Three Hilltoppers Voted ABCA All-South Central Region

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Matt Ridings, Rye Davis and Matt Rice have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Central Region First Team, and all three will now be considered for ABCA All-America honors.

The all-region teams are selected through a voting process of college head coaches in each specific region. The American Baseball Coaches Association was founded in 1945 and has more than 5,000 members nation- and world-wide.

Ridings turned in a remarkable senior season in 2010 before an injury ended his year prior to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The right-hander was 9-1 with a career-best 3.01 ERA in 2010, and opposing hitters managed just a .218 batting average against him, also the lowest of his career. He struck out 90 in 92.2 innings pitched, and for his efforts was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team and was voted the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year.

He concluded perhaps the finest pitching career in Hilltopper baseball history with a 34-9 career record and 354 strikeouts in 383.2 innings pitched. The 34 wins and 354 strikeouts are the most ever by any WKU pitcher and are tied for first and rank third  all-time in Sun Belt Conference history, respectively.

Davis returned from a career-threatening injury in 2009 to put together a great season out of the Hilltopper bullpen in 2010. He made 33 appearances and logged nine saves, compiling a 2.72 ERA and a 3-4 record. He held opposing hitters to a .249 batting  average and struck out 63 in 49.2 innings pitched.

The Pig, Ky., native was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team after the season and was on the watch list for the national Stopper of the Year Award.

Rice, an All-South Central Region selection in 2009, was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team after leading the Hilltoppers with a .369 batting average, 10 home runs and 65 RBI in 2010. He improved his defensive play from a season ago, making just two errors in 2010 and throwing out nearly 30 percent of potential base-stealers. He was a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to college baseball's best catcher.

All three All-South Central Region choices were taken in the recently-concluded Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft. Davis went in the 36th round to the Cleveland Indians, Ridings was selected in the 41st round by the Kansas City Royals and Rice went in the 50th round to the New York Yankees.

The three All-South Central Region selections are the second-most in a single year in Hilltopper baseball history, behind four honorees in 2009. Wade Gaynor was named an ABCA All-American in 2009.

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