Blue Hen Senior Pitchers Eric Young and Jeff Murray Named 2012 University of Delaware Baseball Captains
February 16, 2012
File Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware baseball head coach Jim Sherman has announced that senior righthander Eric Young and senior lefthander Jeff Murray have been named Blue Hen captains for the 2012 season.
"We are excited and honored to have Eric and Jeff as our captains for 2012,” said Sherman. “These two players are our hardest working guys both on the field as well as in the classroom. They are truly outstanding young men and as good as the CAA has to offer as top pitchers."
Young, a native of Redlands, Calif. who will begin his second year in Newark after transferring to UD from Riverside City College, anchored the Blue Hen pitching staff last season by leading the team with 13 starts and 72.0 innings pitched. He finished the year with a 5-2 record while striking out 40 batters and holding opponents to a .279 batting average, while his 4.00 ERA led all Delaware starters and ranked 15th in the league.
Young fired five innings of three-hit ball while allowing just one run to earn his first career win during the 7-3 victory over ninth-ranked Arizona State on Feb. 25, and gave up just six hits and no earned runs in 6.2 frames during a 6-2 triumph over William & Mary on Mar. 25. He then went a season-high 7.1 innings of work while scattering just six hits and one run to pick up the victory during the Blue Hens’ 7-1 decision over UNCW on Apr. 8, and also earned a victory over James Madison on Apr. 22.
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"Becoming captain is an honor, and I feel very fortunate that the coaches have entrusted me to give the team guidance and direction,” said Young. “Upon transferring to UD I never had aspirations of becoming a captain, I just tried to better myself every day. Hopefully that attitude, of showing up to the park with the intent and purpose to get better, will trickle down to the younger guys. The team worked very hard throughout the fall, and I’m excited to see that hard work translate this spring. Everyone is ecstatic to get the season rolling, and we are excited to start competing."
Murray, a Riverside, Calif. native, also begins his second season with the Blue Hens this spring after transferring from Riverside City College prior to the 2011 season. He appeared in a team-leading 28 games a year ago, while his 17 CAA appearances tied for the highest total in the league. After opening the season as a starter, Murray made the transition to relief and excelled in that role, allowing just 11 hits and four earned runs during 17.1 innings of work over a 14-game stretch.
Murray recorded a string of 5.1 scoreless frames from Mar. 13-19, and added another stretch of 4.2 scoreless innings from Apr. 1-8 including 1.2 against UNCW. He earned his first career save against VCU on Apr. 29, holding the Rams to just one hit while striking out two over 3.2 frames of scoreless relief.
"Being named one of the captains for the 2012 season is really an honor,” Murray said. “The main goal has never been to be a captain. It’s been about going out every day with a plan and going through with that plan, and I am excited to bring that to the younger players. One of my goals coming into the fall was to do whatever I could to make the entire team close. I believe team chemistry is extremely important; I think a lot of teams lack this quality and this year we will not. I've never been on a team that is this close, and I believe that will give us an extra edge. Every player trusts each other. Everyone on this team has the same goal, and that is to make it to the College World Series. We're taking every day one step at a time and we are highly motivated. As a team we are expecting nothing less, and we're confident it is going to be a great season as long as we stay with our plan and don't abandon our philosophies when we go through adversity."
The Blue Hens open their 2012 season this weekend with a three-game series at Houston. The season opener is scheduled to begin at 6:30 Central Friday evening, with Young expected to make the opening night start for Delaware.
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