2008 Woodie Awards
Former Spartan named Double-A Starting Pitcher of the Year
Caitlin McCann
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Sports
Former Spartan stud Chris Mason completed his season with the Montgomery Biscuits with a 15-4 record and a 2.57 ERA. These impressive numbers were recognized when MiLB.com named Mason the Double-A Starting Pitcher of the Year.
"It's a great accomplishment and I am honored to have been selected for it," said Mason to MiLB's Danny Wild. "It's an individual award and someone had to get it, so I was lucky enough that I had a good season and I got it."
Mason is no stranger to such achievements. He has been named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year, was twice named the SL Pitcher of the Week, and was a midseason and postseason All-Star. Mason also helped the Biscuits to become the first Southern League Champions since the Montgomery Rebels took the title in 1975-77.
Mason can also add second-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 to his résumé. He was selected 56th overall in the Major League First-Year Draft. Mason surpassed former Spartan Brian Moehler's sixth-round selection in 1993.
"Chris will not only pitch in the big leagues sometime soon, but he will be in the big leagues for more than the proverbial cup of coffee," said UNCG's head baseball coach Michael Gaski.
This long list of achievements began when Mason was a Spartan. He finished his 2005 season with a 6-7 record and a league-leading 2.80 ERA. He was a four-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week, the 2005 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, and was selected to the first team all-conference by the league's head coaches.
Mason might as well add record breaker to his long list of accolades. While a Spartan, Mason had 135 strikeouts, eight completed games, and 118.2 innings pitched; these staggering numbers set new single season records at UNCG. Mason was also the 2005 recipient of Louisville Slugger's National Player of the Week after he broke a school record when he struck out 16 batters against East Tennessee State.
While many of his accomplishments are from the mound, Mason could also dish it out at the plate. As a Spartan, Mason was second on the team with a .324 batting average and tallied seven homeruns and 15 stolen bases.
"Chris is an absolute gem and his success is a tribute to his drive, dedication, and work ethic," said Gaski. "Too many times we look at guys like this and think that their success is achieved by some accident or good fortune, when in fact their accomplishments are the result of hard work."
"It's a great accomplishment and I am honored to have been selected for it," said Mason to MiLB's Danny Wild. "It's an individual award and someone had to get it, so I was lucky enough that I had a good season and I got it."
Mason is no stranger to such achievements. He has been named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year, was twice named the SL Pitcher of the Week, and was a midseason and postseason All-Star. Mason also helped the Biscuits to become the first Southern League Champions since the Montgomery Rebels took the title in 1975-77.
Mason can also add second-round draft pick for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 to his résumé. He was selected 56th overall in the Major League First-Year Draft. Mason surpassed former Spartan Brian Moehler's sixth-round selection in 1993.
"Chris will not only pitch in the big leagues sometime soon, but he will be in the big leagues for more than the proverbial cup of coffee," said UNCG's head baseball coach Michael Gaski.
This long list of achievements began when Mason was a Spartan. He finished his 2005 season with a 6-7 record and a league-leading 2.80 ERA. He was a four-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week, the 2005 Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year, and was selected to the first team all-conference by the league's head coaches.
Mason might as well add record breaker to his long list of accolades. While a Spartan, Mason had 135 strikeouts, eight completed games, and 118.2 innings pitched; these staggering numbers set new single season records at UNCG. Mason was also the 2005 recipient of Louisville Slugger's National Player of the Week after he broke a school record when he struck out 16 batters against East Tennessee State.
While many of his accomplishments are from the mound, Mason could also dish it out at the plate. As a Spartan, Mason was second on the team with a .324 batting average and tallied seven homeruns and 15 stolen bases.
"Chris is an absolute gem and his success is a tribute to his drive, dedication, and work ethic," said Gaski. "Too many times we look at guys like this and think that their success is achieved by some accident or good fortune, when in fact their accomplishments are the result of hard work."
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