Ft Myers, FL – Sophomore catcher Jason Cooper (Bradenton, FL) was named to the NCAA II Baseball First Team All South Region Tuesday, May 19, 2004. Cooper becomes the first Eagle in history to earn this honor. Head coaches in the south region vote the first and second team. Coach Dave Tollett feels Cooper has “set the tone for the future of FGCU baseball.” Tollett added, “It’s a tremendous honor for our program considering this is the first year we were eligible to nominate a student-athlete.” Cooper caught 53 out of 56 games this year for the Eagles. Cooper led the team in home runs (6) and doubles (21), and was second in hitting (.397), at-bats (184), runs (51), hits (73), slugging % (.620), and on-base % (.475). Cooper was the Eagles vocal leader, and brought a consistent intensity to every game as he led FGCU to a 38-18 record in 2004. Defensively, Cooper led the team in putouts with 357, had a .986 fielding percentage, and committed just 6 errors in 56 games played. Cooper is now eligible to be named a NCAA II ABCA/Rawlings All-American. First Team All South Region 1B Fred Popp Fl. Southern 2B Matt Baker Catawba SS David Yount Wingate 3B Geoff Strickland Fl. Southern UTIL Toby Rice Rollins C Jason Cooper Florida Gulf Coast DH Jimbo Davis Catawba OF Nathan Gravley Carson-Newman OF Brandon Stancil Tuskegee OF Roberto Valiente Tampa OF Kevin White Presbyterian P Eduardo Chile Rollins P Steve Edsall Rollins P Joey Watts Tampa P Thomas Wilson Catawba RP Justin Boza Tampa Second Team All South Region 1B Sherman Greer Wingate 1B Troy Nunnaly Tuskegee 2B Ken Henderson Tuskegee SS Erick Monzon Tampa 3B Starling Odoms Paine UTIL Guy O'Connell Tusculum C Keaton Smith Albany C Steve Smith Nova Southeastern DH Brian Shuler Paine OF Aldrando Brewington Benedict OF Alex Froloff Nova Southeastern OF Matt Joyce Fl. Southern OF Ricky Sanchez Barry P Eric Beattie Tampa P Gator Brooks Rollins P Chad Gillis Carson-Newman P Tyrell Moore Albany P Donald Skanes Paine RP Gene Howard Rollins Player of the Year Matt Baker - Catawba Pitcher of the Year Steve Edsall - Rollins Region Coach of the Year Bob Rikeman - Rollins 2004 NCAA ABCA/RAWLINGS "ALL-SOUTH" REGION TEAMS BASEBALL DIVISION II Fore more information, contact Director of Internal Relations/Interim SID, Andy Platt @ 239-590-7068 or aplatt@fgcu.edu