Winston-Salem State Outfielder Ray Crawford Leads All-CIAA Baseball Picks

(picture from Winston-Salem State)

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.


The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named their 2014 All-Conference baseball team, which is led by Player of the Year Ray Crawford, a big-hitting outfielder from Winston-Salem State. 

Crawford, a junior, led the conference with 60 runs batted in, dinged five home runs and had the CIAA's second-best batting average at .389.  He  also led the conference in hits in 2014.

Joining Crawford on the CIAA first team is Virginia State pitcher Colton Gunn.  Gunn was nearly unbeatable this season, going 10-1 with a 3.56 ERA.  He was second in the CIAA in strikeouts with   73 over 73 innings, and had six complete games.

St. Augustine pitcher Bryan Rivera, who also had ten wins and led the CIAA in strikeouts with 76, also made the first team.  Joining them were Virginia State freshman catcher David Markins; Chowan DH Ryan Moore; Chowan's utility player, Tyler Burden; St. Augustine's first baseman William Thomas; Winston-Salem State second baseman Rafael Gonzalez; Virginia State third baseman Joshua Markins; Virginia State shortstop Nicholas Christopher; and outfielders Crawford, Leland Clemmons, and Gavin Culler, all from Winston-Salem State. 

Chowan's Tanner Woods, a third baseman who hit .310 with 14 doubles among his 40 hits this season, was named the CIAA's Rookie of the Year.

To see the rest of the All-Conference CIAA baseball team, go to http://www.theciaa.com/sports/bsb/2013-14/releases/140415_allconf-all-rookie-poy-roy