Alexander Gregory - OF R/R 6-2 210 Radford U
(was not in my top OF list...)
Gregory is batting .419, tops on the team and among the leaders in the Big South Conference. With a strong final month, Gregory could become the first three-time batting champion in the conference's history. He's a well-built player -- 6-foot-2, 210 pounds -- but one of Gregory's greatest strengths this year has been plate discipline. He's walked 20 times against only 12 strikeouts, a stark improvement from his first two seasons with the Highlanders.
Credit his swingless routine, a drill he developed on his own. "I think pitch recognition is one of the toughest things to do," Gregory said. "But you can pick it up early and say that slider's going to be out of the zone, just from repetition over and over and over." Gregory has seen fewer pitches to hit as his profile has grown. He was named the Big South preseason player of the year, and rivals know only he and North Carolina's Dustin Ackey have gone over .400 in each of the past two years.
Credit his swingless routine, a drill he developed on his own. "I think pitch recognition is one of the toughest things to do," Gregory said. "But you can pick it up early and say that slider's going to be out of the zone, just from repetition over and over and over." Gregory has seen fewer pitches to hit as his profile has grown. He was named the Big South preseason player of the year, and rivals know only he and North Carolina's Dustin Ackey have gone over .400 in each of the past two years.
Gregory earned all-conference honors for the third time in his career, and is bidding to become the first player in Big South history to hit better than .400 in three straight seasons. A .405 hitter with nine homers, 38 RBIs and a .514 on-base clip entering the tournament, Gregory leads the conference in on-base percentage and fielding percentage (1.000). He’s in the league’s top five in batting average (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd – .649) and walks (4th – 34).A stalwart both offensively and defensively for the Highlanders over the last four seasons, Gregory was once again honored for his work in the classroom. Finishing his academic career with a 3.66 GPA in marketing, Gregory graduated on May 9. That same day he went 3-for-3 with two homers against Marshall at Calfee Park in Pulaski, arriving right after his ceremony and just minutes before first pitch.
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