in the summer,” McElreath said.

Anderson also had a much improved sophomore season, as he saw his average rise from .290 to .363. He blasted six home runs and earned 53 hits in 42 games. Anderson signed to continue playing at University of Central Arkansas.

“Blinn was the first school to offer me out of high school, and I was blessed to have the opportunity to play here,” Anderson said. “The part that I love most about the game is just playing with the guys and the relationship I had with them.”

McElreath and Anderson helped the Buccaneers improve from a 23-31 record in 2016 to 28-27 in 2017, earning a spot in the Region XIV tournament.

“Jay and Sam are model student-athletes and they both improved so much from their first season to the second,” head coach Harvey McIntyre said.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 36 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.