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HomeSportsFirst-Team All-OVC pick Michael Costanzo among five APSU Govs named to All-OVC...

First-Team All-OVC pick Michael Costanzo among five APSU Govs named to All-OVC teams

APSU Sports Information

APSU BaseballBrentwood, TN – Senior starting pitcher Michael Costanzo was named First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference, headlining a group of five Austin Peay State University baseball players to receive postseason recognition from the league’s coaches and baseball sports information directors, Tuesday.

Joining Costanzo as Second-Team All-OVC honorees were sophomore first baseman Parker Phillips, senior second baseman Garrett Giovannelli and junior starting pitcher Jacques Pucheu. In addition, pitcher Harley Gollert was recognized on the league’s All-Freshman team.

2018 APSU Baseball - Michael Costanzo

Chicago native Costanzo becomes the 98th Governors player to receive first-team honors. He ended the regular season ranked second in both wins (nine) and strikeouts (100) among OVC pitchers.

Costanzo’s 9-2 overall record included a 6-1 mark in league play, making him one of three pitchers to record six or more conference wins in 2018. Adding to his sparkling overall record, he picked up a late-season victory against No. 5-ranked Clemson.

Phillips, of Collierville, earned his first All-OVC honor after finishing the regular season as the league’s home run leader. Astoundingly, he did the bulk of his damage against league foes, belting 17 of his 19 home runs in the 27 OVC games he played. Phillips’ .943 slugging percentage in league play was an impressive 171 points better than the second-ranked player in the league. In addition, his 44 RBI in league play was second-most in the league.

Giovannelli, of San Luis Obispo, California, also earned his first All-OVC honor after putting together the best season of his two-year Austin Peay career. A move to the leadoff spot midway through the season paid dividends the rest of the way and he finished sixth among league hitters with a .398 batting average in OVC play. Giovannelli’s 25 doubles and 19 stolen bases both ranked second against all opponents among league athletes.

Gulfport, Mississippi product Pucheu pieced together an impressive campaign for his first All-OVC recognition. He joined Costanzo as one of three pitchers to record six conference wins while striking out 64 OVC batters (4th most). Pucheu also ranked among the OVC top five in earned run average (3.98, 5th), strikeouts (95, 4th) and victories (seven, 3rd) for the entire campaign.

Toronto native Gollert posted two wins and three saves in OVC action to earn All-Freshman team honors. He finished the season with 24 appearances and 18 games finished across all games, ranking among the league’s top eight in each category.

With the four All-OVC honorees this season, Austin Peay has now seen 162 baseball athletes earn first or second team honors in program history. It is the Governors most players recognized with postseason honors since the 2014 season.

The Governors open their stay at the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship with a 9:00am, Wednesday contest against Jacksonville State at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama.

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