Norwalk graduate Clay Duncan was named to the All-Mid American Conference second team as a first baseman.

Duncan finished the season batting .301 overall with 10 extra-base hits and led the Falcons with 30 RBIs. Perhaps most impressive is that through 47 regular season games, Duncan was flawless in the field by not committing an error in 455 attempts. In conference play, the senior tri-captain batted .333, had a share for the team-lead in doubles (6), again led the team in RBI (20) and had slugging and on-base percentages above .400.

Last year, he played six different positions, playing in 43 games, including 33 starts. He went 6-for-12 with two doubles and two RBIs against Akron in a three-game series. Between Feb. 28 and March 27, he had hits in eight of 11 games played (10-for-31). He was given the Mr. Versatility Award and the Aaron Lawnizak Mr, Hustle Award by the team.

As a sophomore, he played in 24 games and started 10. He recorded his first career hit against Eastern Kentucky on March 8 on a two-out, two-RBI single. He also put together a four-game hitting streak between March 24 and April 4.

His freshman season, he played 21 games with 10 starts and had three multi-hit games after being a four-year letterwinner at Norwalk, where led the Truckers to the Northern Ohio League title his junior season. He was the team Most Valuable Player twice and was the Most Valuable Pitcher three times. He also lettered in football and basketball.

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Perkins’ Brennan Smith, who pitched the last three years at Bowling Green, was selected in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday.

Smith was selected with the 1,003rd overall selection in the 33rd round by the Detroit Tigers.

"It has always been a dream (to play in the Major League) and something I have wanted to work towards," Smith said. "I wanted it to come true and now that is has happened it is a huge relief."

Smith finished this past season as the Falcons’ No. 1 starter with a 6-4 overall record and an 8.61 earned-run average in 16 starts. He led the team in total strikeouts with 70 on the season in 77 1/3 innings pitched. In Mid-American Conference play, Smith went 4-2 in nine starts with a 7.41 ERA.

"We’re really excited for Brennan to be chosen by the Detroit Tigers," Bowling Green head coach Danny Schmitz said through a press release. "It is well deserved and he has earned the right to get the chance to compete professionally."

Smith ended his junior season by winning two of his last three starts against Buffalo and in the first round of the MAC Tournament against Ball State. He allowed four runs and walked three in each contest but struck out a combined 11 batters and allowed just 10 base hits in 13 2/3 total innings. He tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts against Miami where he went 7 1/3 innings in a 14-8 win.

In 2009, Smith was named MAC Pitcher of the Year after finishing the season 8-4 overall with a 4.41 ERA. He struck out a MAC-best 80 batters while walking just 31. He registered six of his eight wins in conference play. He also led the league in starts (15), wins (8) and opposing batting average (.240).

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Perkins’ Brennan Smith picked up his second win for Bowling Green on Friday, as the Falcons snapped the Rockets’ eight-game winning streak with a 20-15 win.

The two squads combined for 35 runs on 36 hits, including 11 doubles and four home runs in the weekend-series opener.

Despite a 30-minute rain delay, the Falcons (11-18-1, 4-6 MAC) pounded the baseball around the park and scored four runs in the first, four in the second, six in the third, two in the fourth, two in the fifth and two in the seventh to post the most tallies yielded by the Rockets this season.

Smith (2-4) gained the win, giving up nine runs on 12 hits with four punchouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Keystone’s Kyle Shaw (3-3) took the loss, allowing 12 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits with one strikeout in 2 1/3 innings.

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St. Mary’s T.J. Blanton was named the MAC East Player of the Week after his four home run, nine RBI performance, playing for Bowling Green against Eastern Kentucky this past weekend.

Blanton had a career day in the first game of a doubleheader, going 4-for-5 with three-consecutive home runs. His last home run was a deep blast to center field that Blanton turned on the jets and legged out for an inside-the-park homer, scoring two runs.

He ended his seven RBI game with a two-run single in his last at-bat as a part of a nine-run eighth inning that sealed a 19-10 win for the Falcons. Blanton also added two steals on the day, stealing second and third base consecutively following his run-scoring single. His four hits tied a career-high he set last season while his three home runs and seven RBI in a game set new career marks in those categories.

In game two, Blanton added his fourth home run of the day with a two-out, two-run homer that was part of a four-run sixth inning that marked their second come-from-behind victory of the day.

He finished the weekend hitting 7-for-13 (.538) with a .538 on-base percentage. He stole three bases and in the field made 11 put outs over the course of the series. His weekend slugging percentage ended with a team-high 1.462 mark and amounted 19 total bases in that time.

Blanton now leads the team or shares the lead in doubles (5), home runs (5), RBI (16), total bases (45) and slugging percentage (.900). He is second in hits (23), on-base percentage (.491) and stolen bases (7).

swalker@MorningJournal.com

Perkins’ Brennan Smith overcame a shaky freshman year and emerged as Bowling Green’s No. 1 starter as a sophomore this season.

His 8-3 record in 14 starts, including a 6-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play, earned him the MAC Pitcher of the Year award, which was announced last week.

Smith made 18 appearances last season, including four starts, but he had a ballooned ERA of 7.49 in 39 2/3 innings.

This season, with the Falcons losing some key pitchers, Smith emerged as the top ace on the staff. He started 14 games and went 8-3 with a 4.17 ERA in 77 2/3 innings, which was tied for fourth in the MAC. He also struck out 74 batters, which was tied for second in the MAC. For the season, the opposition has hit only .234 against Smith, the lowest average for any pitcher in the MAC. His eight wins is the top figure in the MAC and ranks 36th in the nation.

In his last 12 starts, he had an 8-1 record and Bowling Green was 11-1 in those 12 starts. In the eight games that he has won this season, he had a 2.05 ERA, allowing only 38 hits in 57 innings.

The Falcons won their second consecutive MAC East Division title. They also had the best regular season league record for a second straight year, a first in the history of the program. That earned the No. 1 seed in the league tournament, but they were upset by No. 8 seed Central Michigan, 6-2, and No. 5 Miami (Ohio), 17-4.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - St. Mary's T.J. Blanton was named as the Mid American Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Week last week, playing centerfield for Bowling Green.

Blanton hit .429 (6-for-13) and scored a team-high seven runs last week, helping lead the Falcons to a 3-1 mark.

This past weekend in a three-game sweep of Ball State, Blanton went 6-for-13 with six runs, and scored the game-winning run after his bunt single led off the inning in a 3-2 win. In the third game, Blanton led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a single and scored on a walk-off home run to win 9-7.

For the season, Blanton, a junior, is batting .339 and has played in all 34 games, including 31 starts. He has five home runs and 17 RBIs.

Last year he played in 25 games, including 22 starts, but had his season end early when he fouled off a pitch fracturing his left tibia. He batted .341 with a home run and 12 RBIs before the injury.

His freshman season he played in 26 games with four starts and batted .400 (10-for-25) with a double and five RBIs.

Blanton was a three-year letter winner for Sandusky St. Mary, where he batted .488 with a home run, two triples and 10 doubles as a senior. As a junior, he hit .462 with four home runs, three triples and 10 doubles. He was the team MVP following both seasons. He still holds the St. Mary school record with hits in a season with 42. He also lettered in football and wrestling.

Stay tuned for an update on his college teammates Brennan Smith (Perkins) and Clay Duncan (Norwalk).

swalker@MorningJournal.com